Yearly Archives: 2013

Beauty, Islam, Style

Follow Friday: Marwa Atik

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Marwa Atik

Marwa Atik, the designer behind Vela Scarves is a mix of rock and roll chic with easy California style.

Salaams my lovelies and jumuah mubarak! As you know, Friday, I try to do a Follow Friday post on an Instagram account that I love to follow. Since I realized that it seems like I am obsessed with hijabis from the UK, I decided to feature an American hijabi this week! I want to introduce you readers to Marwa Atik. Marwa Atik is the designer behind the beautiful hijab line called Vela Scarves. Born to parents of Syrian and Turkish descent, Marwa realized that she wanted to design scarves when she would doodle scarf designs during her nursing classes. Luckily for all of us, she switched majors and is now taking classes in Fashion and Merchandising.

Marwa has two Instagram accounts. The first, @velascarves is her line’s official account and features not only her eclectic style, but also a variety of hijabis who wear her scarves that are affectionately called “Vela Girls”. One of my favorite Vela Girls is aspiring news anchor Noor Tagouri.

Marwa Atik’s personal Instagram account is @marwa_atik. This account is all Marwa and shows you a sneak peek into her life as a busy designer, diligent fashion student, and hijabi on the go. I love checking out her account for the latest on ways to mix edgier pieces. Plus, she has a professed love for old school rap. How can you not love her? As a non glamorous mom, it is always nice to see a hijabi who can always look amazing (even when sleep deprived) so that I can get some inspiration for myself to get out of my easy jeans and into something a little bit cooler. Check out Marwa Atik and her gorgeous hijab designs and let me know what you think.

Islam, Style

Online Shopping Review: Hijab-ista

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Hijab-ista

If you need hijabi essentials like comfortable hijabs, make sure to shop at Hijab-ista!

I know I have written about Hijab-ista before, but can I just tell you how I ordered a bunch of items from them, and when the package came it felt like Eid! I ordered straight hijab pins, a long sleeve shrug to wear underneath short (or see through sleeves), two hijabs, a hijab cap, and a maxi skirt. I was expecting to like a few of the items, but I loved them all! Even their straight hijab pins are on point (or should I say pointy enough to pierce as many folds as my hijab holds). The hijab cap was way better than the ones I was using. It was all stretchy and comfortable with an elastic banded side to accommodate lots of hair. I used to get headaches from my underscarf caps, but not with this one!

The long sleeved shrugs are PERFECT. If you are a desi like me, you know how most shalwar kameez (traditional Indian outfit) comes with see through long sleeves. If you wear one of these shrugs, then you don’t ever have to worry about your arms showing. It is just sheer (haha no pun intended) genius. I used to attempt to wear those “long sleeves” you can roll up, but I find that if you don’t have stick skinny arms, they roll down and then you still show your upper arms. This one piece shrug solves that issue. So ladies, make sure to snatch a pair up for your wedding season outfits.

I ordered some jersey hijabs from Hijab-ista too. They are true to the colors you see on their site. They feel like the softest t-shirt so they are perfect if you want to wear a hijab that will be comfortable all day long. They are very breathable so I would recommend these for hijabis in hot climates.

My last buy was one of their maxi skirts. Again, its really comfortable because it has an elastic waistband and is made from a nice jersey fabric. If you like the pleated maxi skirt, but you have curves, this is the skirt for you. The pleats are in a nice drapey jersey material so it does not poof out and make you look bigger than you really are. Always a PLUS in my book. What are your favorite Hijab-ista pieces? Let me know what I should try next!

Beauty, Islam, Style

Follow Friday: Aisha Liinaa

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Salaam my lovelies! Jumuah mubarak to you all. It’s been a hectic week, but expect a few more exciting blog posts in the next few days. I recently did a guest blog post for the amazing blog Haute Hijab on how hijabis seem to be bullying each other on social media platforms, and I plan to do a very special Meet the Brand blog post on Sixteenrscarves soon inshallah. Designer Nancy Hoque is just amazing woman and I can’t wait to share her insights on hijabi fashion, style, and wardrobe inspiration.

Okay, now that you know some of my updates, I wanted to share a very cute vlogger and Instagrammer with you. Her name is Aisha Liinaa, and she does the cutest hijab tutorials that are not only clearer than most, but also very funny. I happen to think she is a dead ringer for Amenakin from Pearl Daisy, but she does have her own unique sense of style which is why I think she warrants a “one to watch” status in my book. She is also mindful of selecting very accessible pieces and pulling them together in very beautiful outfits. She reminds me of the cute hijabi next door look with a dose of ethnic chic. Hailing from the UK, she even has that adorable British accent. Is it me, or does it seem like all the stylish hijabis are from the UK? I am from the U.S. so I may have to do some digging to find a cute American hijabi.

