Audacious Soul

FEBRUARY 2017 - 15 L.E., VOLUME 12, ISSUE 5 WWW.IDENTITY-MAG.COM

GIFTS UNDER 100LE:

Let’s All DIY Get More Tinder Matches This Valentine

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Chick Flicks to watch

Greece Weddings the New ‘In’

Audacious Soul Types of Love We Ignore

Our Celebrities Lust List How to Nail

Gigi Hadid’s Look

Going Nuts For Nuts

Date Night HAIRDOS Are You Really in Love? see page 17

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IDENTITY February 2017

volume 12 issue 05

Founder & Managing Editor ROLA KAMEL Editor-in-Chief NAWAL ISMAIL Copy-Editor AMINA EL FAYOUMY Junior Editors ALIA EL SAADY FARAH KHEDRE NOUR YOUNIS Freelance Writer AMINA ELGHANDOUR

B

eing all fuzzy and lovey dovey is not our strongest suit here at Identity. We tend to be more realistic when it comes to MEN!

We try hard to fit in the Cupid season, but sometimes we just can’t. Our writers prefer to hit on your sensation buds in a more day to day approach. This year, we tried our best not go astray. You’ll find a lot of fun facts and some outfit ideas for the big day, some insights about Santorini weddings, how actually romance movies make you want to fall in love, how nuts are not bad for your health… and a lot more! Hope we don’t disappoint, and you enjoy what we have in store for you…

Rola Kamel Identity Magazine was founded in 2005 by Rola Kamel to enhance every aspect of a woman’s life style, helping our female readers to discover and improve their own identities.

The subscription rate to Identity is 180 L.E. for one year (12 issues) by Al Ahram, Tel: 02-27703190 Distribution by AL AHRAM Website Company: QPIX SOLUTIONS Printing House: INTERNATIONAL PRINTING HOUSE (IPH) Contact us at: 26A Montazah St., Zamalek, Cairo-Egypt. Tel: 0227361187 Mobile: 0122-9401071 email: sendus@identity-mag.com www.identity-mag.com

IDENTITYMAGEG

4 February 2017

Relationship Expert MARWA RAKHA Fashion Expert NAHED KAZZIHA Senior Graphic Designer ALIA EL ABD Junior Graphic Designer SANDY SAIED Marketing & Advertising Manager RIHAM YEHIA Digital Marketing Manager STEVE NABEEL Social Media Executive YOUSSEF ALI Video Editor OMAR AHMED

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IDENTITYcontents

Audacious Soul see page 32

LOVE GUIDE

6 Q&A 10 Six Things You Need To Amp Up Your Tinder Profile 14 How Movies Make You Fall in Love with Love 15 Chick Flicks to Watch on Valentine’s Day 16 Celebrities We Fantasized About Dating 17 Find Yourself Before you Find Love

STYLE

18 Going Nuts for Nuts 20 Date Night Hairstyles 22 Get the Look: Gigi Hadid 24 Ten Runway Must-Haves We Love 26 Love your Shape 28 Spring Runway Has Sprung

MONUMENTS DEDICATED TO LOVE page 12 6 February 2017

LOVE SEASON

42 Best and Worst Couples of All Time 46 All You Need is Love 50 Myths and Legends of Love 52 DIY Gifts for Valentine’s Day 54 Destination Weddings 56 Satisfy Your Wanderlust

OUT & ABOUT 58 60 62 64

Advertorial Snaps Press Releases Horoscopes

RELATIONSHIP BOUNDARIES page 8

Q&A Identity

LOVE IS JUST A WORD LOVE IS JUST A WORD UNTIL SPECIAL MOMENTS GIVE IT MEANING UNTIL SPECIAL MOMENTS GIVE IT MEANING

February is the month of love. And to keep up with our tradition of asking our staff personal questions, we’ve decided to take a different approach and ask them not merely about the people they love, but the things they love as well. Because everyone loves their family and friends, but when put to the test, what items do they really love?

you were travelling and could only take one Q: Ifitem you love with you, what would you take?

A’s: “I’d go with my phone. I don’t really love it, but it’s essential for the photos I plan to take and it’ll be useful when connecting with others.” Nour “I would take the novel Le Petit Prince; it’s a beautiful novel intended to be a children’s book. And if I ever feel estranged when I’m abroad, I can just read the novel.” Adel “My phone.” Rola “I would take a travel journal with me. But since I can probably buy that where I’ll travel, I’ll get a bunch of Polaroid photographs of me and the people I care about.

They’ll be there as a reminder of who I was before I travelled, and whom I miss the most.” Alia S. “I would take my Wreck It Journal to “wreck it” on vacation. I’d get the travel size version of the journal of course. And if I couldn’t get that, I’d take my cats! All of them!” Farah “I’d take a camera to take photos and make memories as I go.” Omar

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“I wouldn’t take anything; the people in my life are worth more than any one thing.” Riham “A camera seems like a good thing to take, but I don’t think there’s anything else worth taking.” Youssef “I’d take a pendant containing photos of the people I love!” Alia E. 8 February 2017

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IDENTITYadvice

Relationship Boundaries

by Marwa Rakha

Dear Marwa, My girlfriends all openly discuss their relationships and complain about their significant others in almost every conversation we have together. But despite the fact that I’m in a relationship, I don’t do that! My husband tells me that our problems aren’t meant to be publicized. But at times, I feel left out because I’m not sharing any fights or issues that occur between me and my husband back in the home front. I feel as if I am missing out on their insight and what ideas they might have to help. I don’t know if this is just plain gossip or if they truly want to help me out?

Should I involve them? Or should I stay quiet?

Sincerely, Socially Silent Dear Socially Silent, Some people are born secretive; they naturally do not feel comfortable sharing personal stories, thoughts and feelings, experiences, hopes, dreams and anything they feel might leave them vulnerable on any given day. These people do have friends, but they choose to be listeners. They would listen to their friends share their heartbreaking experiences and exciting dark adventures, but will never share a story back. They might listen in silence or comment with enthusiasm.

Bottom line, not sharing personal stories does not mean that you have nothing to share; it just means that you are uncomfortable sharing.

There are also those who do open up and trust a selected few with their innermost thoughts, fears and horror stories. This bunch knows the difference between an intimate friend, a close friend, a friend, a colleague, an acquaintance, a stranger and a complete stranger. They know that in this world nothing lasts forever! There are neither eternal friends nor eternal enemies; there are mutual interests and those are what keep people together or set them apart.

10 February 2017

You need to decide what kind of person you are, what you feel comfortable sharing, who you feel comfortable sharing with and if you need to share in the first place.

You also need to use your wisdom and analytical skills; think of those who shared their intimate details and think of how others dealt with their secrets. Were their secrets well kept? Were they used against them? Were their feelings respected? Were they scandalized? Were they back-stabbed? Look at your group of friends and see how sincere of a friendship they truly share. Look at their fights and what was said or unsaid. Look deep and think … do you truly want to expose yourself in front of this group. I’m neither suggesting that you should or that you should not; I’m just asking you to find out who you are, what you need to do and if they are the most suitable people to satisfy this need.

On the other hand, your secrets are not yours alone.

Any story you share involves both you and your husband. Hence, he has to approve of his story being shared. If you agreed to not sharing, then you need to honour this agreement. If you really have the urge to share, talk about the general things – the anecdotal things not the intimate things. If your group of friends accuse you of being “socially silent”, just tell them that your husband is a private person and that you promised him not to expose your private life. Tell them that when they share their stories, you do not use your acquired knowledge as gossip material and that you respect your vow to secrecy. If they truly insist, then they are not friends! They are, in that case, just a curious gossiping group who know nothing about privacy, vows, promises or friendship.

IDENTITYloveguide profile pictures? Photos of your travels are the best way to show that you’re worldly and cultured; they may even be a great conversation starter! So pull out that old photo of you next to the Eiffel Tower and brush up on those travel stories.

Order Your Photos Wisely

6

Things You Need To Amp Up Your Tinder Profile

by Alia El Saady

Since its launch in 2012, Tinder has become the online lonely hearts club for men and women everywhere. But the fact that it’s online means that the way you make a lasting impression there is vastly different from the way you do it in your day to day. Here are a few tips to liven up any Tinder profile and maximize your matches: Do Not Use Group Photos If someone has to look through the crowd to find you, they will likely swipe left. There are a few group photos one might happen to look good in, but a group photo should never be the first photo on your profile. You want to make it easy for you to be spotted amongst the crowd.

Show Your Travels

First impressions are just as important on Tinder as they are in real life. When you’re swiping on the deck, you don’t get to see the other photos on the person’s profile unless you click on it. If you want them to go through your gallery and profile, then your first photo has to be the best representation of you. Other photos in your gallery can be ordered chronologically with the most recent first, or they can be ordered by degree of importance.

Full Body Photos Are Your Friend There is such a thing as too many selfies. A couple of selfies here and there are good to show off your facial features, but selfies nowadays are pretty deceiving.

With filters and the ability to edit your photos on Instagram, you can easily make your grainy selfie into an artsy portrait. This is why a full body photo is more telling, and shows that you’re willing to let go of the selfie stick.

Clothing is Key Your style can say a lot about you. What you wear is a representation of who you are. When it comes to your Tinder profile, you’ll want to display a photo of your best dressed self. But not all photos should be of you in chic dresses, since you’re not always dressed to the nines. Be sure to display a photo of yourself in casual attire. Sometimes, a little goes a long way.

