Monthly Archives: January 2013

Style

Online Shopping Review: Haute Hijab

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Haute Hijab

Haute Hijab

 

I am always on the look out for great places to shop for modest, yet fashionable clothing items. As a working professional, it is important to look clean and polished in the office. So when I found Melanie’s website Haute Hijab, I was definitely excited to shop. One of the things that I look for is quality over quantity. I love bargain chain stores like Forever 21, but I have found that after a few wears of the item, the item literally rips, or becomes unwearable. I would much rather have a piece that can withstand time because of the quality of the material, stitching, and workmanship. So while Haute Hijab’s prices are on the high end for some of my readers, I want to assure you that these pieces are definitely quality pieces that are worth the investment.

Here is a rundown of how I ordered my items through Haute Hijab:

Online Browsing: Haute Hijab is very easy to navigate. I was more interested in modest clothing, I clicked on the Clothing tab to browse. 2013 has been announced the year of Emerald Green, so I immediately fell in love with the Jade Tulip Silk Skirt. Since it is close to my birthday I sent a hint to the Hubster that this is just beautiful. Being a good Hubs, he took the hint and went online to check it out.

Buying Experience: So when the Hubster actually bought my skirt, he was very sweet and assumed I was a size 2 (I am not a size 2, but thank you Hubs for thinking I am thinner than I am!). Luckily, Melanie and I know each other from Instagram so when I let her know my Hubs purchased a skirt, she pinged me a note to ask if I really wanted a size 2. How sweet is that? I emailed her back letting her know that no, I needed a size 6 in reality. She immediately notified her team and they shipped the correct skirt. For readers who may not know Melanie, if you just email Customer Service, they are very responsive and will amend your order if necessary. I can’t say enough good things about the Customer Service experience with this site!

Shipping: There is FREE shipping to U.S. and Canada. For all other countries, shipping is a flat rate of $5.00. It ships quickly and you will get an email notification of when it ships along with a tracking URL. You can track when your package will arrive which is always nice!

When I finally opened my package, I found the sweetest note from the Haute Hijab team on a branded postcard thanking me for my purchase which I personally thought was such a nice touch. The only bad thing is that I foresee is my bank account getting smaller because I can see myself buying MORE from them!

Islam, Life

Best Friends: Why They Matter In Islam

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Muslim best friends

Muslim best friends

Whenever you see the movies, the emphasis is always on finding the One. The One is typically a romantic interest, but what about finding the One in terms of your best friend? I have to say, that may be one of the single most important relationship in our own lives. If you look at all of those movies, isn’t there always a goofy best friend? Even Disney characters have best friends (even if they are a monkey named Abbu).

The reason best friends matter is because they have known you long enough to understand why certain things are important to you. They have also most likely seen you at your best AND worst. And they are always there for you mentally even if they are not physically close by.

One of the most amazing relationships that I have come across is that of Abu Bakr (ra) and the Prophet (saws). They were as we would say now, besties. When the Prophet (saws) realized he was a messenger of God, he told his wife, and then he told Abu Bakr(ra). And when Abu Bakr (ra) heard this, he didn’t dismiss it or think that his best friend was crazy. He supported him from the very beginning. They brought out the best from one another.

That is how I feel about my best friend Farah. She and I met when we were 13. I was a new hijabi and she wasn’t. But we knew we were both Muslim and somehow over the years, we brought out the best in each other. When I need a piece of sound advice based on the deen, I know I can turn to Farah. She always manages to not just say what she knows will make me feel good, but she tries to tell me things from an honest perspective because she cares. That is something no one can ever buy. I remember whenever I falter in my faith, Farah will be there to remind me and lift me back up. I hope that I do the same for her.

One of the most profound stories of the Prophet (saws) I have ever heard is when he was making the escape from Mecca to Medina with Abu Bakr (ra) by his side. A lot of people tend to focus on the chase part of it, but one of the things that touched my heart is that the Prophet (saws) wasn’t alone in the cave when bounty hunters were after his head. He was with his best friend and they had God watching over them.

The reason this touched me, is because whenever I feel alone or in despair, I remind myself of this instance. That we are never alone. That God is always with us even in the darkness of a cave. And if we are lucky enough, we have a best friend to illuminate our lives too. I love you Farah and I know you read my posts, but this post is especially for you. You are always in my duas and in my heart.

