Ladies, Let's Keep The R Lounge A Secret

Me: Let’s go to Kingdom Mall!
Father: Have you realized that in the years, MANY years, that I’ve been in Saudi Arabia… I have only been there 3 times?
Me: Really? That’s why we’re going. So you can count more times of visiting.
Father: And you? In the 6 years you’ve been here, you’ve visited it for many times?
Me: Uhhhhhh…
Father: And I haven’t been to the Skybridge. 25 years in Saudi Arabia and I haven't been there.
Me: Really? Then let’s go.
Father: And what about the Ladies Floor? What's in there?
Me: And what about the Ladies Floor indeed… 

So we occasionally have our sumbatan moments… especially with my lakwatsas. Hehehe. Nothing life-threatening though. Just being a normal family here. :P

In the numerous visits to Kingdom Center, I haven’t really explored the Ladies Floor. Have you? I just don’t get the point of going there if my favorite brands are located below it. And most of the boutiques have stratospheric prices I obviously cannot afford. *bitter!* As for the freedom to remove my abaya… well, it's fine. There are ladies who enjoy shopping without their abayas but I'm already in love with my abaya I'm too lazy to remove mine and put it back again after a few minutes. Besides, honestly, I only have my pajamas on when shopping. Hahaha! I have nothing against those who enjoy the Ladies Floor though. I mean, Debenhams Ladies Section. ‘Nuff said. ;)

It’s no wonder why it’s the first time I tried R Lounge. I think R was supposed to be “retro.” My friend J and I were famished after attending insightful sessions from the Global Competitive Forum in the Four Seasons Hotel right next door the mall so we looked for something “new.” (The GCF was held last January so yes, I wrote this entry late again.) We decided to try the restaurant in the Ladies Floor after consulting Foursquare. 

A cafe too!

Many ladies seemed to enjoy R Lounge for quick bites. Someone swore the tuna sandwich is heaven-sent. Whoah! But first, this Lucky Accident caused us to stare for a minute. What a paradoxical name for an appetizer. Accidents aren’t supposed to be lucky. Unless when you survive one, then you are blessed. 

Asian flare!

Anyway, I guess this starter was a product of a sudden mix of veggies and chicken. I say, we Filipinos have this accident happen to us a long time ago in the form of… lumpia. They just made into bags and added cilantro. Coolio.

That's healthy-looking!

The combination is good and flavorful. The bags retain their crunch; it’s just a conundrum how to eat this the proper way without spilling its contents all over you. 

Good for your shopping break.

It’s easy to determine what’s inside the tuna sandwich just by looking at it. So we’re curious what made it heaven-sent. I mean, it was delicious but it wasn’t extra-ordinary so don’t expect. 

Aha! I see you ingredients!

It was good because the bread is soft and the corn kernels provided a slight crunch and sweetness from the mix of light tuna and mayo. I did enjoy eating it but I only reached the clouds. Not heaven. Haha!

Looks yum!

The most intriguing would have to be the orange-infused shrimp pasta. I’m sure there’s a more elaborate recipe somewhere but this pasta is creamy with a twist of tang. Okay, so no fireworks when I tasted it but it was a fine, delicate, smooth cream-based pasta. If you want to veer away from the usual carbonara, then go for this. 

A fresh twist.

A good time to visit R Lounge would probably in the morning and in the afternoon. You can still enjoy the punch-colored seats and the steady buzz of the Kingdom’s Ladies Floor. Come night time, it gets packed. The prices are a bit on the expensive side considering the food but you can always share. 

I wouldn't bring these food to my father though because he would complain it's too fancy schmanzy (all the more reason he won't go to Kingdom Center now, haha!). I will however drag him to the Skybridge. He's a Riyadhizen and he hasn't been to the Skybridge? Inexcusable! :P Oh well...

