Shopping at Global Village can be quite overwhelming – and while it may take an entire day to check out everything on offer, if you are in the market for some beauty bits to try, here are the best places to find it. Aarti Jhurani rounds up her list of beauty products to get at Global Village.
ajhurani@thenational.ae
Turkey
As soon as you enter the Turkey pavilion, you are greeted by a huge store, which stocks a plethora of products made with Turkish Rose. While they mostly stock edibles, there is a little corner dedicated to lotions and potions made with the Turkish rose – which has hydrating and rejuvenating properties. They have a variety of skincare products, and the prices depend on the quality. Take your pick from the soaps, face creams (Dh20-100), clay mask to cleanse and soften (Dh50), body lotions (Dh30-400), shampoos (Dh40-100), and rose water (Dh30-70).
UAE
The United Arab Emirates offers a variety of beautiful locally-produced fragrances. You will find multiple shops selling perfume oils – from oud to rose – by the “tola”. But there aren’t only Arab fragrances. Some stores also sell French, Cambodian and Indian fragrances, and prices can vary from Dh50 to Dh20,000 depending on the concentration and rarity of the fragrance picked.
Thailand
Recreate a spa-like experience at home with pamper essentials from this country. Take your pick from jasmine, lavender, lemongrass or rose massage oil (Dh60 for a 170ml bottle); soaps with with natural oils in cute fruit shapes (Dh15 each or 3 for 40); bubble bath bars that can be used three times for as little as Dh50, or get three colourful bath bombs for Dh100.
South Korea
If you’ve been meaning to try some K-beauty products and not sure where to get them in the UAE, then just head to the Korean Beauty Shop at the pavilion. Take your pick from a variety of sheet masks (Dh10-Dh45), or pick one of the crazier products – like the bubble mask (Dh160), a recovery serum with snail extracts (Dh120), peel-off lip tints (Dh40), and hand creams in super cute packaging (Dh125).
China
On the surface it is an absolute heaven for anyone even remotely interested in beauty – from cheap copies of expensive beauty tools (curlers, straighteners, air dryers) and contacts lenses to wigs and facial razors. It is probably better to stay away from electric tools, but there is a lot of products you can get here for pretty cheap. It is hard to miss the wall-length displays of false lashes – from wispies and individuals to dramatic and everyday lashes. Priced at 35 each, the more you buy, the more you can bargain to get the price down. If you’ve meaning to try the toothbrush-like make-up brushes brought back in style by Artis, then you can get them ridiculously cheap here – and while the quality may not be high-end, it does a decent job of blending. Change up your look or prep for a party with the variety of wigs available here priced between Dh50 and Dh200.
Morocco
The best place to buy argan oil from, you will find the kind for cooking as well as cosmetic use. Since communication can be a bit of a challenge, just look out for the lighter coloured option, since that is the one that can be used on hair and body. There is a variety of qualities of oils available as well, and prices can range from Dh20 – Dh200 for the regular quality and Dh400 for a one litre bottle for the best money can buy. There is also a variety of face packs and scrubs available here, as well as bottles of Moroccan soap (approz Dh20 for a 500ml jar), and the mitts (Dh25) they are meant to be used with.
Africa
While this pavilion is known primarily for the beautiful wooden wares, the real treasure here is the pure shea butter you can find here. A natural moisturizer, it is found in abundance here, and is available in two variants – white and yellow. The white shea butter has lesser oil content, and is good for those with oily skin, babies and as a pre-wash moisturizing treatment for the hair. The yellow one, with its high oil content is good for those with dry skin, stretch marks and very dry feet. Both cost Dh20 for 250 grams. Experiment with cornrows at shop number 62 at the pavilion, where you can bargain and fix a price depending on the length of your hair and the number of cornrows you want. They also offer a selection of brightly-coloured wool than can be woven into the hair with the hair. I have short shoulder-grazing length, and paid Dh60 for 5 cornrows with bright pink wool woven into one.
Ukraine
Tucked away in a corner of this pavilion is a store that sells bath and body products – face wash, shower gel, scrubs and body butter, that comes packaged in what looks like brightly coloured ice cream tubs. They smell absolutely delicious, and are made with natural ingredients. Prices range from Dh60 to Dh85. You can also find bath bombs here that look like cupcakes and smell delicious.