Beauty

Victoria’s Secret Nail Polish Launch Tomorrow on 1/29/13

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Victoria's Secret Nail Polish

Victoria’s Secret Nail Polish

Hello my lovelies! I hope you had a great weekend. I spend the bulk of my past two weekend prepping for a move that took my family pretty far from our homebase of San Francisco to a more family friendly suburbs. 

But that still didn’t stop me from learning about how Victoria’s Secret is jumping on the nail art frenzy that carried from 2012 over to 2013. They are planning to launch a line of premium nail polishes that is sure to have any fashionista satisfied. Since this is not the same polish as Inglot, my Muslim chicas will have to wait till their monthly friend or any other life circumstances that excuses them from prayer.

But still! Pretty cute polishes overall. They retail for $10 a piece so check them out next time you are in the store this month.  

Beauty

Halal Nail Polish? Inglot May Have An Answer

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Inglot O2M Nail Polish

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So there is a lot of buzz about a “halal nail polish” that allows Muslim women to wear a nail polish and pray without having to remove it in order to make wudu.

For my non Muslim readers, Muslims are required to perform ablutions and wash up before our 5 daily prayers. This includes water reaching our nail beds so that we are pure when we pray to God.

When you wear traditional nail polish, the polish prevents water from reaching the nail bed which is why most Muslim women abstain from wearing nail polish unless they are not praying (breast feeding, menstruating etc).

The cosmetics company Inglot has introduced a polish called O2M which allows water vapors to reach the nail bed. Initially, I was skeptical since vapor does not sound as substantial as water. However, according to Suhaib Webb’s site, it seems that doing a simple coffee filter test shows that water does reach the nail bed.

So there you have it! While I personally will still avoid wearing polish till I can’t pray, at least there is a new option on the market.

What are your thoughts?

Parenting

Being Present: Mommyhood Woes

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As a proud mom of a toddler, I keep repeating “This is happening too fast! Stop growing!” My little girl is reaching each milestone faster and faster.

It also makes me realize how important it is to be content with your life and the people in it RIGHT now. Too often, we have conditions attached to our happiness. “If I get into school” or “When I get married”. What we forget is to be grateful for what we have NOW.

I remember how when my daughter was first born, I would say “it will get easier later” or “when she gets bigger I will”. But now that she is turning into this beautiful person, I realize how I should have savored her babyhood a little more.

So now, I am more engaged with her. I read her stories (I always have) but I play with her too. I make silly faces. I do very inelegant and unfashionable things just to make her laugh. I want her to remember me as a fun loving mom. Not a mom who was counting the moments to the next milestone.

In a way, I have to thank Allah for giving her as a gift to my life. Because without her, I would have never learned to slow down. So I thank God every chance I get. And I also pray to slow down this rapid growth just a tad too ;).

Life

Life Lessons for A Hijabi

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So it’s a New Year and I keep thinking about how much my own life has changed. As a hijabi, I feel like people have a tendency to assume that you should act a certain way.

The beauty of human beings is that we are all different. Some hijabis are loud, some are quiet, some are artistic, and some are pragmatic.

For a long time, I tried to conform to what I thought people expected from me. However, at the end of the day, the best person you can be is yourself.

Obviously, we should strive to be better in our faith and other arenas, but over time I have realized I like myself just the why I am in terms of my strengths.

I love writing which is why I blog. I love how it gives me a way to share my thoughts with all of you. I used to be scared to share what I thought. But now I realize that if I do, I may help one of you embrace your own strengths!

So here is to all of my readers. I hope you have the courage to speak your mind and embrace who you are too.

Beauty

Smoky Eyes Tutorial

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I know that holiday season is over, but seeing the parade of smoky eyes on the red carpet at the Golden Globes inspired me to revisit the smoky eye. The smoky eye is always a favorite for me. I wanted to share this easy pictorial that you can use to recreate your own smoky eyes. It’s interesting to note that the smoky look is timeless. In fact, ancient Egyptians used kohl around their eyes to keep away flies that could cause blindness! Granted, we are lucky enough to not have to worry about that, but the look is still as stunning now as it was back then.