september twenty seventeen

September was manic.  In fact, as I write this on the 30th September I am actually wondering how I survived!!  Of course, the highlight was the 9-day visit from Sarah and Aimee-you can read all about their time here in this post.  But the rest of the month though was equally as busy....here's my monthly round up

I ate:

....just way too much.  On top of all the nights out with the girls, I ate at all these places too

• Gaucho, DIFC-I went to Gaucho three times this month, there have been jokes about a restraining order....  Amazing food and service every time-I already have my October booking pencilled in.  Still working on getting the GM to rename the cheesecake after me and getting a drink on the cocktail menu.  Read more here.
• Armani, Amal-probably my favourite Indian restaurant in Dubai with the best views of the Dubai fountains and great food.   Read my review here
• Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton JBR-a long overdue catch up with Kirsty, we went for a lovely girly afternoon at the Ritz Carlton.  The hotel is a bit dated now to be honest and this wasn't the best afternoon tea I have been to in Dubai but we had a lovely afternoon eating cake and drinking tea
• Carnival, DIFC-I've eaten a few times at Carnival and I have reviewed it here but honestly, this meal didn't impress me at all.  To the point where I suggested we go to Gaucho for dessert (100% the right decision).  I would recommend trying Carnival at least once if you like modern fusion food and there is definite 'drama' to the experience, but I just think I have overdone it now. 
• Buddha Bar, Grosvenor House-consistently good pan Asian food, I've been to Buddha Bar three times this year and each time the food has been great and the service fab.  The cocktails are amazing here-my personal favourites are 'Single and ready to flamingale' (pictured) and '#mycathasmorefollowersthanyou'  It definitely is a place to go later in the evening and has a live DJ-the music isn't really to my personal taste but the upstairs lounge is a great place to chill with friends after dinner.
• Spice and Ice, JLT-a really fun place to go with a group of friends, last week Kirsty and Sarah and Zeinab from Pop Comms went to their weekly Tuesday ladies night.  There was a great selection of complimentary cocktails which were definitely free flowing and 25% off the food.  The music was great, the service was awesome and the mimosas were moreish!  We'll definitely be back.
• Rhodes W1, Grosvenor House-one of my favourite meals of the month was at Gary Rhodes fine dining restaurant.  I went with my lovely friend Polly and everything was exquisite!  I had pork ravioli to start, braised beef in red wine and then raspberry soufflé-so so good!  And the bottle of prosecco for AED99 was probably the highlight!  Of all the places I have been this month, Rhodes W1 and Gaucho would be the two places I will rave about and recommend to everyone!
• Zuma, DIFC-one of the trendiest places in Dubai and somewhere I am going back to next week, Zuma is consistently excellent and always packed out.  Reservations absolutely necessary as is a big credit card limit.  Try the business lunch though for a very cost-effective way to sample some of their dishes.
• Switch, Dubai Mall-I went for a casual dinner here and was really impressed-the desserts are insane!  I wish I had photos but the Kinder Melt was amazing-a white chocolate ball that dissolves when a hot chocolate fudge sauce is poured over it.

I'd love to say that in October I am going to reign in all the eating but I have 8 meals out in the first week of October!  Stay tuned to my Instagram to follow my food adventures.

I bought:

New Loubs-Treated myself to the nude patent Iriza 100mm and they look so nice on.  Uncomfortable AF and definitely car to bar shoes but I needed nude heels in my wardrobe and these fit the bill perfectly.

Fenty Beauty-I was not interested in this launch at all but I just happened to be in Sephora on the launch day and I picked up 5 things...review coming soon but I have to say I am impressed....

On my playlist:

I'm hugely into music and these are the current songs I'm overly obsessed with!

I feel:

Ending this post on a more personal note, I feel a little bit emotionally all over the place at the moment and I recognise signs in me that I'm running away from my own emotions-keeping myself super busy, saying yes to everything, working ridiculous hours including the weekends, trying to do it all and be it all.  I need to re-evaluate some friendships I have and I need to start putting myself first.  I've had only five days annual leave so far-absolutely at my own decision but I feel like it's starting to take it's toll on me at the moment.

Having my braces moved from the back of my teeth to the front of my teeth has crushed my self-confidence.  I'm so conscious of them and I honestly hate them.  Hopefully, they'll be off asap.

I had good intentions of going to the gym this weekend to start repairing some of the damage I have done in September-I never ever regret going to a class but I honestly lost all motivation for it over the last two days-I need to force myself to go and get back into some kind of 'normal' routine where I am in control of my own life.  I'll report back next month on if I am successful!

Finally, I know this used to be a makeup blog and I apologise if you're frustrated with the lack of beauty reviews and thank you for sticking with me.  I keep promising beauty posts and there will be some asap so please bear with me.

Hello October......