Be Brief Don’t skip writing something on your bio. Your bio is a chance for you to talk about who you are. However, you should beware of the 500-character limit. Tinder is mostly a visual app, so having a large body of text is probably not what anybody is looking for. A clever one liner, or a couple of sentences that talk about your hobbies are just enough for you to describe yourself without going overboard.

And finally, be yourself! Putting a little work on that A picture speaks a thousand words, and what better profile is just a mean for you to display your great way to do that than to tell a story with your Tinder personality and charm in the best way possible.

12 February 2017

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A fresh heart-warming dining experience is alsoflavours set for you at Romanov, succulent meat cuts and seafood await you experience is also set for you at Romanov, where succulent meat cuts and fresh seafood await you on and off the grill, while Yana’s Thai spice blends fire up in tantalising dishes that you shall continue on and off theevery grill, while to enjoy with bite. Yana’s Thai spice blends fire up in tantalising dishes that you shall continue to enjoy with every bite.

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IDENTITYloveguide

Monuments Dedicated to Love

by Nour Younis

Eng. Ashraf Halim Orange Egypt Chief Commercial Officer and Orange officials with the new smart store team

Some people say that love conquers all. That it’s the most mesmerizing thing in the world, and that once you have a taste of it, you can never go back.

It’s amazing really, because we live our whole lives searching for it. Love is everywhere; it’s in the music we listen to and in the movies we watch. Love is literally the center of our lives. A famous author once said that we learn from history more than we learn from anything in the world, so I hereby bring you a list of monuments that were built for the sole purpose of love.

Mirabell Palace and Gardens based in the city of Salzburg in Austria, was originally built in 1606 by the Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Von Raitenau for his beloved Princess Salome Alt. The royal couple were said to have lived a happy blissful life where they had 15 children right upon the completion of the palace.

Chester that she wished to build a castle, so Chester a short time after, decided to purchase for her the 400 year old Elizabethan manor from England.

Coral Castle or sculpture garden in stone is found in the city of Miami in Florida. It’s the perfect manifestation of what true love really is. Edward LeedsKalnin got engaged to Agnes Scuffs when he was only 26 and she was only 16 years old, only to be broken hearted when the wedding gets cancelled just one day before. He decides to build a monument for his lost love that ends up taking him an approximate of 28 years of handiwork to build.

Boldt Castle till this day is regarded as a perfect monument of love. It’s located in Heart Island, having a beautiful shape of a heart in New York City. It was built by the well known millionaire George Boldt who decided that it was the perfect place to build huge masonry structures for his family and intended for it Kodai-Ji Temple located in the Valley of Higashiyama to be one of the largest, if not the largest, home in the Ryozen Mountains in Kyoto, was built in 1606 by Kita- whole country of USA. no-Mandokoro for her husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi who was known as the second great unifier of Japan. Taj Mahal is the most well known symbol of love in It is said that Kita had built the temple for her husband the world. Located in the city of Agra in UP India, it while he was gone for the war. was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his beautiful wife Mumthas. The Taj Mahal is one of the Thornewood Castle based in Lakewood city in beautiful monuments listed within the world heritage Washington in an area of no less than 4 acres, is a sites. It’s a major attraction site in India and one of the result to what people call the pure love which occurred Seven Wonders of the World, admired by people from between the millionaire Chester Thorne and his all over the globe. beautiful wife Anna. It is said that in 1907 Anna had told 14 February 2017

Orange Egypt Opens its Fourth Smart Store in “City Stars” and Continues to Offer Unique and Flexible Solutions to all Customers Orange Egypt, announced the opening of its fourth “Smart Store” in Egypt in a spectacular celebration which took place at the new store premises in City Stars mall, in the presence of Orange officials.

“Orange has always put the customers’ interests at heart and considers their success and welfare as its number one priority.” He added

Customers holding smartphones will be able to Through this store, Orange Egypt continues to offer replace their SIM card for free to be ready for the a new world of products, services and promotions official launch of the service, while discovering the for all its customers that will make their daily lives whole range of 4G devices that the company offers. better and more simple, and enjoy a better customer In addition, they will have the opportunity to activate experience as well as enhancing the value they and enjoy the current promotion of doubling the get from products and services. The products and megabytes on their mobile internet subscription. services also reflect the keenness of the company to provide state-of-the-art technological solutions In the realm of the multiple offerings provided by to companies that are designed according to their the different suppliers, customers are faced with real specific needs. challenge to decide what to pick. In the heart of the smart-stores Orange has availed a real experience On this occasion, Eng. Ashraf Halim, Chief Commercial with live devices that suit the needs and taste of Officer, Orange Egypt Stated “Orange has always everyone. provided exclusive offers to its customers. It continues to do so in line with its policy and ongoing efforts to The new shop design will invite the customers to provide more added-value to current and potential have fun, explore and compare our latest handsets, clients. Orange will always strive to offer the best tablets, smartwatches, our wide selection of colourful mobile communications and fixed internet services and practical accessories and top of the line gadgets (Orange DSL) with the best quality for the best including connected objects. customer experience. In our smart stores customers can enjoy special assistance and unique services by Thanks to the phone and tariffs advisor, customers our experts at the dedicated Care Corner such as are helped in comparing and selecting the right mobile data transfer, mobile internet setup, Orange handset and the tariffs plan that suit their needs. applications and much more.”

IDENTITYloveguide than river water and big gestures and meanings to every single moment couples spend together.

There is no denying that these things sometimes really do happen in real life and they give any relationship that extra something that makes it wonderful, but they also make us forget that real life has a lot of mundane moments that don’t add or subtract anything from the bigger picture.

There are a lot of moments that don’t have a bigger meaning behind them. Movies don’t show these ordinary and sometimes even boring dayto-day routines, because the sole purpose of a movie is to depict a long, detailed and intricate life and divide it into mere moments that are trying to convey the bigger picture. This is why we fail to see the smaller and more genuine picture.

Life, with everything in it, including love, even the best kind of love, has a gap in it and we’re all going crazy trying to fill it. We should just stop and accept that this gap can’t be filled. It’s this imperfection that makes it all so real and worth living for.

How Movies Make You Fall in Love with Love

by Farah Khedre

Who doesn’t want their love life to be like their favourite romantic movie? It’s always so beautifully complicated but everything seems to work itself out by the end somehow, and who wouldn’t want that?

The truth is that this is real life and sadly, real life is never perfect. It’s not scripted to make everything so easily fall into place, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing.

After watching romantic movies, we so badly feel the need to fall in love in a specific way that we saw on some screen. We try to live out our fantasies as they’ve been shown to us, but these fantasies are bound to fall apart one day because movies have a way of portraying love merely as just many beautifully shot kisses in the rain, razor-sharp dialogues that seem to flow easier 16 February 2017

We watch movies from beginning to end and think that because our relationship is not where the movie ended then it must not be as good or as real, failing to notice that our relationship’s ending hasn’t even come yet. We’re still halfway through our own movie, so why are we always trying to fast forward and reach the ending? If we start thinking of our life as one of our favourite movies that we’re interested to watch, then we shouldn’t want the end to come so fast, right? We should just enjoy all the tumbles, turns, plot twists, betrayals, loss and love and all that comes in between.

We shouldn’t want to fall in love in the same way our favourite fictional couple did. We shouldn’t fall in love with the idea of having someone perfect that we build up in our heads based on a character we’ve seen on screen. We shouldn’t just want love that is quick, delusional, consuming and immersing, but one that is hard, painful and full of compromises.

We should want to fall in love with the person we love, because while the moments we have with them and the feelings that they give us might not seem as perfect as the ones we watch and dream about, they are actually happening and are real. And what love can be more beautiful than one that is real and that can even make you lose your mind a little?

Orange Group Signs New Eight-year Partnership with Confederation of African Football as Official Sponsor of 5 Major CAF Competitions from 2017 – 2024

Football fans during watching Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments

Orange Egypt Sponsors 30 Youth Centers in Egypt, Giving Football Fans in Egypt the Opportunity to Enjoy CAF Championship in Gabon and a Competition to Choose Winners of Tickets to Travel and Watch Egypt-Ghana Match or a Grand Prize of 100,000 Pounds Orange Group announced its partnership renewal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for eight years (2017-2024) to continue to sponsor the organization’s major soccer competitions through to 2024.

This sponsorship includes the African Nations’ competitions (2017 in Gabon, 2019 in Cameron, 2021 in Ivory Coast, and 2023 in Guinea).

In addition to the next four Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments, Orange will also sponsor the Women’s and U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, as well as the CAF Champions League and the Super Cup club competitions.

The core objective of Orange’s sponsorship strategy, “Orange Sponsors You”, is to give fans the recognition they deserve by putting them center-stage, turning the spotlight on them and rewarding them for their passion.

On the occasion of the CAF competitions 2017 and in line with its sponsorship strategy, “Orange Sponsors You”, Orange Egypt is giving all football fans in Egypt the opportunity to enjoy and cheer for the Egyptian National Team while watching the games of African Cup. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Orange Egypt will be sponsoring 30 youth centers all over Egypt to give all Egyptians the privilege of watching the tournament’s games on screens placed in these centers.

In addition, Orange Egypt has launched a contest

for its customers, where they will get the chance to travel to Gabon and attend Egypt-Ghana match on January 25th or win the grand prize of 100,000 Egyptian pounds or a BeIN subscription for one year.

