[Beauty]: Ayesha Ziya's Oud Fragrances

 Growing up in a distinctly Arab family, the smell of Oud was lingered in the air. Whether it was actual Oud wood burning in the prayer room or  the perfume on my mother's clothes. The bottle of Oud oil perfume was always in my mother's purse encased in a green velvet pouch. She would let me wear some when we were going to a special event like a wedding or my own birthday. It still is one of her most prized possessions. All I knew about it was that it was really expensive and difficult to get.

When I got an invite to attend the launch of Ayesha Ziya's Oud fragrance range, I was rather excited. Finally, I would get my hands on my own bottle of this divine fragrance. 

That's the complete range of Ayesha Ziya's fragrances. At the launch, I assumed that all these perfumes are Oud based. However, according to the descriptions on the website, only Oud and Oud Signature are made of Oud wood. Their best seller is 'Irum'. I loved it's soft feminine tones and I would definitely consider gifting it. But for myself, I would invest in Royal Mirage - it's rich, strong and opulent. Just like I like my men.

The perfumes will soon be available to purchase at selected outlets. While I loved the perfumes, the event/information session itself was not fitting for a luxury perfume launch. A dreary room with white table cloth and samosas just didn't cut it.

Would I buy the perfume? Possibly. Depends on the pricing. However, the starter kit at GBP 14 is great value for both personal use and gifting.

For more information on the perfume: www.ayeshaziya.com

[Event]: YSL and Lancome come to Karachi!

There's nothing like make up to cheer up a girl with a sprained foot. Yes, that would be me at the Scentsation launch of YSL and Lancome beauty lines in Karachi. But there's something about a make up store that makes it all okay - the sweet scents, the colors, the smiling ladies.... I love browsing through make up! Luckily, for my sprained foot the latest goodies were right at the front of the store AND I was lucky enough to be selected for a quick make over with the Lancome range.

Looking and feeling better

So now that we have established that I look good in Lancome make up (and more importantly, feel good), let's go back a little bit. Multitech are the good guys bringing all these colorful goodies to Pakistan and they will be stocked at Scentsation. In my interaction with the brand team of Multitech and Scentsation, I made one important discovery - they invest in and believe in staff training. So, when you step into their store, you can be assured that the girls know what they are talking about - in fact, all of them fantastic make up artists too! There is something to be said about companies that take training and development seriously. As much as I love getting made up, the fact of the matter is that I know very little about make up. The girls were very knowledgeable about the range of products offered by YSL and Lancome and were happy to recommend shades based on my skin tone. Frankly, if you are going to parting with your hard earned cash, it better be the right shade!

The beauty range is to die for!

How much for the whole display?

The Masters Rabiyah Tungekar and Nida Moughal at work.

So, here's my recommendation. If you (like me) prefer a clean, natural yet colorful face then go with Lancome. They have a lot of shade and color choices that are understated and perfect for daily wear. If you are more skilled with make up application and adventurous than try the rich, vibrant colors of YSL. BUT, please talk to the consultants before you make a purchase. They are skilled and polite

Can't wait to go spend another afternoon trying the goodies at Scentsation!

[Event]: #RealDestinations

Shell Rimula, premium heavy duty engine oil, launched a new campaign called Real Destinations. The campaign looks at the life of truck drivers and farmers of Pakistan, their dreams and aspirations and emphasizes on the hard work they put in every single day to accomplish them.

The Sadqain Gallery hosted the launch event.

Real Destinations represents the largest ever integrated marketing campaign from Shell Rimula and marks the latest step towards a more emotional global brand marketing approach. The campaign reveals the personal motivations and goals in the life of Pakistan’s truckers and farmers.

Shell Rimula has consistently worked towards empowering its consumers by providing them with premium oils that ensure engine protection against wear and tear making the journey towards reaching their dreams smooth, regardless of the driving conditions.

Commenting at the launch event of the Real Destinations campaign, Omar Sheikh, Managing Director of Shell Pakistan Limited said, “Farmers and truckers are crucial for the Pakistani economy and we applaud their efforts through the Shell Rimula – Real Destinations campaign. We acknowledge their hard work and perseverance and Shell Rimula stands by them every step of the way. We realize that our consumers for Shell Rimula depend solely on their trucks & tractors for their livelihood, our heavy duty oils have been designed to improve performance of their engines because we understand that less downtime on the roads or in the fields, means more quality time for them with their families.”

Reading by Rahat Kazmi 

The global campaign of Real Destinations has been localized and developed specially for this purpose. A television commercial is also produced to run in Pakistan by one of the most talented filmmakers of the country, Jamshed Mehmood (JAMI).

The TVC which was showcased at the event highlighted the intricate balance of life in the consumer’s everyday life. The Real Destinations campaign is currently running in 17 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, including Pakistan.

[Event]: Mr Burberry

When I got the invite for the launch event of Mr. Burberry, I some how assumed (wished) that Mr. Burberry would be there. Or perhaps I would get to take him home because you know, bloggers always get giveaways. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Nonetheless, I was not too disappointed. Our very own local as-good-as Mr.Burberry men were in attendance - Aamir Bukhari and Umair Mirza, surrounded by a bevy of beauties - Nida Moughal, Sidra Rizvi, Rabiyah Tungekar, Salima Feerasta and of course Sundus Rasheed at the Dolmen Mall Clifton outlet of Scenstsation.