Well, make sure to check out Aisha Liinaa this week and follow her on Instagram for cute makeup and hijab tips @aishaliinaa.

Note to self: Feature an American hijabi for next Friday!

Style

Follow Friday: Yaz the Spaz

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Yaz the Spaz

Yaz the Spaz is an American vlogger who helps regular hijabis learn new hijabi styles.

This post is late, and for that I apologize! I started it on Friday, but it needed time and some love. I hope you like it regardless!

Salaam my lovelies! Jumah mubarak to you all! Friday is when I do my Follow Friday post, which features a hijabi with amazing style on Instagram. Today’s post features one of my favorite vloggers: Yaz the Spaz! For those of you who don’t know, Yaz the Spaz (Yasemin Kanar) is a popular YouTube hijabi. She started her channel with hijabi tutorials but has expanded to other social media channels as well. She has an Instagram account @yazthespaz89 that follows her on those social media journeys and is just as fun and bubbly as she is.

Her Instagram account not only features her daily hijabi style, it also features her friends and family. Hijabis can get a sneak peek at Yaz the Spaz’ baby sister Aysun Kanar’s style, her friends, and even her mom who she affectionately calls Momma Spaz. Her account also serves as fitness inspiration for hijabis. She features her healthy breakfasts, and what she does to work out and maintain her healthy physique. For my readers of mixed heritage, you will be glad to see that Yaz the Spaz embraces both her Cuban and her Turkish roots often. It shows us all the beauty in the diversity of our deen. Make sure to check out Yaz the Spaz and let me know what you think!

Life, Parenting

Muslim Children and Bullying: What Do Parents Do?

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Stop bullying

We all need to work to stop bullying of all kids.

Salaam my lovely readers. I hope you are well inshallah. I was recently asked by a fellow Muslim parent to discuss a pretty serious topic: Muslim children and bullying. In particular, what does a loving Muslim parent do when kids at school ask/tell their child if he/she is a terrorist?

We all view bullying as a rite of passage to adulthood. Teen movies always depict the popular kids picking on everyone else and reigning supreme in places like high school or even junior high. However, bullying is going even further than before because bullies have high tech tools like smartphones and laptops. It can make even seemingly harmless labels linger a lot longer than they should. How can a child teased about one incident move on if that one incident is forever memorialized on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr?

Another scary dimension for Muslim parents is the added burden of being labeled as “other” in America even if you are born here. Before, it was harmless surprise in the face of fellow Americans to see a hijabi speak in accentless English. Now, we have to face the fact that people may look at you as a scary person, or there may be bigots who hurl insults at you or your children. We have to teach our kids to value themselves first so that no matter what other people say or think, they will have a strong foundation of self esteem and worth to elevate themselves beyond that.

How do we instill this in our kids?

  • Make Sure Your Kids Know They Matter To You: I want my baby girl to always know she is first in my heart besides God. I want her to feel safe to tell me about her day and her choices (even if right now its picking cereal over rice). She knows she matters because when she calls or reaches out for me, I am responsive. Be there for your kids so that they never feel alone.
  • Let Your Kids Know They Are Not Alone: When I share stories of my early teen hijabi days and what bullies said to me as a teenager to other teens, they look surprised because it is similar to the stuff they get too. Times may change, but people don’t. Share these stories with your kids so they know it happens to all of us, even their parents. Also, tell them God is always watching and listening to them. When they feel despair, HE is always there.
  • Encourage Civic Responsibility: One of the best ways to combat bullies is for your kids to get involved with helping their community. It helps them feel valued, loved, and gives them a sense of belonging. All of these things are the very things that bullies want to strip away from our kids. Another added benefit is that it actually helps deepen bonds in our community and is part of the Sunnah (life of the Prophet Muhammed (saws).
Style

Online Shopping Review: Abaya Addict

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Abaya Addict Solidify

Abaya Addict Makes Amazing Clothing for Hijabis

Salaams my lovelies! I hope you are having a great week. With the Bay Area heating up to almost summer temperature, I really can’t complain. However, when it comes to what to wear, I never know quite what to wear. I want to look nice, but I also want to be comfortable too. I always end up in jeans or a maxi skirt, but I always feel too hot in jeans with this nice California weather and maxi skirts get annoying because most of mine need a lining. I just want a piece of clothing that I can slip on and go and do my thing!