On this occasion, Orange Egypt’s CEO, Jean Marc Harion, said, “Football is the number one passion of our customers in Egypt, and we’re delighted that we will be able to bring Egyptian football fans even closer to the events and things they love the most by going beyond slogans. These flagship competitions in African football generate an incredible spirit of unity across communities and people, and unite fans behind their flag with a strong sense of patriotism. In fact, the sport itself is a powerful agent of peace, and shows how we can cherish and embrace our rivals while also treating each other with respect.”

“I would like to seize this opportunity to wish the Egyptian National Football team all the best in their coming matches during this 31st round of the Africa Cup of Nations”, he added.

It’s worth mentioning that the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations was won by Ivory Coast, who completed a 9-8 penalties victory over Ghana in the final. The 2017 tournament kicks off on January 14th, with the host Gabon taking on Guinea-Bissau. Orange Egypt cheers on the Egyptian National Team and wishes them the best of luck and may they win to spread happiness and joy in the hearts of all Egyptians.

IDENTITYloveguide

Celebrities We Fantasized About Dating

Find Yourself before you find

LOVE

by Farah Khedre

by Amina Elghandour

Johnny Depp There is a man, like no man on Earth. A man full of wonder, mystery and danger! Some say to meet him, you need to live in Loss Angeles, California which unfortunately, we don’t.

Ryan Gosling Ryan gosling is just the type of guy who seems to have good manners and his palpably good looks appeal to women with…eyes!

Patrick Dempsey He is the ultimate choice. He is a man for women of all ages, because he’s just that kind of guy. The older he gets, the more appealing he grows.

David Beckham The man who has been voted ‘Sexiest Man on the Planet’ surely had to make this list. He’s also a dad of four beautiful kids and his marriage is one of the very few successful long-term celebrity relationships. So, really, he has got it all!

Matt Bomer Matt Bomer has the sexiest mysterious eyed stare, and when combined with his captivating blue eyes that sometimes turn gray, he makes our heart skip a beat!

Ian Somerhalder You were right, Damon! We can’t refuse your good looks, your style, your charm or your unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift. If his portrayal of Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries wasn’t enough, the fact that he’s a decent humanitarian and animal activist in real life will do the trick.

The Hemsworths Seriously, their parents should receive an award for outstanding baby making skills.

Bradley Cooper Why yes! Bradley Cooper is of enviable beauty and allure.

18 February 2017

T Robert Downey Jr. HE SCREAMS SEXY! Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic men.

His deep humorous voice pulls us by our heartstrings.

Jesse Williams This guy has eyes as deep as the ocean. You could totally lose yourself in them. And what’s up with those freckles?

Jared Leto Because he sang to us “Do you really want? Do you really want me dead, or alive to torture for my sins?”

We’d take you any day, any time and any way, Jared.

Hugh Jackman Because who wouldn’t want themselves some Wolverine loving?

George Clooney Old is gold. He is charming, handsome and his suave style has earned him a spot in our hearts forever.

Jake Gyllenhaal Jake Gyllenhaal will never lose it! A prime example of what unbelievably dashing is. He had us swooning over him as the quirky kid in Donnie Darko, and did it again as the ferociously hot lover in Love & Other Drugs.

Ashton Kutchor His face is like fireworks on a sad day. He has a smile that would unlock the door to any woman’s heart.

he notion of love has always bewildered me.

There is a rise in literature that strives to define it and explain this intricate life force, and yet I still find it as elusive as ever. And I have no intention to pin it down here either. In its ideal form, ‘love’ connotes various positive values like nurture, care, growth etc. However, stifling, obsessive, compulsive are for some people expressions of love too, whether we like it or not.

Love takes many forms and guises depending on the type of relationship in which it thrives, but I’m interested mostly in romantic love. That high charge emotion that at moments gives us soul-expanding sensations, and at others, crushes our very sense of being.

As a teenager, I used to follow celebrities’ life stories on “E! Entertainment Television” channel. I noticed a pattern that I didn’t quite understand back then. At the peak of a star’s career, he or she often meets up with the ‘love of his life’ or ‘her soulmate’. Sweeping love comes in to crown professional achievement, but their career eventually suffers a dip. And life, more often than not, crumbles thereafter. Strangely enough, the sweeping love fades too. Well, there is nothing actually strange here.

Your ability to love and be loved has to do with what’s happening inside of you - more than anything. That’s why obsessiveness may seem like a form of love too, only for a person who is struggling on their growth path. At the peak of their careers, stars and even regular people reflect behaviour and feelings that are aligned with the high vibration of love. Thus, they attract seemingly perfect love. The problem is that they attach much of their professional success to their sense of self and when they lose that, they concomitantly lose the love.

It is a wise piece of advice not to get into a relationship before having some stability in your life, but I would add to that a strong sense of self too - a self that is enriched by both successes and failures. The ability to love stems from the ability to hold one’s self and another in a constant state of appreciation. It takes a healed person to be able to love.

Only when you can find this connection with yourself that you can find it with another. That’s why this deep soulful connection, where you see part of yourself in the other - hold their gaze, share their breath and be able to unite physically, spiritually and mentally with them, is very rare to find. In fact, people can go through lifetimes before realizing that this enchantment can actually exist. Most people merely couple with others not to be alone, hoping that this ‘other’ would fill the gaps in their lives and offer something special that would make life worth living. But of course, it never works that way. You need to make life worth living first.

Only then, perhaps, when you say I love you- it means I’m secure enough to lose myself in you.

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IDENTITYhealth

GOING NUTS FOR NUTS Best of Instagram

by Alia El Saady Almonds The best way to cut back on dairy products is to increase your intake of calcium rich almonds. Luckily, almonds can come in the form of a liquid, as almond milk. Almonds are rich in Vitamin E which is beneficial to your skin, because it can improve its appearance through brightening and minimizing blemishes.

They’re also rich in heart-protecting compounds called flavonoids.

Cashews Cashews are high in protein, and are also rich in minerals like zinc and iron. All important for maintaining good bodily functions. The great thing about cashews is that they have the lowest fat content of most nuts. Surprisingly, cashews contain zero cholesterol. In a recommended serving of 3 ounces, there are 18 g of protein with no cholesterol.

Pecans Pecans are rich in plant sterols that are known to lower levels of cholesterol. Pecans also have a considerable level of antioxidants and help in the prevention of plaque that lead to the hardening of the arteries. As far as fats, pecans are particularly rich in oleic acid, a healthy fat found in olive oil. If you’re trying to get rid of fatigue, make sure to incorporate pecans in your diet because they contain vitamin B3 that helps the body access the energy in food.

Before deciding to reach for a packet of chips, stop yourself. Because there are simpler ways one can snack. Mother Nature has found a way to package proteins, fats, fibers and countless vitamins and minerals. Nuts are merely an embodiment of these bitesize packages. The great thing about nuts is that each one has a particular benefit, so a mix of them could truly give your body the boost it needs. Be sure to incorporate these nuts in your diet to reap all their benefits.

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Pistachios Vitamin B6, abundant in pistachios, is especially important in the balance of hormones. Pistachios are the only nut with lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that play a crucial role in the protection of the eyes. Among all other nuts, pistachios contain the highest levels of potassium. A lack of potassium could lead to high blood pressure and bone turnover. Luckily, a 30 g serving of pistachios contains three times the levels of potassium and fibers than that which is found in an equivalent 30g of plums!

Photography: Maite Herrera

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IDENTITYbeauty

Date Night

Swoop Your Hair to One Side You can toss your tumbling and wavy locks over one shoulder and tastefully show off a little skin on the other side.

To make sure your hair will stay on one side for the rest of the night, apply a stronghold gel when your hair is still damp and blow-dry the spot. Or you can tuck one side behind your ear and have the rest of your hair fall elegantly behind your back or down your shoulders.

Hairstyles

by Farah Khedre

The key to going on dates is to look as close as possible to how you normally look, so a guy would get to know you while you look like you! This might only be my humble opinion, but I believe that looking natural with a bit of glamour is any girl’s best look. Forget overdoing it, and check out these expensive up-dos that you can easily replicate at home without paying a dime!

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A Simple Bun It doesn’t always have to be Sundaybun-day; a simple and sleek bun is also perfect for both fancy and low-key dinner dates. It’s chic, feminine and effortless to master.

Boho Waves This is for every carefree woman who wants to show her whimsical side. It adds a youthful touch to your appearance and makes you look natural and down to earth. It’s a messy look, but it’s also low-key and fabulous.

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The Power Pony The ponytail never goes out of style because that’s just how powerful the pony is. The best part about ponytails is that you can easily transition from day to night while sporting the same style. There’s the high, low and side ponytail; which one do you think fits you best?

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Flower Power Flowers are a symbol for romance. Therefore, it’s only natural to apply the same sense to styling your hair while going on a date!

They also make you look charming and bring out your girly and flirty side.

Braids, Braids, Braids Braids add a flirtatious playfulness to your looks. There are also so many ways you could do braids and none of them can go wrong.

The key, however, is to pick one that highlights your best asset. There’s the reverse French braid, the fishtail, the off-to-the-side French braid, the upside down braid, the milkmaid braid and just so many more. Take your pick!

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Smooth and Straight It’s normal for straight hair to make any split ends more highlighted because it reflects light. In order to perfect this look, you need to minimally trim your hair ends to avoid the dry and damaged feel straight hair normally gives off.

