My Desert Cart Experience

During my last vacation in Manila, I got a little obsessed with this little beauty product called Lucas Papaw influenced by my best friends who were raving about it. The product's originally from Australia and slightly overpriced in Manila so I didn't buy expecting that I'd easily find it when I go back to Dubai anyway. I searched for it everywhere (Boot's, Sephora, Areej, and even in pharmacies near our area) but to no avail. Then came Desert Cart AE, which I chanced upon online. It's a website that enables you to purchase from sites such as eBay and they'll buy and ship the items directly to you.

I was skeptical at first to try their service since there's like tons of negative reviews about them. Even their official Twitter account was loaded with unanswered queries and complaints from customers. It was scary alright, but not enough to completely turn me off. I was running my own online shop for three years back in Manila and already used to the dynamics of e-commerce. Most of the complaints were about delayed deliveries, so I figured that's fair enough since the products I intend to buy would be coming from the US and Australia. I understand that waiting is part of the experience. I wasn't in a hurry to receive them anyway. There's also a slight difference in pricing from the eBay website, which I find reasonable. But it's a good thing that they offer free shipping when your order reaches atleast a total of AED 250.

I ordered items that are not available here in Dubai: a handful of my favorite Burt's Bees lip balms  the little life savers, a couple of Elvive shampoos which they already discontinued here  the only shampoo that works for me, and of course, some Lucas Papaw  the main reason of this somewhat risky stunt. I checked out, paid, and hoped for the best.

Luckily enough, after only three days from ordering, I received a text message from Skycom saying that my first parcel from Desert Cart will be delivered to me. Immediately the following day, my Burt's Bees lip balms arrived in mint condition. I was on cloud nine. I didn't expect it to be that fast. It actually worked! The other items took a little longer to arrive though. The Lucas Papaw tubes were delivered I think more than a week after while the Elvive shampoos took forever (almost a month!).

All the items were packed neatly and securely to avoid leaks or breakage. Really impressed with how they took care of them. The only down side was their customer service. They are seriously lacking in this area. As soon as I posted my Desert Cart packages on my Twitter and Instagram, I was bombarded with lots of questions (even complaints) from customers who have yet to receive their orders. I just hope Desert Cart would be more accommodating with all the inquiries of their customers instead of ignoring them, so customers won't resort to asking random people on social media about their orders. So if waiting is not your strong suit or you need the products on a certain date, I think Desert Cart is not the best place to buy them. Some will be delivered fast, but some will definitely take a while.
Personally, it's a good experience overall and I would definitely be using their service again once these products run out. I'm currently eyeing out a handful of paperbacks and lip products. Someday soon. :) If waiting is your game and you want to purchase something off eBay, click here to try Desert Cart AE.

P.S. I was in no way compensated by Desert Cart for writing this review. These are my personal and unbiased opinions based on my own experience of the service, which I paid for.

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Top five scents I love

I am almost halfway through a year's worth of emails. Woohoo! I didn't realize it's been actually that long since the last time I've checked my blog's inbox. While sorting through all the chaos (tons of spam messages!), one short email caught my attention. I've been tagged by a sweet girl named Helene on a My Favorite Things post. I know it's already a year late, but I'd still want to give it a shot. Instead of giving random favorites, I'd just share most favorite scents I love.

Here are my top five favorite perfumes of all time.
L'eau d'Issey Issey Miyake For Women: This one's my all-time favorite perfume and my husband really adores it on me as well. Totally a head-turner! It's floral, musky and woody all at the same time, making it pretty unique compared to other perfumes out there. I absolutely love the hints of peony, lilly and carnation infused with amber and melon. Very fresh and it's a plus that the smell is really long-lasting. I know that this perfume was created to be reminiscent of flowers, forest and springtime, but for me L'eau d'Issey Issey Miyake For Women works best as a winter scent.

Victoria's Secret Heavenly Eau De Parfum: This perfume is very close to my heart because it was my younger sister who first introduced me to this scent. It's a charming mix of white musk, sandalwood, vanilla and white peony that will definitely have you wrapped up in dreams and romance. I'm not a fan of strong scents nor of barely-there scents that automatically leaves your skin minutes after you sprayed, but Heavenly nailed it perfectly. Layering this perfume with VS Heavenly Angel Touch Lotion gets me through the entire day smelling and feeling like an angel.

Clinique Happy Heart: This whimsical perfume was my first love and has always been a part of my life since I was nineteen years old. It's a floral scent with a combination of water hyacinth, Mandarin and blond woods. The scent is quite strong but definitely not something that puts you off. True to its name, this perfume is an instant upper, which never fails to make me remember happy memories of my sweet childhood and fun summers whenever I wear it. It doesn't hurt also that SA's usually shower you with tons of free Clinique products when you buy a full bottle or two.