The brand team tried to keep the event interesting with a scavenger hunt around the Scentsation store with a Samsung Tab as booty! Gahhhh!!! The minute someone says competition, I know I have already lost. Nonetheless, I did run around the store looking for London/Burberry themed bits and pieces, only to lose to Nida Moughal. Oh well, there will be more days for me to lose.

Taking him home

It was a small event with a lot of punch - with the unrealistically hot Mantaha Maqsood as the spokesperson. The perfume itself is something I would wear because gendered products are so last decade. And also because why would a woman not want to associate with someone called Mr. Burberry. The warm woody tones of Mr.Burberry are better than the predictable sweet florals of women's perfumes.




What really stood out for me (apart from the awesome goody bag and the hi-tea at Hakka Chine) was the hospitality of the Scentsation team. They were courteous, respectful and genuinely pleased to have us there. But I do still wish Mr Burberry was in attendance. Hopefully, the next event involves David Beckham.

[Event]: Pakistan Day Scavenger Hunt

CAREEM, Pakistan’s leading app for booking chauffeur driven cars, conducted a scavenger hunt for public of Karachi and Lahore in celebration of Pakistan Day. Themed around photography of local cultural & historic sites, the hunt saw participants, based on clues provided, racing to various locations of their respective city by utilizing CAREEM’s services.

 “Although we are a Dubai based start-up, present in 25 global cities, we are proud to say our roots can be traced back to this country, as CAREEM’s app has been completely developed in Pakistan,” said Junaid Iqbal, Managing Director – CAREEM Networks. “This scavenger hunt was planned to not only celebrate this historic day, but also to inculcate in today’s youth the need to be in touch with our roots. For this reason, we chose historic and culturally rich sites for this competition, while the aspect of uploading photographs of each site to social media allows us to promote these locations across the world.”

The monuments for the competition, as decided upon by the management, were the Quaid-e-Azam Library, Lahore Fort, Azadi Bridge, Lahore Museum and Fortress Stadium in Lahore and Pakistan Air Force Museum, Tomb of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Hindu Gymkhana, Jehangir Kothari Parade and Karachi Goan Association in Karachi.

Junaid further added, “I congratulate the winning teams and the runners-up from both cities. We hope all the participants enjoyed a fun-filled day out with their families and friends and had a great Careem experience in celebrating Pakistan Day.” 

36 participants from Lahore and 27 from Karachi were chosen to take part in this unique scavenger hunt through a prior registration process. Beginning at 11 am, the participants, along with their loved ones, went about their respective cities to take a picture of each location, upload it to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #CAREEMPAK #PakHunt #(teamname) as hashtags before moving on to the next.

Team Markhor from Karachi and Team KalaJadu from Lahore, the winners of the competition, were able to upload pictures of all the locations by 3:00PM on Wednesday, the competition’s deadline. The hunt concluded with a closing ceremony at both cities, where winners and runners-up were handed prizes by CAREEM’s Management. 

[Music] Let's Get It On Valentine's Day

Whether you are single or married, love or hate Valentine's Day, we would all like to get it on on any given day of the week. However, Valentine's Day calls for a special playlist to put you in the mood for that crazy little thing called love...


1. Citizen Cope - Holdin' On
Prepare to have your hearts and other body parts melting to the sound of this unhappy young man,

2. Beyonce - Drunk In Love

Just don't start talking about how hot Beyonce is and you'll be fine in your seduction efforts with this number

3. Strings - Bichra Yaar

For those us in long distance relationships. Play him this on Skype.

4. Scissor Sisters - Might Tell You Tonight

If you are having trouble confessing your love, let Jake Shears do it for you

5. Meghan Trainor & John Legend - Like I'm Gonna Lose You

The 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' of this time right now

Remember, all you need is love. Not necessarily a partner. More lovey-dovey music here.

[Food]: Eat For A Cause

Clearly, all of Karachi was at Karachi Eat this past weekend - going by the traffic, the number  of food related Instagram posts generated and amount of money spent in buying parking spots outside Frere Hall.

I have to admit that the event was much better managed this year. However, the festival still lacks  the kind of diversity a food festival in a city like Karachi should command. Where is the ethnic cuisine and the the international cuisine? Something for the organisers to think about perhaps,

Some outlets did experiment with their offerings - like the chocolate gol gappay and palak chat - but none of the experiments really stood out. However, Big Thick Burgers did get my attention via social media - they were offering free burgers to the street children of Karachi, one for every ten sold at Karachi Eat. A simple idea that I am surprised no one else thought of before! With all this food being consumed by the likes of us, we did not bother to consider feeding those who go hungry. And what a treat! A big, fat juicy burger from BTB!

Back to the food. So I am not a fan of burgers - they're simple creations that can go horribly wrong. But the sight of near perfect meat patties grilling on charcoal broke me.

I asked for a recommendation and was told to try The Texan. Beautiful, beautiful burger. The showstopper was the meat patty - juicy, perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of fat to lean meat mix. The entire menu was 40% off, so I'm not sure what the regular price of the meal was but this is by far the best meat I've had in a burger!

I believe a total of 180 'free burgers' were generated from the 3 days of spreading #BigThickSmiles at Karachi Eat. Why didn't we think of this before?? Here's hoping for more free burgers and a better life for our children.