Dubai Shopping

  1. 1847

    Men: if you're olive-complexioned and can grow a good-looking beard, we highly recommend you do so while in Dubai. The Arabs will approve and be ever-so-slightly more accepting of you. (It worked for us.) However many pasty-faced British expats prefer to keep a hairless visage; the dandies among them indulge in an old-fashioned straight-razor shave - complete with hot towels beforehand - at the clubby men-only 'grooming salon' 1847. Ask about packages, including mani-pedis and massages. Good haircuts, too.

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  2. Ajmal at BurJuman Centre

    The most popular maker of heady Arabian attars (perfumes and essential oils) in the region, Ajmal custom-blends its earthy scents. These aren't fancy French colognes - they're woody and pungent perfumes. Look for 'Zikra Al Nawaaem', a spicy sandalwood-based scent in an ornate gold bottle.

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  3. Ajmal at Deira City Centre

    The place for traditional Arabian perfumes, Ajmal caters to well-heeled Emirati women. The fancy jewel-encrusted bottles are as impressive as the scents.

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  4. Faces

    Before Faces opened, women had to fly to Paris to purchase hard-to-find cosmetic and fragrance brands. No more. Sniff out Serge Lutens, L'Artisan Parfumer and Annick Goutal, among others.

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  5. Jet Set

    The ladies-only salon at Grosvenor House is vaguely reminiscent of the beauty parlour in the 1939 film The Women - we only wish we spoke Arabic to keep up on the gossip. Great for a wash-and-set and mani-pedi before a big night out.

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  7. Mikyajy

    You feel like you're walking into a candy-coloured gift box at tiny Mikyajy, the Gulf's own home-grown make-up brand. Developed to suit the colouring of Arabian girls, its popularity has extended to foreigners who appreciate vibrant colours like turquoise, fuchsia and tangerine.

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  11. Paris Gallery

    The best branch of the UAE's most popular beauty chain stocks an enormous range of international perfumes and cosmetics, handbags and accessories. There's also a Comfort Zone spa, a Perfume Cocktail Bar where you can have your own perfumes mixed, and a chocolate, coffee shop and juice bar. Sales staff can be pushy but they give discounts, and regular promotions mean there's always something extra dropped into your shopping bag.

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  13. Pixi

    This Swedish make-up and skincare line offers sublime cosmetics and beauty products. Try the honey-almond polish, beauty serum with evening primrose, cucumber-juice toner or the quick-fix mask, a five-minute revival treatment after a night on the town.

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  14. Rituals

    Rituals' natural products seek to make quotidian chores more sensuous. Though you probably won't want to weigh down your luggage with minty dishwashing soap, you may appreciate the invigorating mandarin-and-mint shower gel, lotus-flower massage oil, or ginger-and-basil shaving balm, all available in travel sizes.

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