Shopping and dining? That fierce combo is always a pleasure to do in Kingdom Tower. ;) ~ Sundrenched

R Lounge
Ladies Floor, Kingdom Center
Olaya Road, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/R-Lounge/458791097473863

Top 5 Floral Looks We'd Like To Wear

Two years ago, floral designs on clothing was already a rage in the fashion world. Even before that. And until now. The floral design didn't really vanish in mainstream fashion. As a matter of fact, fashion labels like Coast, Oasis, and Warehouse are still at it. 

We couldn't resist styling their latest floral dresses coming in stores nearest you! Here are five floral ensembles we created via Polyvore that can go from day to night, from laid back Thursday brunches to powerhouse formal parties and events...

1. Laid back Thursday

Unknown to most people in Saudi Arabia, we start our weekend with Thursdays instead of Saturdays so don't be surprised when we have the luxury of eating brunch on a Thursday morning. Warehouse's blue dress is flowy lending that much-needed freshness on a look that subtly says 'summer.' You can wear this ensemble until the winter season comes around. After all, Saudi Arabia doesn't scrimp on sunshine everyday. It's the cool wind that's missing (and the presence of the abaya, haha!) but whatever! A mix of blue and yellow is cool to the eyes.

2. 'Meet the Parents'

Nothing says spring than butterflies and flowers. C'mon, they look good together! And this ensemble will look good on you too especially when you're at a family event. Say for example, meeting the parents of your beau for the first time. It's not supposed to be a very formal event but it's not supposed to be that laid back also. This Oasis dress, with its white/black color splashed with little bits of bright colors here and there, suits most occasions so this is one versatile piece to have in your closet. And turquoise has always been a stunning color. Add it!

Inside Victoria's Secret

Well, it's a secret no more! The Victoria's Secret Beauty and Accessories shop in the Kingdom center has opened! Let's walk down the Victoria's Secret ramp shall we? :) 

Welcome!

The Pink Tarha ladies are ecstatic! After the Bath and Body Works opening, we were looking forward to Victoria's Secret. We visited the place last week so we'll let you on the secret too. Here are a few photos of what you can find inside the "secret" care of come-backing Eyecandy's iPhone camera. :)

What do you want to smell today?

The first thing that will greet you are these testers. In front is their new perfume named Bombshell. We like it, in fairness! Testers of their other perfumes are found here too.

Bombshell, the fragrance of the year! You na!

Did we just go to fragrance haven? All the scents are here. Nakakalowkah! In fairness, the store didn't smell like all the fragrances combined so it's still safe to try a few without feeling nauseated. The space of VS is small but the aisles can fit 2 persons looking at adjacent racks. We were the only ones in the store on a Monday night so it wasn't a problem going all over the place. We didn't know what to look at first.

Perfume range

You're probably familiar with the VS Fantasies already. These are the ones sold in most perfume shops in Batha and Manfouha.The names of this line are sexy and seductive. Care for a Love Spell? How about some Pure Seduction, Strawberries and Champagne, Vanilla Lace, Coconut Passion, Pear Glace? These timeless scents are a staple pasalubong! What's your favorite? Prices are a little bit higher in this store. Gift sets go for 75-105SAR.

We forgot to take a photo of the VS Secret Pink line. This is for the more casual, laidback, sporty gal who knows who she is and what she wants exactly. Are you Fresh and Clean? Soft and Dreamy? Pretty and Pure? Sweet and Flirty? There's a little bit of those in us, don't you think?

Beautiful and glam!

The VS Beauty Rush has a rack too but the makeup kits and glosses are lacking. But what can we say, for beauty addicts like us, the gorgeous make-up kits are tempting! It's found in their VS Makeup line.

Lip glosses abound! Again, I really have an issue with the glosses (like B&BW, remember?). Why so expensive?! They are around 52SAR each when their tag clearly states $7. I will understand the additional fee but the price here is more than double the USD prices. I say stay clear of the lippies!

Part of the Beauty Rush line are these sweet and sugary scents.

Sugar rush!

I personally like sweet scents so this array is amazing to my sense of smell. E was smitten with the Plum Drop. Candy Baby was the one that smelt like cough syrup. Lol. The names on this line bring us back to our teenage years... Imagine your Secret Crush, Sweet Tease, and Wild Kiss. Oh the firsts! :)

Of course, we all grew up, became mature and and now, we're into the "Dream Angels" phase. (Really?! We've matured?! Haha.) Capture the radiance, live the dream, love the romance. Who wouldn't be smitten with the VS Dream Angels line?

