Morocco is magical. I was charmed by its beauty the minute I walked into Marrakech, the ancient city, discovering the splendid souks, experienced the 1001 flavour, relaxing at the stunning riads. Marrakech has given me the inspiration to create this Arabic makeup look and share it with you. I hope you enjoy it.
Our second stay in Marrakech was at the La Maison Arabe, a boutique hotel in an elegant riad. The moroccan riad is a large traditional house built around a central courtyard, which is nowadays often converted into a hotel. The name itself actually comes from the Arabic word “ryad”, which means garden. What was it like staying in a riad in the old Medina of Marrakech?
La Maison Arabe has a legendary status among Moroccan riads.
This riad was built in 1946, later in 1998 it was converted into a hotel. La Maison Arabe was actually the first hotel based on a riad concept in Marrakech and today, almost 30 years later it still maintains an unbeatable reputation. It has a legendary status among Moroccan riads for a good reason. Combining best of two worlds, La Maison Arabe is a hybrid between a boutique hotel and a riad. Its supreme location behind the wall of medina has definitely something to do with it. Only a few minute walk from the Jemma el-Fnna medina, the souks and 2km walk from the Jardin Majorelle. It was a great starting point for discovering all of them by foot.
Everything you would expect from a riad and more…
La Maison Arabe has 26 rooms and suites in two buildings which are connected together with a serene swimming pool. I was especially impressed by the La Maison Arabe’s interior, all being completely cohesive with its oriental roots. It balances the warmth of a riad with the facilities and services of a hotel in the most amazing way possible. Our room was absolutely stunning, the bathroom was spacious, the sleeping room had the most amazing handcrafted Moroccan chandelier, we also had our own private terrace, while the best part of the living area was definitely the fireplace (which we didn’t need, but still, it is a nice touch).
…3 restaurants, a cooking school, spa with the traditional hammam, 2 swimming pools…
You can find 3 restaurants in the La Maison Arabe, a piano bar, well-recognized cooking school, breathtaking spa with the traditional hammam, 2 swimming pools – one in the hotel and one located 15 minutes away right next to their Country Club (they take you there with a shuttle). Having breakfast by the pool was an amazing start of the day, the food was delicious – not only breakfast, but also dinner. We were kindly invited to an evening dinner overlooking the pool with Mr. Abete, the property manager, gourmet pampering was accompanied by a lovely chat in the most wonderful ambiance.
photo: Katarina Veselič & me
Not so long ago, I posted an article about removing hair with Afrodita Cosmetics. It was one of my most read beauty blog posts in a while, and after the opportunity came to get rid of body hair once and for all, I was thrilled to hear more. After my first visit at Skin dermatologija, I knew I wanted to do this. Why I decided to go for laser hair removal?
…because non of the other methods of hair removal are permanent.
Laser hair removal is the process of removing hair by means of exposure to pulses of laser light that destroy the hair follicle. It is the permanent way of removing unwanted hair, which is today totally safe due to many years of research. Depending on your skin and hair colour, some lasers will be more effective than others, but overall the best ones out there are alexandrite laser and Nd:YAG laser (which is suitable even for those with darker skin tones ). Be aware that many of the beauty salons offer the so called “laser hair removal”, but in fact they use IPL systems (which are far from the “real” deal, since they don’t remove your hair permanently).
…because I 100% trust Katja Gorenšek, dr.med., spec. dermatovenerology from Skin dermatologija.
Laser hair removal is an invasive treatment, that should be done by professionals. Doctor Gorenšek convinced me on our first meeting. Her reputation and skills are outstanding, so I knew I was in good hands. With that being said, I would highly suggest you get your laser hair removal done by medical personnel, preferably a dermatologist, in order for it to be completely safe with no health (or beauty) risks. At Skin dermatologija they truly know what they are doing, they use the best equipment out there and they make sure you are well informed about the procedure you’re going under.
…because I am an ideal patient for laser hair removal.
Having fair skin and rather dark underarm and bikini hair, I am an ideal patient for the laser hair removal. My hair on my lower legs is blonde, but doctor Gorenšek promised to make her best to permanently remove it as well. So, I decided to go for laser hair removal on my armpits, bikini area and lower legs. I promised not to expose these areas to the sun in the meantime – that’s why winter is the ideal time to do laser hair removal treatments. The areas you target shouldn’t be exposed to the sun from weeks before the first to last treatment. And you will probably need about 5 to 8 visits with 4 to 8 weeks in-between each. It’s quite a long period, but in the end you can walk into summer without worrying about annoying little hair.
…because laser hair removal doesn’t hurt.
Again, it depends on the pain thresholds of the individual, but for me it was almost painless. Far from the pain that comes with waxing for sure! Some parts are more sensitive to pain than others. For example, I didn’t felt any pain on my armpits, hardly any on my lower legs (I felt some pain only on the front lower part of the leg). The small pain was present when my bikini area was treated, it’s like a hundred small needles gently poking your skin. Nothing mayor. The area that’s treated is cooled at the same time, plus they also put some cold packs on afterwards. The redness disappeared after less than half an hour, the pain was completely gone after 10 minutes. Probably the most unpleasant part of the treatment is wearing hard protective glasses, which you obviously need to wear in order to protect you eyes from the laser.
…because laser hair removal is extremely effective.
In my estimation, I’ve lost half of the hair on my underarm area, almost half on the bikini, while on the lower part of the legs I am not completely sure (my hairs there are blonde, so they can barely be seen). I’ve noticed the lack of hair after a few weeks and the interesting thing is that they didn’t fall of evenly (I know have parts that are completely hair-free and some that are still quite hairy). The immediate lack of hair has given me confirmation that I made the right decision. I will definitely keep you posted about the progress and my whole laser removal experience. I am so excited to see the final results!
photo: Katarina Veselič
Warm breeze, magical doors, pleats in the form of breezy, yet elegant material, that falls down seamlessly. Muted, light metallic purple that’s classic and modern at the same time combined with crystal embellishments represents the dreamy, illuminating MAX&Co. dress. The perfect way to capture it, was to take it to the magical Morocco.
Finding the perfect maxi dress for the festive season can be quite the struggle. Especially if you’re looking for something timeless and trendy at the same time. With the pleats trend returning to the fashion fold and metallic being huge at the moment, this MAX&Co. dress represents the perfect choice for glamourous parties. The fabric-creasing technique makes it special and even more flowy, while the sequins on the belt add some glam and sparkle.
A glamourous party selection featuring goddess-worthy pleats, sequins and laminated textiles.
outfit: MAX&Co. dress via Lili in roza
photo: Katarina Veselič
Whether you like it or not, teeth play an important role in our lives. They tell a lot about our hygiene, they are one of the first features you notice about others and overall, they are one of the foundations of a healthy organism. As a child, I didn’t smile a lot (at least not with my month open), I was hiding my crooked teeth, that’s why I know how important it is to be truly confident about your teeth. A pristine carefree smile is a smile without reservations that is only possible when you’re fully confident about your teeth. While fixing crooked teeth can be quite a struggle, having perfectly clean teeth is actually a piece of cake. How?
photo: Katarina Veselič