Smooth and shiny hair is pretty to look at and nice to play with.

Short and Choppy Styling your pixie cut can be hard sometimes, but all you need to know about it is to never have a defined part.

You hair must look disheveled and with voluminous texture at all times.

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IDENTITYbeauty

EXFOLIATION The first step to getting glowing skin is through exfoliation. Exfoliating allows you to slough off dead and dry skin cells and reveal fresh, radiant skin. This energizing exfoliator

by Origins is what we recommend. This two-in-one scrubby cleanser is fortified with radiance-boosting panax ginseng and caffeine, while jojoba and carnauba wax gently exfoliate to help unclog pores.

PRIME An illuminating primer is a great way for you to start working your radiant Gigi glow from within through a nice bright base.

FaceStudio Master Prime Blur + Illuminate Primer works really well under foundation and doesn’t clog pores. To complete the look, we also recommend using Maybeline BB cream to give a fresh natural look.

Get the look: Gigi Hadid

by Alia El Saady

Gigi Hadid is the ‘It’ girl of this millennium. She’s a fashion icon who’s been featured on runways and magazine covers alike. And it’s true, no one can truly outshine her in the limelight, but we have to wonder how she’s managed to maintain her dewy luster throughout. Capturing her look is easy enough if you couple it with these techniques and products. We’ve also collected Gigi’s product favorites so that you can pick the beauty products this star likes to use on a regular basis.

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STROBE CREAM If you prefer more coverage than BB cream, apply this before you couple it with the foundation of your choice, as long as it doesn’t have a matte or powder finish.

Mac Strobe cream is great for illuminating dull skin.

POWDER PUFF Though it might seem counterproductive to the dewy look you’re trying to achieve, adding powder is essential to setting your make up before adding highlighter. It’s impor tant to note that you’re trying to achieve a dewy look, not one that is greasy or oily. La Mer powder is an excellent way to set your makeup without compromising that glow.

CHAMPAGNE HIGHLIGHTER Highlighter needs to be applied with a fan brush on the highpoints of the face.

This shimmering skin perfector by Becca will help complete the look and give you a refined glow. It’s enriched with ultrafine luminescent pearls that absorb, reflect and refract light to amplify your natural radiance. Like a compact full of crushed gemstones, the multi-toned pigment pearls adjust to your skin’s natural undertones.

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IDENTITYstyle

GRAPHIC TEES

The respectable way to be explicit.

MOD SPECS Channeling the inner mod squad.

Freda Banana

10 Runway

Must-Haves We Love

by Nahed Kazziha

Who said that Valentine’s Day was only reserved for expressing human affection?

As any self-respecting sartorial seeker, it is only natural that we take the chance to revere and covet some of the runway’s most desirable scores of the season. Check out the top 10 list of wardrobe add-ons that will give you a little extra lovin’ on V-Day: necklaces, bags and shades, oh my!

DISCO TOPS

Bright lights that make for hot nights.

MEGA MEDALLIONS

SOCK HEELS Sportmax

Topshop

Keeping it tight.

Because you are a style champ.

BELTED OUT

Lyrics and waistlines deserve special attention.

Oscar Tiye

Halston Heritage

Mango

MCM

Oscar de la Renta

BOLD EARRINGS

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Chandeliers for your ears? Why, yes!

Tiffany & Co

HANGING KEYS

The chic way to tell someone you love them.

Zara

RING AROUND

Keeping your precious belongings close.

HIGH SCHOOL SACS That sac-a-dos to keep your hands free.

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IDENTITYstyle ALL ABOUT THAT BASE Your Celebrity Twin: Jennifer Hudson Your Go-To Style: Flaunt your slender shoulders and bustline with intricate embellishment and cutouts.

Consider the empire waist is your BFF. Your Trick up the Sleeve: Baseball and halter necklines to captivate the gaze at your shoulders and uneven hems to lengthen the legs.

Love your Shape

by Nahed Kazziha

Simone Rocha Tiffany & Co.

They say that love is blind- except when it comes to your own self.

As women, we are self-conscious and critical of everything from our perfectly manicured nails and cuticles to that one strand of premature gray hair no one else can see without a magnifying glass. You don’t need a professional stylist though to know what makes you feel good about yourself. Instead, why not take your queues from some celebs who are ahead of the curve? Here are some valuable styling tips and tricks of the trade that will have you going from frump to fabulous in no time at all.

NSR Nina Runsdorf

Haney

Fendi

CINCHED AT THE WAIST Your Celebrity Twin: Scarlett Johansson Your Go-To Cut: Pretty much anything you like!

Your Trick up the Sleeve: If you’ve got a well-defined waistline, work in some draping to accentuate those curves.

Jimmy Choo Christian Louboutin

STRAIGHT SHOOTER Your Celebrity Twin: Kate Winslet Your Go-To Cut: Go for slimming contours and trims that will keep your legs exposed. Flouncy hems and midis could even work for you.

Your Trick up the Sleeve: Bodycon dresses for the win. In particular, those amazing creations with good contrasting and illusions at the waist.

Diane von Furstenberg

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER Your Celebrity Twin: Elizabeth Hurley (and most runway models!)

Your Go-To Cut: It is all about the shift dress. Try non-descript sleeves with heavy focus on patterned trousers, ultradistressed jeans and standout skirts.

Your Trick up the Sleeve: Keep your tops simple and your bottoms busy. Whatever you do, avoid halters and one shoulder cuts.

Halston Heritage

Topshop Unique

Kenneth Jay Lane Mugler Michael Kors Collection Jimmy Choo

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Valentino Kenneth Jay Lane

Dolce & Gabbana

Gianvito Rossi

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IDENTITYstyle

SPRING RUNWAY HAS SPRUNG

by Nahed Kazziha

Cozy winter nights may still lie ahead, but there is no denying the yearning for spring in our hearts this February. The call for brighter and longer days rings so loud, it reaches into our closets, beckoning for that spring cleaning. Indeed, a terrible thought that conjures images of heaps of garments, cast away in an effort to block out ghosts of fashion faux-pas’ passed.

Chloe

The best way to tackle spring cleaning is undoubtedly to give your closet some extra TLC with equal parts de-cluttering and discovering. Toss out that heavy leather and give a warm welcome to some of spring’s finest trends that will have you falling in love with your closet all over again.

BOLD FLORAL

Prada Lanvin

Make a declaration of spring and summer in bright and big floral patterns.They are every bit flower power as they are feminine, combining the free, strong spirit of a modern day woman with a touch of mod squad.

Michael Kors Collection

MONOCHROME MADNESS

Sometimes, black and white can completely wipe out all shades of gray. Consider the crisp precision of the eternally chic monochrome palette. Besides, a little chess play never hurt.

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Celine

Louis Vuitton

Chloe

Miu Miu

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IDENTITYstyle

METAL THREADS

Chanel

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The subtle metal works its way into essentials, as if woven into your dreams. From spring tweeds, to silks and embellishments, metallic accents are sure to amp those drab fabrics and elevate your staples for the season.

Kenzo

BRIGHT WHITE

Isabel Marant

Maison Margiela

Akris

Yohji Yamamoto

Bid dark mysterious winter hues farewell and submit to the white hot spring trend, taking fashion by storm. Don’t be intimidated by the white-out and go for a full head to toe ensemble.

Christian Dior

Jason Wu

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Hat: H&M, Scarf: Zara

Audacious Soul Photographer: Federico Barbieri, Model: Oriane de Saint Lieu @2Morrow Stylist: Ines de Saint Lieu, Make-up and Hair: Magazin All Coiffure, Special thanks to Optique Jean Charles Bouillot and Mr. Lombardo, Location: Abbaye Du Val Des Choues, Burgundy, FRANCE

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Jacket: Pull & Bear, Boots: Etam

36 February 2017

Sunglasses: Lanvin, Shirt: Polo by Ralph Lauren, Trousers: H&M, Jacket: Pull&Bear, Shoes: Etam

IDENTITYaudacioussoul

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Top and Vest: Noughts & Crosses, Jacket: H&M

38 February 2017

Sunglasses: Lanvin, Shirt: Polo by Ralph Lauren, Trousers: H&M, Jacket: Pull&Bear, Shoes: Etam

IDENTITYaudacioussoul

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IDENTITYaudacioussoul

Sunglasses Ana Hickmann, Scarf Ines De Saint Lieu, Jacket: Parade II

40 February 2017

Sunglasses: Lanvin, Shirt: Polo by Ralph Lauren, Trousers: H&M, Jacket: Pull&Bear, Shoes: Etam

IDENTITYaudacioussoul

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IDENTITYloveseason

Best and Worst Couples of All Time

by Farah Khedre

True love is a rare feat, which is why most couples never make it to the finish line.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the lovers of failed relationships didn’t have what it takes to make it work or that they didn’t love each other. It only means that their love wasn’t true, as true love never dies. Love is not measured by how many years two people have been together, or if they got a happily ever after or not. It’s measured by how well they handle the situations they’re put in. We have tried to round up the best and the worst on-screen and real life couples to this date. Let’s take a look!

BEST COUPLES

Jesse and Celine They were two strangers who met on a train and ended up spending a magical night together in Vienna.

The series of Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight depicts a rare, real, raw and emotional love story, unlike most romantic films. Their love isn’t glorified and written in a way that would make it sound like a fairytale. It’s honest and beautiful.

Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddie Prinze Jr. They started dating way back on the set of I Know What You Did Last Summer and have been together ever since. Anyone can tell they are a great couple Monica and Chandler Monica and Chandler were each other’s best friends because the tabloids are not often filled with rumours above all. Chandler and every other character on the about their relationship. They keep their private life show often joked about how much better Monica private. Look how well that worked out for them! Let’s could do. But what makes them one of the cutest hope this couple never meet their ending. couples in my eyes, is the fact that Monica never made him feel like he doesn’t deserve her.

Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd Meredith and Derek didn’t have it easy, but they can’t not be on this list. Derek was the one who taught us that when two people are angry at each other, it doesn’t mean that they stop loving each other. Meredith taught us that you can easily live without the person you love, but you just don’t want to. This is what a healthy relationship is.

Phil and Claire Dunphy They complete each other, because each of their Nick Vujicic and Kanae imperfections helps balance the relationship. And in For anyone discouraged by love, real life couple my opinion, they portray one of the best modern life NickVujicic and Kanae will renew your faith. marriages.

Marshall and Lily What made Marshmallow and Lily Pad so great, you ask? It’s that they talked everything out. Their heartsto-hearts weren’t riddled with eye-rolling and awkward pauses. They paused their fights when needed and resumed them at the right time.

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Beyonce and Jay Z They started dating in 2001 after meeting at a Vanity Fair cover shoot and got married in 2008. They obviously didn’t rush things, and that’s one of the keys to an everlasting relationship. When asked what makes her marriage to Jay-Z so easy, Queen Bee told us the key to their relationship is that they’re best friends first.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum They are the kind of couple that brings warmth to your heart. They met while playing star-crossed lovers then became one of Hollywood’s hottest couples. If you’re not convinced as to why they are on this list, go check out their Lip Sync Battle videos on YouTube where both of them defy gender stereotypes.

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis It may have taken years for these two to get together, but none of us were actually that surprised when they did. After all, he was her first kiss.

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IDENTITYloveseason everyone when we say that the couple lacked any form of believable chemistry that sometimes it was even hard to watch.

Kim

WORST COUPLES

Skylar and Walter White Skylar and Walter White stayed together for the sake of their family and it was apparent that love was never the reason that brought these two together. They just kind of settled into a monotonous way of life that happened to include one another. In the end, their marriage was doomed because of their selfishness and bad choices.

Edward Cullen and Bella Swan Real love makes you strong and builds your character.

The love Edward and Bella had could barely make a paper kite fly. She just whined the entire time he was not with her, and all he did was look at her with piercing eyes and prove to her how fragile she really was. Lesser fools than us would find it romantic.

Kardashian and Kris Humphries When Kim announced that she was filing for divorce, she said in a statement “after careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage”. That careful consideration must have been less than 72 days, because that’s how long their epic marriage lasted for.

Seriously, it takes me longer than that to finish a heavy Ross and Rachel book.

They were each other’s lobsters, but I was just never a fan of their relationship. We all rooted for them to get back together, but they didn’t respect each other.

Whenever he was about to move on, she would destroy his relationship one way or another, and he had zero respect for her interests and opinions.

Fitz and Olivia Olivia is strong and independent and could easily be one of the most badass women on TV. But somehow, whenever she’s around Fitz, she melts like a popsicle and loses all her logic and common sense. Fitz, on the other hand, must be the most emotionally manipulative jerk on the face of the planet.

Cersei and Jaime Lannister Incest, that’s why. The dysfunctional “family relationship” never had us feeling a bit of understanding and Penny and Leonard affection. Even their chemistry oozes ickiness, and we He wants a trophy wife and she wants a sugar daddy. can’t be remotely sympathetic to the hardships they go She always seizes the chance to make fun of how geeky through. Their bond is just too weird. he is and he compliments nothing about her except her ravishing looks. No, thank you.

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Romeo and Juliet Their story is the epitome and probably beginning of forbidden love. I know I’ll be the odd one out admitting to how bad I think this relationship was, but hear me out. Juliet fakes death to be with Romeo, and when Romeo finds her with a heart that doesn’t beat, he kills himself to be with her. And when she wakes up from her “fake” death, she cries over his dead body and kills herself for real. Does that sound at all like a relationship anyone should be in awe of? True love might kill you, just not literally.

Mischa Barton and Benjamin McKenzie Those two were tricky. On one hand we loved the actors, but on the other hand something about the characters just didn’t add up. Mostly because of Mischa’s character, Marissa, the girl seriously lacked any form of character. It was a nightmare watching her most of Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen Seriously, they were literally one of the worst couples the times on the show. It’s safe to say that we were all we’ve ever seen on screen. We think we speak for rooting for Ryan to break up with her.

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IDENTITYloveseason

T

here have been many songs, sonnets, ballads and works of art dedicated to love. In fact, wars have been dedicated solely to this intangible feeling! And though it’s hard to explain or put into words, love is at the forefront of our minds. And this doesn’t necessarily have to apply to romantic love or popularized notions of love that we see in the media. Love can be expressed towards one’s career, one’s self and to a partner.

And at Identity, we decided to pay tribute to love this February by exploring the different typologies that we felt were most important, from the traditional notion of love we’re all familiar with of two partners enamored with each other romantically, to the idea of loving the person in the mirror, to the love of a profession and work performance. All these types are a form of love that we believe a person has experienced in one way or another, and through these explorations, we hope to reveal the science behind them, celebrate them and reach a better understanding of how and where love can be found in any given situation.

All You Need is LOVE

own limits. You will be able to say no to work, love or any activities that you believe harm you physically or emotionally. This will help you in many ways, because it will allow you to focus on things that are actually crucial to your own self growth. In short, self love is important because it allows you to remember where your ultimate power is. It forces you to ask yourself “If I truly loved myself, what would I do?” The answer, however, could be manifested in different forms. You could end up succeeding in your career, because loving yourself will allow you to believe in what you do and love yourself for doing it. Or you can wind up, finally, accepting your body image. And if you don’t, then you will start working on how you want your body to look like, not out of hate for your own self image, but out of love for your own body and how you want it to look like. You will finally start doing things for you, not for others.

This February, we remind readers of the age old Beatles song: All You Need is Love. Because love is something that is important for all people to experience at least once even if they don’t necessarily have a special someone at the moment! In this collection, we applaud all forms of love and examine the ways in which it can It is also important to note that you are only capable impact people positively. of loving a person as much as you are capable of loving yourself. The best thing about self love is that you can actually see it manifested in your love for SELF LOVE others. We don’t believe that anything could ever When mentioning the different kinds of love, it is have a greater value than the ability to love another very important that we discuss self love. Of all the with all you have. Luckily, self love allows you to do different kinds of love in the world, this is the one exactly that. If you exercise self love, you will not kind that can make you survive anything! Loving only be rewarding yourself, but you will also become the guide that is guiding and encouraging others to yourself has its many advantages, and it’s safe to express or love themselves in the same way. The more say that no one ever loved themselves and ended up self love you have for yourself, the better you will be disappointed. prepared for healthy relating. You will start attracting people and circumstances which support your well When you love yourself, you become mindful. You tend being. Finally, it’s important to ask yourself what you to know what you think, feel and want. That makes want to achieve through your love for yourself, and you act on your knowledge of yourself rather than on then go out and do it! what others want from you. It also forces you to set boundaries for yourself. Self love will help you set your

by Alia El Saady, Farah Khedre, Nour Younis

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IDENTITYloveseason

ROMANTIC LOVE

To really get to the root of romantic love, we need to think about the way the Greeks referred to it. In the past, love was called “the madness of the gods”. In modern psychology, love is referred to as a strong emotional union between two persons. And yet in many ways, romantic love is the most misunderstood kind of love because people operate in the belief that “it just happens”. For a lot of people, it can be hard to put into words or explain what love is. In this section, we hope to shed some light on the science behind it and how to know when you have it.

The Science Behind Love Though we often associate love with the heart, the true magic happens within the brain. A study in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York showed that the brain of someone in love looks similar to that of someone high on cocaine, through the comparison of MRI brain scans. Cocaine acts on the pleasure centers of the brain by lowering the threshold at which they occur. This means that you feel good a lot easier than you would normally. Love works similarly in that way, and because of this lowering of the threshold, you not only fall in love with the person but you begin to fall in love with the world around you in the same instance. You begin to build a romanticized view of the world around you. Pain and aversion centers are stimulated less and less when you’re in love, and a person can become less bothered by things in general. The chemicals at work here: Dopamine and Norepinephrine are exerted by the brain and trigger sexual arousal and also feelings of craving and desire to be with the person you love.

In addition, there are lower levels of Serotonin in the body which allows people to think obsessively about those they love. Despite all of this, science knows little about why people fall in love and yet somehow people know it when they feel it!

experience an inability to develop romantic feelings for anyone else. You begin to think that your partner is unique, and your priorities are restructured to keep the other person in mind. Your habits and mannerisms change to accommodate the other person. While attraction and arousal exists in this sort of relationship, there are strings attached: a need for exclusivity and possession. Fisher’s study also concluded that people in love described their feelings towards the other person as “involuntary” and “uncontrollable”. If you find yourself experiencing these feelings, then it might mean that you’re falling head over heels for your partner. Keep an eye out for these signs, because you should definitely express that love as often as possible this February!