Simply lovely and elegant

They're available in very sexy and elegant packaging. It's the perfect gift! (Reminds me that I'm celebrating my birthday in two weeks. Hehe.)

Speaking of sexy... fancy lace or cotton? The store carries a few panties from their Body by Victoria. The showstopper panties. They come in must-have colors and prints. Woot!

Wanna be a supermodel? A few simple tank tops with cute designs from their Supermodel Essentials line are available. Pair with denim pants or shorts and voila! Instant hotness! ;)

Wish they bring more of their clothing and lingerie line here in Riyadh.

Fierce!

Cosmetic bags, wallets and passport cases in fierce designs! We're tempted to buy the passport holders because they're so chic but the recessionista in us got the better of us. Why do we need it again?! Uy, may self control na ngayon...

 Eyecandy likes their collection of simple yet fab shades (300SAR up). Gorgeous! Ikaw na ang mukhang artista when you wear this! There are a few bags too.

I wonder if we get every thing from VS, are we going to look like the VS angels na? Kahit konti lang? Haha. Oh well, one can dream! We end our walk down the VS runway here.

Did you get anything from Victoria's Secret lately? :)

The BBW Wonderland

And so the wait is over... the Bath and Body Works Store in Riyadh is open! 

My friends and I saw it this weekend. We giddily entered to see if our favorite scents are available and what other treats await us. (I was like this girl lost in a candy store.) We went from one shelf to another like giddy school girls spotting a crush. Lol. This time though, it's a different "candy" we're ogling at. Smelling too, instead of tasting. 

A wonder land!

We asked a salesman politely if we can take photos in the store. He said yes with much enthusiasm. We took photos as close to the products and shelves as possible to remain discreet and avoid taking photos of people inside the store. There were a lot of people that night but not enough to restrict movement. 

SWEET PEA!!!

Of course, I looked for my fave fragrance first. I didn't have to look hard because this is at the front. Sweet Pea has always been my favorite BBW scent. It's a soft, delicate fragrance of sweet pea petals and watery pear with freesia, raspberry, and musk. I can't get enough of this! I still have the body spray and lotion now so I didn't buy any thing from the line. Well, nothing yet! Humanda ka kapag ubos na. Hehe. Shoegarfreeruby likes the Warm Vanilla Sugar scent, which is currently on a Buy 1 Get 1 promo. This combination of vanilla, basmati ice water, and sandalwood is so sweet and comforting. 

Carried Away

A few of their newer scents are also available. Among them, I like Carried Away, a blend of jasmine, raspberries, and vanilla. And isn't the packaging adorable? Might get this next time so love might sweep me off my feet. ;) Other scents we saw are Country Chic, Island Colada, Japanese Cherry Blossom, and Midnight Pomegranate, which they seem to be highlighting to cater to the Arab market because of its dark, sensual scent (like oud maybe).

Gift sets

Your gift list solved.

You won't get stumped on what to give your family and friends now!

There are gift sets available for SR225 each, or maybe lower depends on what you want to include.

Water cans!

We were smitten with these water cans. Surely we don't have any need for it but it's just too cute and refreshing to see them here. And in green too!

Here's the price list for the fragrances. Some scent lines are more expensive than others so check the tags first. The salesmen are really helpful too so inquire! Hindi bawal magtanong, sabi nga ng friend ko when I became too shy to ask, lol. We'll put in the prices in USD from the BBW website so you can compare if they're worth buying here or you'll just have to order from online sites.

Body Lotion (237 ml) - 45 SAR | $10.50

Fragrance Mist (8 oz) - 25 SAR (small) | 55 SAR (large) | $12.00

Eau de Toilette (2.5 oz) - 100-120 SAR | $29.50

Shower Gel (8 oz) - 45 SAR | $10.50

Body Cream (8 oz) - 50 SAR | $12.00

Hand Cream (2.5 oz) - 40 SAR | $10.00

Bubble Bath (8 oz) - 50 SAR | $12.00

Smaller versions are 10-20SAR less than their big counterpart.

