Every week we round up the items, services and places that the Arts&Life team are loving at the moment.
Bubs Boutique
A new baby and a penchant for shopping make for a lethal combination, one that's no close to being alleviated now that I've stumbled across Bubs Boutique. It's an online baby shop based in the UAE that delivers straight to your door, boasts some of the most delightful products I've ever come across for my little munchkin daughter, and allows me to pay the delivery man in case I don't wish to use my credit card online. They delivier worldwide, but if you're here in the UAE, shopping is free for any order over Dh200. You'll find clothing for newborns to five-year-olds as well as expectants mamas, essentials, cute room decorations, unique gifts, award-winning slings and baby carriers, organic products for mothers and children and beautifully designed pushchairs. They'll even gift wrap for you and write a sweet note of your choosing. Thanks to them, I'm now the owner of the chic Melobaby all-in-one nappy wallet and change pad, the Mini Monkey baby sling and the Boba Air carrier, which folds up nicely to fit in a small bag.
When I placed my latest order, the co-owner Kristen got in touch immediately via email to inform me on the status of the order as well as when to expect it, then the co-owner Paula called on the day of delivery to make sure everything went well. Amazing, personalised service coupled with products of the best quality? I'm sold. Check out www.bubsboutique.com or find them on Facebook and join to receive deals, discounts and news about a variety of events.
* Hala Khalaf
800 THALI
As anyone who has been in the UAE longer than five seconds has probably come to appreciate, you can get pretty much anything delivered. Right now, with a few jabs into my phone, I could have food, clean clothes, DVDs, cars and baby African elephants brought to my door in a matter of minutes. But there must be some exceptions, right? Thali, for instance, is surely far too complicated with all its little dishes to survive any sort of motorised transportation? Not so, as the guys behind 800 THALI in Dubai have spectacularly proved. From midday to 3pm and 6.30pm-10pm, you and I can have fresh thali in six different varieties brought to our doors in a little plastic tray. Having sampled five of the six so far, I can tell you that they're all pretty darn great/ I have a newfound love for North and South Indian cuisine thanks to them. An added benefit is the cost, with each coming between 14 and 16 of your finest dirhams, making it a distinctly budget-friendly dining option. Sandwich for lunch again mate? Not likely, I'm having a thali. Check out their website, www.800thali.com or call 800 84254.
* Alex Ritman
Fatgirlslim Bliss skin firming products
Dieting and exercise can only do so much. The one thing it can't do is get rid of those awful lumps and bumps. Yes, ladies: the dreaded orange peel, cottage cheese thighs, hale damaged skin, whatever you call it; cellulite by any other name is no less horrible. Step in Bliss's new Fatgirlslim range. Designed to stimulate blood-flow to the problem areas, the products include encapsulated QuSome caffeine molecules which that target and smooth out the bumps. I love the Fatgirl soap. It has built-in nodules and a grainy texture that easily allows you to massage the trouble spots. After showering, I use Fatgirlslim skin firming cream. I love the packaging and innovative branding. Other products in the range include bliss the lovehandler and the fatgirlslimulator. Bliss products can be found in most Debenhams department stores in the UAE and also at Va Va Voom in Dubai Mall. To see the whole range, go to www.blissworld.com
* Felicity Campbell
Oral-B Triumph 5000 with Smart Guide
The name alone is daunting - and then there's the price. More than Dh700 for a toothbrush? Sceptism. The thing is, though, throughout the years, various dentists have been critical of my rather slap-dash toothbrushing technique. Although I've often dismissed their complaints as an attempt to gather more of my business, I've known deep down that due to perpetually being in a rush, my methods needed work. The thing about the new Triumph 5000 is that it forces you to slow down for a good, two-minute brush that focuses equally on the four quadrants of your mouth, and gives your teeth a spic-and-span feel that I have never before been able to achieve. The device consists of a toothbrush base that charges to allow 10 days of brushing, several different heads and the Smart Guide, which is very simple to set up. The guide begins timing whenever the brush is turned on, with a circle indicating which quadrant to brush. The brush itself stops after each one and then starts again to remind me to move it along if I start daydreaming. A sad face on the Smart Guide indicates when I am applying too much force, while a happy face at the end signals a job well done. Truly, my teeth have never been so clean. Dh729, at stores across the UAE.
* Ann Marie McQueen