CAREER LOVE

Once a person comes to terms with the fact that there are many kinds of love, they will know that the central focus on romantic love is ridiculous and misleading. People focus too much on the romantic form of love and fall into this rabbit hole that warns them to find a partner before it’s too late. More often than not, relationships fail because one of the two parties has put all their hopes on the love they had for the other person and forgot to grow individually. They realize that they’re two people who went on a long journey together without ever travelling solo first.

Career-love is another condition for romantic love that lasts.

People need to find themselves beyond the bounds of a romantic relationship, because it doesn’t necessarily have to be what defines our sense of self. Our sense of identity should come from within us. Why do we have a How Can You Tell if You’re in Love? holiday celebrating romantic love and no one celebrating career love? To fall in love with your career is one of life’s There are several indicators to determine whether greatest blessings. The ride to get there will be jarring or not you’re in love with someone. Helen Fisher, an and unsettling, but learning to fall in love with what you anthropologist in Rutgers University, sheds some light do and the behaviours you exhibit will help you shape on the issue suggesting that when you’re in love you and keep better relationships in the future.

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Loving your career should come before loving another human being. First of all, it’s what feeds you.

It’s what drives you to focus and develop a formidable personality. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and raises your self-esteem. Human beings underestimate the feeling of self-worth and self-realization. When a person knows that they’re contributing to the world and advancing life’s progress even by the smallest means, it gives them satisfaction because they stand for something. Your career will never leave you hanging hot and dry. You will always have a safety net to fall back on. It could be your happy place; the place you build yourself a cocoon and discover your capabilities.

Falling in love with your career gives you energy and builds your character. Without having at least one aspect in your life where you know you excel at, you will always underrate yourself. With a strong career, you have a reason to fight back and you will always know how to get back on your feet when the going gets tough. Choosing to fall in love with your career before immersing yourself in another human being makes you independent and more emotionally strong. It makes you differentiate between being with a person for the sake of needing them and choosing to be with a person because you want them.

So before you immerse yourself in that firework display of infatuation people feel on dates and with their partners, remember that sustaining career love and sinking into a nourishing work environment will offer you a companion for a life time.

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Myths and Legends of

Chinese Legend and Love

Love

by Alia El Saady

Love is a feeling that cannot be put into words, that is certainly true. However, throughout the ages there have been many myths about the origin of love, where it comes from and what it signifies. The reason behind these suppositions probably stems from the fact that love was an intangible feeling that was difficult to pinpoint and understand. These myths are interesting because they help shed light on this feeling, and in many ways show a different picture to the stories on the origin, formation and existence of love in the ancient world.

Greek Mythology and Love Plato’s symposium essentially dealt with all things to do with love and was a written discussion between philosophers on the subject of love. Many of the philosophers had insights on the origins and kinds of love that existed. For Plato, there were three types: Eros signifying desire, Philia signifying platonic love or friendship and finally Agape, the love of all humanity and God. These typologies are certainly ones we see in our modern day, but there’s more to the story than that.

day: the belly button. Because the humans were longing to return to one another again, they would seek out their other half a “soulmate”, not simply because they were looking for love, but because they were seeking to rejoin their bodies to their original form. This myth gives insight into the nature of soulmates and the search for the one.

During this discussion, another philosopher, by the name of Aristophanes, emerges with an idea about the origin of love in Greek mythology. Aristophanes suggests that in the early days, man and woman were attached to each other physically as a being with four arms and four legs and two heads. This being was seen to be the strongest on Earth and it was feared by Zeus, the father of all Greek gods that they would challenge him. To eliminate this threat, Zeus separated the two and the scar of that separation is said to remain to this

In Hinduism, there are three main gods. Brahma the creator of the universe, Vishnu the preserver of it. And Shiva whose role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it. In Hindu mythology, the god of love, Kamadeva, was born of the heart of Brahma the creator and was used to foil Shiva. She burned Kamadeva to punish him and Kamadeva continued to exist but was intangible. With this myth, we see reference to the intangibility of love and why love feels as though it exists, but we can’t really see it.

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Hindu Mythology and Love

told her father who inspected the bush and discovered a young man named Fan Xiliang hiding there. He said that he was evading being taken to build the Great Wall of China. MengJiangnu instantly fell in love with the young man and was wedded to him. But only three days after their marriage, officials broke into their home and took Fan Xiliang to participate in the building of the wall.

This story is the tale of MengJiangnu and Fan Xiliang and the enduring power of love. The tale says that an old man named Meng was harvesting a large gourd from his gourd tree, and when he opened the gourd, he found a young girl inside. Meng decided to name the girl MengJiangnu. MengJiangnu grew to be a beautiful girl and took care of old man Meng and tended to his garden. But one day as she was taking care of the The separation was very hard on MengJiangnu, but garden, she heard a rustle between the bushes. She what truly agonized her was when she eventually found out that Fan Xiliang had died of exhaustion while building the wall. On that day, she had set out for the wall with warm clothes for him to wear while he worked. The trip was long and arduous, but she finally reached the destination. But by then, it was too late. The bad news was delivered to her as soon as she arrived. As a result of this awful discovery, she sorely wept for three days at the wall. Strangely, a section of the wall collapsed due to her weeping. The Emperor was surveying the wall at this point and was severely enraged and ready to punish MengJiangnu. But before anyone could get their hands on her, she plunged herself into the nearby Bohai sea. The story is a tragic one, but it stands as a testament for enduring love. Interestingly enough, MengJiangnu’s story has been passed down from generation to generation.

In memory of MengJiangnu, later generations built a temple, called the Jiangnu Temple, at the foot of the Great Wall in which a statue of MengJiangnu is located.

Reflecting on these different stories allows us to truly appreciate the power of love and its ability to transform itself, not only into different kinds but different tales as well, cross culturally and across different timelines. It’s interesting to see the way that love has found the power to endure and to meld into cultures, religions and histories.

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DIY Gifts for Valentine’s Day

by Nour Younis

Valentine’s Day is almost around the corner, and it’s that time of the year again where you are unable to think of the perfect gift to bring your partner. Fortunately for you though, we came up with a list of DIY gifts that you can easily make for your partner from the comfort of your own home.

HEART-SHAPED TEABAGS This is by far the most creative gift you could make for your partner, especially if he’s a big fan of tea like most Egyptians are.

Steps: All you need for this project is Canson paper, filter paper, scissors, a needle and a thread, and tea of any kind; we recommend the one your partner likes the most though.

1. Cut your Canson paper in the shape of a heart. Make sure that you make it in a perfect heart shape because it will be your guide for all the tea bags you make.

2. Take the heart shaped Canson paper and put it on top of two layers of the filter paper.

3. Sew around the heart shaped paper, so that the two filter papers would be sewed together in the shape of a heart.

4. Make sure to leave a part un-sewed so that just before you finish sewing, you can pour the tea inside the filter paper, and continue on sewing to get the perfect heart shape.

5. Finally, cut the residual filter paper left from around the heart.

6. Attach a thread from the very top of the heart.

7. Add to the thread from the other side a tiny cut heart shaped Canson paper so that your partner could hold on to it while dipping his tea bag in his mug.

A JAR OF REASONS WHY YOU LOVE HIM/HER It’s the perfect gift for your partner if you are not really into buying expensive gifts, and at the same time would like to make a statement for him/her this year.

Steps: Basically, all you have to do is bring an empty jar, glue, scissors, ribbons and other embellishments that you might feel are fit.

1. Start wrapping the ribbons around the jar.

2. Cut small sized heart shaped papers.

3. Glue the small hearts and the ribbons on top of the jar.

4. Bring your scrap book and cut the papers in square shaped figures, and write your heart out.

5. Put the papers inside the jar.

VALENTINE SNOW GLOBE Who doesn’t love a snow globe, right? Since snow globes are relatively expensive in Egypt, we present you with a way where you can now make them yourself for your sweet lover.

Steps: For this project, you will need a relatively big jar, Canson paper, straws, cotton, scissors and glue.

1. Clean the jar, and then uncover it.

2. Take the cover and stick cotton onto it (make sure it is made in a way where it looks like snow) 3. Cut the straw into two pieces.

4. Cut the Cansor paper in the shape of a heart.

Writing on the heart shaped Canson paper “I love you” in a nice way could be an added bonus.

5. Finally, glue the Canson heart to the very top of the straw. Make sure it’s attached from the two sides of the heart.

6. Attach the straws to the snow (Cotton).

7. Cover the jar carefully, making sure that the jar is flipped upside down, and voila you have a snow globe! If you don’t like the cover of the jar, you can always attach a colourful Canson paper on it and wrap it with ribbons (Optional).

Remember, the most important thing about Valentine’s Day is that you get to celebrate your partner’s existence by your side. However you do on these projects and no matter how they turn out, we’re sure that your partner will most definitely appreciate them. So pick your project, start doing it, and make sure you have fun in the process!

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Destination Weddings

Were your loved ones supportive of your decision?

At first, my father wasn’t too happy with our decision, but after the event, he confessed that it was the best choice. Spending some time with friends and family abroad was delightful.

What was your main motive behind having a destination wedding?

Who doesn’t get excited at the prospect of going somewhere gorgeous and unique to exchange wedding vows? It can be daunting, though. Can you actually pull off a destination wedding? Will your loved ones be supportive? If you find yourselves debating “should we or shouldn’t we?”, we’re here to help. Today, we are interviewing Shahd El Abd who got married to Galal El Kerdany, who had their beautiful wedding in Santorini, Greece. Here are some facts you should know before you take your big day on the road.