A combination of small bottles of lotion and shower gel are perfect for gifts.
30 SAR each set.

They don't only have the fragrances. They also have lip glosses and lip balms. They have the color lip gloss, sheer lip gloss, and mentha lip gloss. They also carry C.O. Bigelow's popular all-around rose salve used to soften the lips, face, cuticles, elbows, knees, etc.

Lip treats galore!

Lottsa choices and flavors! 

We didn't get any thing from their lip line though 'coz we found the 35 SAR (each) too expensive. These lip treats are only $7-8 a piece in the US. Hmn, maybe we'll get one or two if our curiosity gets the better of us tomorrow. :P

Cute hand sanitizers

The pocket-sized hand sanitizers are so tiny and cute! They go for 15 SAR each and comes in your favorite fragrance. They also have a line that signifies your horoscope sign and the traits that come with it. For example, I'm a Virgo and it says in the bottle that I'm witty, perfectionist, reliable, and helpful... oi, so me! LOL. They have the holder which you attach to your bag so it's easy to pump a little into your hands any time any where but they're pretty expensive at 20 SAR.

They also have a range of face care and aromatherapy products which I didn't get to know further because I became attached to their home fragrance line. I looove scented candles, tarts, and linen sprays... basically anything that gives my room the smell that coincides with my emotions (emotera kasi! haha!). 

Yummy scents!

Their Slatkin&Co. candles look so sleek in their glass holders and they also have very lively colors. I like the Sweet Pea variant of course... and the Frosted Cupcake (so sweet and ahhhhh nakakagutom!) I like their Strawberry Patch, Island Margarita, and Warm Vanilla Sugar. I hope they bring Salty Caramel, Homemade Cookies, and Mint Chocolate too (puro pagkain talaga?!).

Lovely candle holders!

Candles (4 oz) - 45 SAR | $9.50

Candles (14.5 oz) - 95 SAR | $19.50

Candle holders/sleeves - 65 SAR up

Their Wallflowers also piqued my curiosity. For those who don't want lighting candles in their houses , especially those with children who are malilikot (aren't all children?!)... then these are for you. They're pluggable home fragrance devices. Just put your favorite single bulb refills and plug! The salesman said a bulb can last up to 3 days. 

Can serve as decors too!

Look at that egg container for four bulbs! So kyot.

Wallflowers Starters - 35 SAR | $6.50

Wallflowers Single Bulb Refills - 25 SAR | $6.50

For those who are avoiding anything with flame, plugs, and batteries, then they also have these egg-shaped home fragrances but I wasn't able to check them out further. Oooh, also the nifty Scentportables.

Eggscents! Cool!

So there you are... I'm sure I haven't featured every thing but that's about most of the items you can expect to see in the newly-opened Bath and Body Works in Sahara Mall and Kingdom Center. For years, I've been buying Victoria's Secret body sprays as pasalubong for my sisters and friends. I think it's time for a change. ;)

§undrenched

The Top 5 Malls in Riyadh

We're introducing a new section in the blog where we list five favorite any thing. Just the Pink Tarha ladies' choices orayt? Feel free to add yours in the comment boxes. :)

For the first entry in this section, we write about something dear to our hearts (lol). Since we're still high from shopping, why not write an entry that involves our favorite past time?

One of Riyadh's allure to women is its being a major shopping destination, especially during the sale season. The mall is the main destination of women who are seeking respite and therapy from all the day's work (or non-work). The mall is the oasis, the first refreshing frontier in the ongoing life of Filipinas in Saudi Arabia. It's wide, air-conditioned, and the displays are endless and dazzling! Filipino men can settle for Batha but we women can hold our fort in Riyadh's huge malls. The Pink Tarha lists down our five go-to malls in the city with their matching pros and cons.