Flora by Gucci in Gorgeous Gardenia: I purchased this perfume purely for sentimental reason at first. Its fancy bottle caught my eye while stuck inside Duty Free Hong Kong for a layover. My loving grandmother who I lost months earlier was named Flora so naturally I just had to buy it of course. My friend has the perfect phrase to describe this scent: "innocent seduction" and I couldn't agree more. Gorgeous Gardenia is a classy and elegant blend of fruity, sweet and fresh that embraces femininity at its finest. Not sure how this fares on other people's skin, but for me it's not as long lasting as my other favorite perfumes. Still, this is my perfume of choice on a date or a night out.

Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou: This fragrance is a recent discovery for me. To be honest, I was a little intimidated to try this out in the beginning as I thought it would be too strong for me, but the scent started to grow on me and eventually I have fallen completely inlove with it. With a blast of roses, peony, pink pepper and raspberry at its core, Armani Prive Pivoine Suzhou is really bound to capture a woman's heart. It's truly an inspired, fresh and elegant smell, perfect on those days when you need a little boost of confidence. I feel like a graceful woman who's empowered and confident to take on any challenge that comes my way whenever I wear this.



"A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting."  ― Christian Dior

What's your favorite scent?
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GlamBox ME: Unboxing June Box + Welcome Box

Ramadan Kareem to all our Muslim friends and family from all over! The reduced office timing in this part of the world has given me extra time off and now I'm finally back from a long blogging hiatus. Yay! It was quite a refreshing break actually and can I just say I really miss doing this? :)

Anyhoo, I just wanted to share my first GlamBox experience here in Dubai. Today I finally received the June box (my first out of the six boxes I subscribed to) along with a welcome box and the timing of the delivery couldn't be more perfect. You see, I subscribed to the service last month and totally forgot about it. So imagine my surprise when our receptionist told me I received a package earlier. Such a sweet treat when I realized it's my GlamBox. It almost felt like today's my birthday or something.

I've been reading a lot of reviews about GlamBox for months (a year even I think) and have been contemplating about subscribing. But a couple of my colleagues warned me about it saying it's not worth it, so I refrained from clicking the subscribe button for a good two months. Then came Kimmy, a friend I'm following on Instagram who always posts about the boxes she's receiving. She accommodated all my questions, and when the GlamBox team shared a 20% early bird discount, that's my cue. I just had to give in to my curiosity and join in the fun. Enough lurking! The price of a box is like buying two or three cups of Salted Caramel Budino, only this one's cheaper and not fattening at all. :)


For my June box, I received a Wow by Woojooh Lipstuck Extreme Wear Lip Lacquer in Oud Rose shade. At first I thought I wouldn't like it, but I had a change of heart after trying it on. It's a lovely color with just the perfect amount of pink. Not loud, but definitely not subtle. Just enough to make a statement and it's also matte which is even better!

Another item I got is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Perfectly Poppy shade. Looks very pretty and definitely my most favorite item from the stash. Except for these two items I already mentioned, the other contents of the box were actually a let down to be honest. 

There was a Yves Rocher Comme Une Evidence Eau De Parfum sample and a Jergens Smoothing Oud Dry Skin Moisturizer sample inside. I would have appreciated these had they come in a different scent. Just not a fan of Oud. Also, the Tatu Bijoux Temporary Tattoo is just not my thing at all. I understand that they incorporated it to probably keep up with the Arabian Theme, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it.

Overall the June box is a combo of hits and misses, but it surely got potential. I am hopeful that the July GlamBox would be able to turn things around. It's supposed to be luxury make-up themed so I'm pretty excited to receive it. I so want it to be July already!

The best part of this first experience with GlamBox has got to be the welcome box. The team really nailed it with this one, and it's free which is even sweeter. When I opened it and saw my favorite Aloe facial mask from The Face Shop inside, I was smiling all throughout. There's a full-sized Nivea body lotion which the husband immediately approved and claimed ownership, a Bioderma make-up remover, a Lacoste perfume sample and a VLCC Witch Hazel and Rose Water face wash, which I have yet to try. This welcome box is really a box after my own heart (if there is such a thing).

Click here if you want to try out GlamBox. It's great for when you want to test out a variety of products first. The size is enough to figure out if a product is good or not before committing to a full size. Plus everybody loves surprises, right? It always brings a happy feeling.

Hope this blessed month of Ramadan bring you lots of good surprises and happiness!

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