Well, we wanted to really enjoy our wedding. In Egypt, a typical wedding usually lasts for five hours where the bride and groom spend most of their time wandering between tables trying to say hello to hundreds of guests half of which they don’t even know, thanks to the parents! We figured a destination wedding will give us the perfect chance to cut down on an often unmanageable number of invitees bringing only the nearest and dearest together, so we can actually enjoy spending quality time with them!

Was it more stressful? Do you have any advice for others who are considering a destination wedding?

I think having a wedding anywhere is stressful! I don’t believe it was more stressful for us. My advice is to do good research, choose a location close by and to visit the venue prior to the wedding date by at least a couple of months. Also hiring a good wedding planner in the area is key. After that, you can manage everything through emails, bank transfers and a few long distance calls.

In your opinion, what was the highlight of your destination wedding?

The location was definitely the highlight of the wedding.

Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen, with incredible scenic views on top of 200 meter high mountains looking across clear blue skies and the endless Aegean Sea.

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Satisfy your WANDERLUST

9 Days/ 8 Nights Departs: 28/04/2017 Starting from: 960 USD International flights and Visa)

(excluding

Package Includes 7 nights accommodation in Standard Riads.

1 night accommodation in a basic guesthouse in Atlas mountains.

All tours and activities.

All transfers.

SRI LANKA 9 Days/ 8 Nights Starting from: 25500 EGP (excluding airline taxes and Visa)

For more information, visit destination31.com

Package Includes Round trip economy class airline ticket on Qatar Airways.

1 night in Colombo on half board basis.

2 nights in Sigiriya on half board basis.

1 night in Kandy on half board basis.

2 nights in Nuwara Eliya on half board basis.

2 nights in Bentota on half board basis.

Meet and assist at the Sri Lanka airport on arrival and departure.

Transportation by air conditioned vehicle with driver guide.

Entrance tickets for the sites.

BEIRUT, LEBANON 5 Days/ 4 Nights Starting from: 5700 EGP (excluding airline taxes and Visa) Package Includes 4 nights accommodation in a standard room on bed and breakfast basis.

Round trip economy class airline ticket on Egyptair.

For more information, visit travelchoiceegypt.com

For more information, visit travelchoiceegypt.com BRAZIL: FROM RIO TO IGUACU 10 Days/ 9 Nights Departs: 14/04/2017 Starting from: 1560 USD (excluding International and domestic flights and Visa) Package Includes 9 nights in standard hotels on Bed & Breakfast basis.

All tickets and permits.

For more information, visit destination31.com 58 February 2017

SIWA OASIS, EGYPT 4 Days/ 3 Nights Starting from: 1950 EGP Departs: 17/2/2017 Package Includes 3 nights accommodation. Bus Transportation.

Moutain Of Dead, Temple of Amun & Iskander, Ain Cleopatra, Safari, Sandboarding, Siwy local Band, Abu Sherouf Spring, Salt Lakes.

For more information, visit gazef facebook page.

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Charms Christmas bazaar at the JW Marriott Cairo Festive Christmas celebrations with gastronomic feasts were the theme of the Charms Bazaar, the fourth annual event for the exclusive Charms JW Ladies Society Club members at Cairo’s idyllic leisure resort, a unique hospitality hallmark in the nation’s dynamic capital.

The impressive bazaar took place at the grand and glamorous Tutankhamun ballroom, known for its elegance and stylishness. Exhibitors featured a wide selection of Christmas themed goodies in addition to jewelry, handmade crafts, home accessories and clothes. Elite society members enjoyed the fascinating event featuring the festive atmosphere, coupled with a tantalizing healthy lunch presented by the talented culinary team along with the joyful DJ tunes and the unprecedented hospitality.

Metawee Group announces the The Cairo Marriott hosts Global completion of the “Sky View” Dinners for Sustainable Food to and “Sky view Premiere” project support World Food Program’s delivered ahead of schedule to initiative to eliminate world customers with 6 months hunger!

Metawee Group has announced the The Cairo Marriot Hotel joins completion of the implementation the global community in the of the “Sky View” project to advance towards the Sustainable assemble the fifth, ahead of Development Goals set by the schedule by six months, as well United Nations for the year 2030, as the completion of the project: with focus on the goal of eliminating “Sky view Premiere” a year ahead world hunger and malnutrition. The of scheduled work, with a total World Economic Forum, known for investment reached to “90 million its annual meeting in Switzerland, pounds,” where the company began which discusses food security, work on them within the expansion recently incorporated a series of plan launched during the last year, advocacy dinners, which aim to and announced an increase in create awareness about the UN’s private investment company in the goals against hunger, into its agenda. Egyptian real estate market.

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Bar’Oro Cuban Cigar Aficionado Night at The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo

A Beauty Breakthrough Launches in Egypt World’s 1st Facial Epilator and Cleansing Brush System Braun face has launched the world’s first facial epilator in Egypt this season, and it is an excellent opportunity for women to save expenses and maintain their beauty at home. This season, women will opt to have radiant, glowing and healthy skin to maintain a natural look with shorter time and greater precision for a fashionable winter season.

Located with boundless views of the Nile, the Nile Ritz-Carlton, Bar’Oro, “The Golden Bar” celebrated a special cigar connoisseur’s Cuban experience hosted by his excellency the Ambassador of Cuba Mr. Laureano Rodriguez Castro, Mr. Magued El Menshawy, Founder of cigar club and President and CEO Manapharma and Mr. Radek Cais the General Manager of The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo.

Bar’Oro gathered top notch gentlemen, political figures and the true cigar lovers community in Egypt who enjoyed a night of exclusive commemorative cigars, live music, food, drinks and much more.

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The Reebok Nano 7.0 OPPO Honoured by IDG Mercedes-Benz climbs to the as a 2016-2017 Top Global top of the premium segment in Smartphone Brand and Top Connected Devices Brand 2016 Mercedes-Benz was more successful than ever in the year 2016: The Stuttgart-based premium brand with the three-pointed star increased its unit sales by 11.3% and delivered 2,083,888 vehicles to customers all over the world.

This means not only that MercedesBenz grew worldwide faster than its German competitors, but also that it delivered the most cars in the premium segment.

OPPO won two honours from International Data Group (IDG) at a ceremony hosted on Jan. 6 as part of Las Vegas’ annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

In support of the Egyptian family for the enhancement of their social and economic levels A cooperation agreement between Qalyubia Governorate and Hero MEA Is signed to establish stalls for the benefit of young people and female breadwinners To promote the modernization and development scheme at Qalyubia.

Skechers has placed its mark in the Egyptian market since the first store opened back in 2010 Today the renowned brand is found in top locations; Cairo Festival City, Mall of Arabia, Alexandria City Centre. Skechers continues its expansion reaching 5 stores with the opening of their latest in Mohandeseen and the launch of the newly re-innovated Citystars mega store which took place on January 20th in a cool event.

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The new trendy Reebok Nano 7.0 joins the line of competitors with an updated adaptable sole for transportability and balance.

The additional heel piece makes a perfect fit for any type of foot shape and creates improved support and impact as you lift. The Reebok Nano 7.0 proceeds with an association with CrossFit which introduces elite fitness. Made by Crossfitters for Crossfitters, this new invention of a shoe is convenient, flashy and durable.

Our first impression of the new Nano 7.0 is that it stan wds out compared to the other previously launched Nanos. It is intended to give enhanced dependability, solidness and solace. The elastic outsole flexes to regulate solid support for the feet. The shoe feels stable and receptive for sharp turns or any sudden movements.

This shoe is developed in a way to survive rough sports, such as CrossFit, relay running and any type of sport that requires a lot of running and movement. To us, it felt secure, stable and light.

Avon Participates as Official Makeup Partner at Cairo Fashion Week Samsung Introduces Stylish, Powerful and Practical Galaxy A Avon, the world leader in direct sales of cosmetics, recently (2017) with Enhanced Camera participated at Cairo Fashion Week, Samsung Electronics Egypt which was launched at Fairmont announced the latest Galaxy A Heliopolis Hotel. As the Official series, including the 5.7-inch A7 Makeup Partner, Avon provided a and 5.2-inch A5 smartphones, with comprehensive array of its worldrefinements that deliver a beautiful renowned products to Cairo Fashion design, powerful performance and Week makeup artists for application ultimate convenience. on the models.

Devarana Spa ‘Your Garden in Heaven’

Devarana Spa, the luxurious Thai-inspired spa chain and part of the internationally reputed Dusit International Group, was established to delivering outstanding spa services at selected five- star hotels. “Devarana” (pronounced te-wa-run) comes from Thai-Sanskrit, meaning “garden in heaven” Inspired by this concept, Devarana Spa excites the senses and makes guests feel truly special. Luxurious pampering and healing treatments are offered in a soothing and stress-relieving environment

Fresh rose petals and rice granules meanwhile further nourish the skin. After the body scrub, the relaxing journey is made complete with a relaxing massage of your choice followed by a dip in our hydrothermal pool and a luxurious stay at the exquisite Dusit suite

To provide guests with the ultimate in relaxation and pampering, Devarana Spa’s well trained and skilled therapists expertly deliver a superb variety of treatments including massages, facial and body treatments, water treatments, beauty treatments and spa exclusive programs. Devarana Spa at Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo is truly palatial. Built over two floors the Spa comprises 13 treatment rooms including six singles, three doubles (for women), and two for specific Thai massage and rooms for manicure, pedicure and facials, all of which benefit from natural daylight.