1. Riyadh Gallery
This mall located at the end of the King Fahad Road tops our list. It might be far to a few but we say it's location is just right. Not too near and not too far. The distance is compensated by the King Fahd Road, which is a relatively wide highway with little traffic. But the most important reason is that it's a one-stop complete mall. It houses three of our favorite department stores - three! - Debenhams, Centrepoint, and Citymax. It also has a famous one-stop beauty shop, Sephora. Eyecandy says it also resembles a Manila mall the most (say Trinoma) because of its wide space and nature (albeit faux) landscape in the center. The coffee shops are rightfully (and tastefully) placed in the nooks of this mall garden. The lack of in-house branches of popular restaurants is compensated with a brightly-lit, colorful food court with interesting eating stalls that we like. E likes Indian Garden in the food court which serves a mean Chicken 65 while Mary likes the no-fuss pasta at Pastalita. Overall, Riyadh Gallery is the Pink Tarha's main retreat.

Shop with nature in Riyadh Gallery (photo from here)

Pros
Relaxing ambiance (nature landscape in the middle)
Department stores (Centrepoint, Citymax, Debenhams, Sephora)
Popular brands (New Look, Zara, H&M, New Yorker)
Specialty stores (Konad for nail art and Stokes for funky kitchen tools)
Hyper Panda
Huge parking lot
London cab
Huge amusement center

Cons
Far location (at the end of King Fahd Road)
Death-defying high escalators
No in-house restaurants

2. Granada Center
Surprisingly, even if Granada Center is far from the city center, we are placing it in second because of a somewhat unique reason. Granada Center is probably the most men-friendly mall because most of the brands here carry their line for men. Like Topshop and H&M. So it's a pro for our fathers, husbands, and brothers. Pro for us too because they become more willing to drive us around. We also consider its distance a breather from the grinding, busy city life. It also proves to be an advantage because we still find our sizes here, especially during the sale season. Granada Center is like a walk in the park. It's spacious but not too huge to enjoy a stroll. It also has the must-go-to stores in our list like H&M, River Island, and Debenhams. Also, we don't encounter the muttawas here as much compared to other malls (not that we're hiding from them).

Far but worth it (photo from here)

Pros
Department store (Debenhams)
Popular brands (Topshop, H&M, New Look,)
Brands for men (Topshop, H&M)
In-house restaurants (Steakhouse and a Turkish grill)
Carrefour
Entertainment center
Huge parking lot
London cab
For women only food court area

Cons
Location
Limited variety of stores
Limited eating stalls in the food court

3. Sahara Mall and Hayat Mall
We decided to combine these two together because once you're in one, you can't help but go "ober da bakod" to visit the other. And you can also go to Sahara Plaza, the home of Zara and La Senza's liquidation stores. If not for the ongoing construction on the roads surrounding these malls, we could have placed it in the number 1 spot. But times and places have changed. The traffic in this area is a killer and you'll waste precious minutes in the surrounding intersections, U-turns, and detours. Also, it was a breeze before to cross the road to go from one mall to the other but now that a fence has been installed in between, the walk outside is a strain (unless you enjoy walking like we do... sometimes). Overall though, Sahara and Hayat offer a huge variety of brands and stores combined. What you can't find in one mall, you can find in the other. You can buy everything here from your clothes, groceries, books, cellphones, and appliances. It's a one-stop gigantic shop... which you can reach after having a headache from the road hassles.

Shoppers' [twin] delight (photos from here and here)

Pros
Location (near the city center)
Popular brands (Hayat: New Look, Zara, Lacoste, Al-Sawani, Paris Gallery | Sahara: MNG, H&M, Miss Selfridge)
Lots of food court choices
In-house restaurants (Hayat: Tony Roma's and Applebee's | Sahara: Fuddruckers, Cafe Ceramique)
Supermarkets (Hayat: Dabube Hypermarket | Sahara: Tamimi Market)
Sahara Plaza
Jarir Bookstore and Best Electronic Store
Entertainment centers

Cons
Major traffic in the area
Long detour in between malls
Always full parking lots
No London Cab