Luckily for me, Abaya Addict has the perfect pieces that look stylish, but are made with comfort in mind. I ordered the Solidify Abaya in Caramel in a Medium size. I wish I could say more about the shipping, but I think I had the unlucky timing to order my items when the force behind Abaya Addict was ready to deliver her baby! I will say that the customer service is superb because even though I had a few ordering issues, once they realized my items had not shipped, they just shipped it along with extra scarves! I had originally ordered a Solidify in Denim, but that piece was no longer available so they asked me to pick another one. I am glad when it came because it fit well. It was modest, well tailored and can be dressed up or down. I dressed my abaya up with a sparkly belt when I headed out to halaqa last week. All the ladies kept asking me where I got my abaya from. Thank you Abaya Addict!

I also like how I can wear this to my office and make it a part of my work wardrobe. I would just throw a blazer on top. It literally is a piece you can wear a million ways and if you feel lazy like I do sometimes, you can just throw it on by itself and go.

I wore one of Abaya Addict’s hijabs yesterday in the California heat and it was so lightweight that I didn’t get my usual headaches from the heat. Plus, the print was so festive that everyone in my office stopped and commented on how nice the hijab looked too.

This online shopping destination is one that any stylish hijabi should visit. Once you do, let me know what you think.

Beauty, Style

Follow Friday: Dina Toki-O

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Dina Toki-O

Dina Toki-o has a funny sense of humor, but is stunning in her high fashion ensembles.

Jumah mubarak my lovelies! I know today is a tough and somber Friday. I promise to write a post with some gravity soon. However, I wanted to brighten up your spirits with a very funny and very colorful hijabi that you should follow on Instagram. Known as Dina Toki-o to her fans, her Instagram handle is @dinatokio. Her actual name is Dina Torkia. She is biracial with an English mother and an Egyptian father. While some hijabi fashionistas are more serious, Dina pokes fun at herself and uses endearing terms like “bideo” and “blang blaang” to sort of poke fun at slang we all know and use.

While some hijabis may find her too irreverent, I think some of her hijabi extremes actually translates to striking ways to wear hijab. I sort of view her style as the Vogue extreme. While it looks stunning, it may not work for most women but can be translated into something wearable for the rest of us. She has a background in fashion and really started putting a focus on hijabi fashion after she did some coursework in textiles. No wonder she knows how to mix her fabric textures so well mashallah!

Regardless of what you think, I still think her Instagram snaps are just so visually appealing that even if you don’t like her style, you will still smile. Let me know what you think! As always, you can follow me @hijabilife.

Style

Online Shopping Review: Shop Rayan

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As a hijabi, it can be challenging to find stylish modest clothing. Most chains carry maxi skirts or dresses, but they are either see through or have no sleeves.

Well the great thing about social media is that we can find online hijabi friendly clothing.

One line that is particularly stunning is Shop Rayan. I ordered their Minna dress shortly after Fashion Fighting Famine.

I will say that even though their line is not low priced, buying one of their dresses is far better than my wasting money on lots of stuff from the mall. The stitching and the bow belt really made the Minna dress pop!

I will warn my curvy hijabi readers to order a size up because I ordered a size small and it fit every where but my bust!
Well okay, it fit but you know you are in trouble when your Hubster takes a look at you and asks if you are wearing a dress intended for indoor versus outdoor use! I need to keep this stunner for dinners inside with the Hubs. 🙂

Next time, I will make sure to order a size up though so I can rock some more Shop Rayan soon inshallah.

Uncategorized

Faith When Tragedy Strikes

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There are so many thoughts that are running through my head right now. As a social media professional, I am blessed to learn things as they happen, but that is also a curse.

It means you are the first to learn when bad things happen. At first, you hope it’s a mistake. You then pray please let it be an accident. That it was a technical malfunction.

When you slowly realize it is not a mistake or accident, you then find yourself wishing and praying for it to NOT be a Muslim. Please, don’t be a Muslim.

Here is the thing. No matter who did it, people still got hurt in Boston today. We have to let people grieve over what happened at the Boston Marathon. This is NOT the time to get on a soapbox and start quoting casualties in other countries.

What we as Muslims should be doing is going out and being helpers. We even have an example in the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws). They are called the Ansar (helpers). They helped early Muslims who migrated to Medina. How did they help? They opened their homes, they offered jobs, they did what ever was necessary to help in order to promote brotherhood.

When I go to a masjid, I often see only one or two brothers or sisters helping with clean up after an event. Why is that? We should all be running to help because it is just one more way we can attain Allah’s (swt) mercy.

Where is that sense of being a helper in our Ummah? Let us be the first to open our homes, help clear up the debris, donate blood and help promote brotherhood with ALL our American brothers and sisters.

We have been far too insular for far too long. Let us rise up and be a collective part of this community. Let us embrace our heritage as helpers.