VALENTINE’S DAY “PINK PASSION SPA RETREAT” Treat your sweetheart to Valentine’s Day to remember with a thorough pampering at Devarana Spa where, in celebration of the month of love, we are offering a Pink Passion body scrub and a blissful massage inspired the vibrant colors of romance Featuring strawberries and pink rose as the main ingredients, the lukewarm Pink Passion body scrub is high in AHA acid which helps to rejuvenate skin cells.

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Semiramis Intercontinental Cairo

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Out & About this Valentine includes romantic dinner in the amorous setting of the palace suite pool overlooking the red sea, good Love is in the air this February morning massage and breakfast and at The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo embroidered bathrobes to keep a Offering many exciting and elegant memory of that day. experiences for you and your loved Especially for Valentine’s, a variety one this Valentine’s day. of massage options are available in Vivo, the Italian gastronomic five different treatment rooms, and restaurant has created two romantic serenity is also available at a unisex Valentine’s Day experiences. sauna and steam room, plunge pool The packages include a Nile view and relaxation area. romantic dinner three and fivecourse meals accompanied with wine and the dreamy sounds of live SEMIRAMIS Opera singer and violinist Samira INTERCONTINENTAL CAIRO Riachy.

Love is definitely in the air at At Nox, couples can relive the Semiramis InterContinental Cairo magic of nostalgic music with a this Valentine’s Day. Celebrate this tribute to the Beatles “Glass Onion” international day of love with your band, having fantastic high energy loved ones and choose amidst an performance that will have couples array of options. Whether you’d dancing the night away. Enjoy with prefer a quit romantic setting at The Grill or a fun-filled fiesta at dinner and wine.

Pane Vino with Cairo’s favourite jazz The Nile Ritz-Carlton, Cairo hotel performer, Ahmed Harfoush, we’ve offers the Be My Valentine room definitely got the ideal venue for packages exclusive to valentine you. diners and a luxurious spa experience.

HILTON ZAMALEK THE NILE RITZ-CARLTON, CAIRO

Celebrate a romantic Valentine’s night at the Time Lounge with your loved one and enjoy our lavish four Bring your favorite people to the courses candle light dinner, while listing to your favourite love tunes best destinations El Gouna from our duet singers, continue Sheraton Miramar El-Gouna offers your romantic night and ask about the cupid Palace Package that our special room and suite package.

SHERATON MIRAMAR EL GOUNA

64 February 2017

INTERCONTINENTAL CAIRO CITYSTARS, HOLIDAY INN CAIRO CITYSTARS AND STAYBRIDGE SUITES Valentine’s Day promises love and tenderness, wine and roses, chocolate and strawberries ... and here at InterContinental Cairo Citystars we help those promises come true in a magically romantic atmosphere, with irresistible cuisine to create the perfect setting for you and your sweetheart. And the mood of love and happiness can also be found at InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites where red roses and love heart balloons add to the romantic mood ROYAL MAXIM PALACE KEMPINSKI Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski invites guests to spend Valentine’s Day with their loved one on the tropical South-East Asian shores, the beautiful streets of Tuscany or within the mystical splendour of Europe.

Beautifully designed Valentine’s Day menus created by our expert chefs presenting authentic and innovative cuisines spanning different continents; the palace invites guests

to dine at Yana, Lucca, Romanov, Bab Al Qasr, The State, and 1897 Bar. RAMSES HILTON Heart to Heart at the Citadel Grill Restaurant Treat her like a queen on Valentine’s Day! Enjoy a Valentine’s candlelit dinner at the Citadel Grill restaurant and savor an exquisite Valentine’s four course menu with your loved one. Live tunes of piano will set the scene for memorable romantic evening.

CAIRO MARRIOTT HOTEL This year, The Cairo Marriott Hotel is transforming all their restuarants to the perfect date. Mark the beginning of a year of love and happiness in a Palace built especially for the occasion.

Go on an Italian date at Ristorante Tuscany and treat yor special someone to not only their mouthwatering herb-crusted Rack of Lamb but also their special Extreme Lover’s Chocolate Strawberry that might have you falling in love with the food and not your partner.

Restaurant & Lounge as we bring to life the greatest love stories ever told.

Enjoy a mind blowing passionate fairytale like journey to the time of Romeo & Juliet, Cleopatra & Marc Anthony, Paris & Helen of Troy, Qais & Laila, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, and Dirty Dancing all the way to Noah & Ellie of The Notebook where you can relive these epic stories and be a part of them.

SONESTA HOTEL, TOWER & You could walk a few steps and CASINO – CAIRO! find yourself in a palatial French restaurant; Saraya Gallery. The Come & spend a memorable night creative heart-shaped smoked with your valentine at “La Gondola” salmon will surely make it a picture- with a charming candle-lit dinner, perfect night, while the raspberry and experience an unforgettable nougat will make you count the valentine occasion, while enjoying a days until next Valentine’s day for selection of gourmet Italian choices completely different reasons. As for in a truly romantic atmosphere all the sushi and tepenyaki lovers, with our house band playing your Torii has their tepenyaki chef giving favorite tunes. a whole new meaning to playing with your food for a little show to If you want it Lebanese style, set the mood! If you’d like to replace our Chef invites you to taste his dinner for two with drinks for two, Lebanese creations at “Baalbak”.

Harry’s Pub has that covered with a Enjoy a special valentine dinner, band you can dance the night away an exciting ambiance with live to! Flowers and chocolates? How entertainment & Belly dancer. about a heart-shaped cake made by the Cairo Marriott’s expert pastry To heat the night up and add some chefs from The Bakery? You really beats to it, “Sindbad’ discotheque is can’t go wrong there! The Cairo having a special night on Valentine’s Marriott has it all and all you have Day, with special music, special to do is reserve in advance! Call Menu and Special Décor.

0227283000 and prepare yourself for a magical night not to be For a full pampering gift, spoil your better half at Sonesta Cairo forgotten! by booking our Valentine’s day package that includes one night accommodation in a double room FAIRMONT NILE CITY with breakfast , a superb relaxing Pay tribute to love at Fairmont massage treatment and a delightful Nile City this Valentine’s Day with romantic dinner at our Italian a variety of offerings and the best restaurant “La Gondola’ all for LE of live entertainment at Saigon 990 per person , inclusive of all service charges and applicable taxes.

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IDENTITYsigns

TAURUS

Uh uh! Looks like there’s going to be trouble brewing in your love life. You need to ease up on your romantic interest or they’ll feel as though you’re too demanding.

GEMINI

Expect your mental prowess and capabilities to heighten at this time of the year. Your insight is something people will come to trust and will ask for constantly, so don’t disappoint!

CANCER

Be careful with emotional responses because you’re more likely to overreact to situations, this month. Keep your cool and count backwards from 10.

AQUARIUS

January 20 - February 18 Strengths Witty, clever humanitarian and inventive.

Weaknesses Sarcastic, unemotional, stubborn and aloof.

Most Compatible with Aries, Gemini, Libra and Sagittarius Love: Love and romance is very likely this month, regardless of your marital status. You may have to adapt to some changes, but you shall see that this adaptation was really a blessing in disguise. Singles are likely to be in constant touch with a new love interest.

Career: There are bound to be times during the month when you may feel frustrated that your superiors are not recognizing your worth.

Don’t lose heart! But if you continue to march on relentlessly, success is bound to come in its own time. You’ll find escape through creative thinking and ideas. Be sure to keep a note of all the great ideas you get while working, because they will benefit you later on.

ARIES

LEO

Reign in your ego because it’s going to be overpowering.

Your Leo pride has helped you get this far in life, but at times it can be too much for people to handle.

VIRGO

Be cool as a cucumber! Don’t fuss over the little details and maintain a level of positivity that will keep your frustrations at bay.

LIBRA

Romance is in the air! And just in time because February is a month specially dedicated to love! Expect all your romantic efforts to reach their peak on Valentine’s day!

SCORPIO

You’ll learn to face the music along with all the pent up troubles you’ve been ignoring lately. This might be frustrating in the short run, but you’ll find that dealing with your problems head on will be a welcome relief later on.

SAGITTARIUS

You can expect to increase in vivaciousness. Your jokes will be funnier; every time you share an idea you will be inspired and people will love be in your company.

CAPRICORN

The best time to start long-term planning is now! So grab your pen and paper and start focusing on what you want to do in your future. Dream big!

AQUARIUS

Your life will take a more serious turn than most. Make sure you’re aware of that change and try to unburden yourself from the seriousness from time to time.

Goals and ambitions are what you are all about on PISCES this particular month. You’ll find out that you’re really Don’t be afraid to have fun when you know that you can motivated at the start, so try your best to maintain that afford to do so. Spare no expense in your amusement and make sure all your friends join in on the fun. drive! Set goals and go after them immediately!

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Darling New Design by sieger design

Endearingly individual. As people today want to be able to make their own decisions, Darling New offers four different washing area variants, all of which are equally attractive. The furniture washbasin offers impressively generous shelf areas and a delicate design, even in the smallest size.

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W E CA N H E L P YO U I N D E S I G N I N G YO U R B AT H R O O M .

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