4. Kingdom Mall
Though we love this mall for the unique brands it carry, we find the stores very limited. What we love though is the ladies floor where we can step out of our abayas (which curiously, we keep) and relax with other women who love shopping and having coffee. We are also catered by women who know our wants and needs and whom we share the same interests. What goes on in the ladies' floor is our own dirty little secret. Lol. However, the prices are somewhat too high. Salon services cost twice or triple than salons outside. Kingdom Mall has an upper-class clientele and this mall gives off that ambiance. The food court, though, feels otherwise. The available eating joints are scarce and not as varied as other malls. One major point when being in Kingdom Mall is the opportunity to go upstairs and visit the Skybridge where a glass wall is the only thing that separates you from a panoramic view of Riyadh.

Go luxe! (photo from here)

Pros
Location (city center)
Luxury brands (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany and Co., Saks Fifth Avenue)
Luxury hotel (Four Seasons) and restaurants (Spazio, Quattro, The Grill)
Ladies' floor
Spacious, wide, brightly-lit areas
London Cab
Skybridge

Cons
Limited variety of brands and stores
Only 1 in-house resto (Planet Hollywood)
Attacks on women outside the mall were 'reported.'

5. Faisaliah Mall
We love Faisaliah Mall but it doesn't offer as much as the other malls. It is the nearest mall to our work and home but we only find ourselves drawn by the food court which has our favorite food (Subway, London Chips, and Samurai). We also love their selection of desserts (Cheesecake Factory, Baskin n' Robbins, a cookie stall, etc.) Their food court and Water Lemon have a nice view of the Olaya Road. It has a nice array of familiar brands like MNG, Zara, and Promod and has the only branch of Juicy Couture in Riyadh. It is also the home of upscale department store, Harvey Nichols. When done shopping, going to the view deck in Faisaliah's globe is a must. For SR25, you get a nice 360 degree view of the city and limitless number of photos using your camera (Kingdom's Skybridge prohibits the use of mainstream cameras; only mobile phone's).

Shop and dine with a view at Faisaliah Mall (photo from here)

Pros
Popular brands (MNG, Zara, Promod, MAC)
High-class brands (Juicy Couture, Coach, Roberto Cavalli)
Department store (Harvey Nichols, Al-Sawani)
Good variety of food court choices
View deck
Ample parking space in the basement

Cons
Busy intersection of Olaya and Thalateen Sts.
Filled parking lots outside
No London Cab

There are still a lot of malls in Riyadh and we cannot count the possibilities of fab finds and experience. These five, however, are our go-to malls but we also visit Panorama Mall (for their amusement center... lol!), Al-Akaria Mall, Al-Nemer Center, Othaim Mall, Khurais Plaza, etc. but not as frequent. If you have raves and rants on the malls in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, do let us know in the comment box.

Happy shopping in Riyadh!

(Almost) Death by Sale

Last Wednesday, my shopping addiction was brought to new heights (and risks).

Debenhams announced their BOGO Sale (Buy One, Get One) on the newspapers that morning, and it was what all me and my friends could think about. As we left work that afternoon, the exodus to Kingdom Mall (akaMamlaka) commenced. We tend to go there for Debenhams because it's nearer to where we live. When we reached Arouba Road, we were already quite suspicious from the outside because of the traffic that surrounded the whole area and the perimeter block guarded by Saudi soldiers. My friend's dad said that there might be Royals in the building. We didn't give it much thought because we were able to get inside Mamlaka. But I noticed that it was weird that there were no vehicles dropping off ladies and even the London Taxi Cab Service was not where it used to be. We arrived inside the mall at around 6:00 pm and were surprised to see that the stores were closed (even though it wasn't prayer time). The food court was spotless and I could tell that there were only about 20 people in total of the whole first floor of Kingdom Mall. Something is definitely off. I mean, it's the freaggin' BOGO SALE for crying out loud! How can there be NO people rushing to Kingdom Mall at this time!?!?

