The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Citystar’s mall is packed with shops that cater to all your needs. Between the international designer boutiques and local brands, Mazaya is the belle of the ball, offering female shoppers the chance to get a little bit extravagant and treat themselves to new and luxurious beauty products.

Located on the second floor of Citystars’ Phase 1, Mazaya’s wide entrance gives way to a well-lit spacious venue where uniformed sales attendants greet you with a polite smile. Although the staff tends to be a bit persistent and might shower you with questions about your needs, they are very helpful and can offer surprisingly useful tips on makeup and skincare.

Mazaya’s atmosphere is thick with the scent of numerous perfumes mixed together. Whether this is a marketing strategy on the staff’s part or a result of several customers sampling the perfumes remains unknown to this reviewer, but it manages to add a special aroma to the shop’s interior.

The shelves at Mazaya are loaded with several brands of beauty products that meet every woman’s basic needs, and whenever you are hard pressed to make a choice, the staff is more than glad to offer advice on what you should select.

Starting with the perfumes, Mazaya stocks a respectable selection of designer perfumes like Gucci, Prada, Escada, LaCoste, Chanel, Victoria’s Secret and so on. Lesser known and more difficult-to-find perfumes are also offered, such as Tous Perfume by Tous (around 450LE for a 3.4oz bottle). Tester perfume bottles are available to help you choose, but once a tester bottle has been used up, you just have to make do with sniffing the bottle cap. Prices range from around 250LE to 600LE. 

Makeup products are stacked in a relatively small area at the back of the shop. You can find everything ranging from hand moisturisers, lip balms and nail polish, to eyeliners, lipstick and mascara. Brands include Bourjois, Artdeco, Essence, Rimmel, Max Factor and Nivea. Prices vary according to the brand. For example, an Essence pencil eyeliner is priced at 15LE, whereas a Nivea pencil eyeliner sells for 40LE.

Mazaya also features a relatively limited selection of wrist watches; brands include Burberry and Gucci. A Burberry watch can set you back a good 2850LE. In addition, you can find several designer handbags, ties and leather belts by brands such as Roccobarocco and Givenchy.

Although finding the right shade of makeup for your complexion is not an easy task, shops like Mazaya in Cairo have made it easier to find the right items for looking pretty and taking care of your skin.