It was until one of our fellow Kabayans who had a walkie-talkie, approached us and said, "Ma'am, may bomb threat po sa Kingdom" (Ma'am, there is a bomb threat in Kingdom building). The three of us looked at each other, almost thinking the same thing, "You must be kidding." The man explained that there was a bomb threat at the SAMBA (Saudi American Bank) area at the 42nd/32nd floor (?), and that all the people in the Kingdom Towers were evacuated--even the guests staying at the Four Seasons Hotel. It happened a bit earlier between 5:00 to 5:30 pm when it was announced over the mall's sound system that a bomb threat in the building. It turns out, people panicked and stormed out of the mall in rush. The cleaning lady at the female restroom told me about how fathers /brothers/husbands rushed inside the restroom to get their relatives. I could only imagine it as chaos!

So, there we were, contemplating on whether to stay at the mall or go. We wanted to stay mostly for the reason that once the bomb threat clears, the mall is OURS for the taking and everything else our hearts desired at Debenhams will be at our disposal without worrying about competition hogging the racks. We thought about leaving for the sake of preserving our existence. But, somehow, the idea of scoring great deals on this Sale remained a priority on our minds. See, didn't I tell you in the beginning of this that my shopping addiction has reached new heights and risks? Shoot me, shoot me NOW! Hahahaha.

Confessions of a Shopaholic (to the nth level!)

We also couldn't tell our parents because we knew that if we did, they will demand our butts home in an instant. So instead, we drafted texts on our celfones, something of a "last goodbye" kind of effect of a text, just in case an explosion blows off, we'd just hit send and at least, we will leave this world doing what we love: shopping. :P Somebody knock me over the head!

In some sense of seriousness, the girls and I decided that if the threat doesn't clear out in 30 minutes, then we'd leave. Since most of the mall's employees were still around, we figured the threat wasn't so imminent. And besides, if there was a real danger at hand, how come we were able to enter the mall so easily? Without even the soldiers reprimanding us to enter? And there were still a few people with us, who looked like shoppers too. Therefore, we decided to chill and wait.

Eventually, the bomb threat cleared at around quarter to seven. Unfortunately, it was time to the last salah, so we had to wait for another 30 minutes before we could invade Debenhams. When we finally did, parts of the place looked like Haraj with clothes strewn all over the floor and some racks were even pushed over. We really felt for the salesmen who lloked like they had a lot of extra work ahead of them. I heard that some of their colleagues didn't return to work anymore after the bomb threat so they were forced to face the mess and possibly, more customers who'd arrive, all by themselves.

Sad to say, the whole excitement surrounding our voyage to the BOGO Sale was anticlimactic. I didn't get much stuff as I hoped I did, but only three or four items that were really worth it. I'll post it as soon as I photograph my purchases. For now, I'll just leave you to think how chronic my shopping addiction is.



Cheers!
-ec-

My Weekend Finds

The Wednesday rush to Debenhams was chaos! With Eyecandy23 reporting the status of shoppers at the Kingdom Centre, I just didn’t have the energy to brave the crowd. Add the fact that most of the people you compete with the nice stuff are people you recognize from work! I guess the mere thought of digging through piles of disorganized racks exhausted me already. So instead, I went to my quiet and peaceful shopping haven…Topshop. The decline of shoppers was obvious, since all of them were in Debenhams, Kingdom Centre at this time. Shopping behavior is quite predictable, I know.

Topshop, Sahara Mall

I rarely go out of Topshop empty-handed, that’s for sure. Here are some of my finds, modeled by Carpio the Teddy:

Topshop Grey wool and off-white caps, SAR20 each

Having the chance to go out again on Friday night, I had my fair share of the Buy 1, Get 1 promo but not from Debenhams. This time from Oasis, Granada Mall. Here are my Friday night finds:

Dorothy Perkins Grey knit blouse with cream bow detail, SAR 50
Oasis Scarves, SAR 35

Topshop Sleeveless dress, SAR 25

What better way to conclude the winter (and year-end sales) but with Saturday morning rain, gloomy skies and morning traffic! Since we only get rain twice a year, this was yesterday's surprise...

We're all motivated to go to work today...*lazy*