Source: hautehijab.com via Michelle on Pinterest
I am currently in love with royal blue as an update for my winter wardrobe. Ever since Kate Middleton wore that royal blue Issa dress to match with her engagement ring, I have been really loving this hue. It is not too in your face like some bright colors, and I feel like jewel tones like this one always flatter everyone no matter what your skin tone. Expect to see me rocking not only royal blue, but hues like emerald, amethyst, and ruby as well. What is your favorite color to wear during winter?
Let Noor Shine: Noor Tagouri
I hope my readers had a wonderful weekend! I wanted to share a personal story with you. Since I started this Muslim lifestyle blog, I have gotten tremendous support. It has been amazing how this little blog has attracted thousands of you readers. The response has uplifted me and I wanted to say thank you. From my own experience, I see how the power of support can help us all achieve our dreams. There is a very young (but very talented) hijabi named Noor Tagouri that I wanted to tell you all about.
She is trying to be the first American hijabi news anchor and I think that we can help her. Even though she is much younger than most of us, she is definitely an inspiration for me and I hope she will be for you too. Check out her video below:
Let’s help Noor achieve her dreams iA!
Turban Hijab: Do or Don’t?
Source: Uploaded by user via Daria on Pinterest
I am not really a fan of turban hijabs. That being said, I have seen a lot of Instagrammers in love with it. What do you think?
Hijabi Obsession: Emerald Green
Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Jo on Pinterest
I am obsessed with all things green all the time (my favorite color is green). It reminds me lush trees, grass, and just life in general. So I was absolutely THRILLED to hear that the color of 2013 is emerald green! It is time to go break out my emerald green pieces now.
Here are some tips on how to rock green:
- Embrace texture: Colors like green look fresh in materials like leather and lace.
- Don’t be afraid to mix it up: Wear it with other bright colors for an unexpected look. I like to pair mine with dark pink.
- Don’t forget accessories: I love emerald toned jewelry. How pretty would an emerald brooch placed on a white hijab look? Also don’t forget purses, belts and gloves!
- Don’t put away the mint: Remember all of those lovely flowy mint pieces from last season? Keep them and mix it with darker green pieces. Since they are all in the same color family, you will look polished.
As long as you are happy to rock it, then you will look amazing. So wear what you love! There are no rules to fashion, which is why it is so fun.
Hijabis: Where to Shop
Hijab by http://www.velascarves.com and brooches by http://www.hijab-ista.com
As a hijabi, I always think its challenging to buy hijabs. Unless you live in a large city with a diverse population (like my lucky London or NYC readers) you probably just have one option in terms of where you can buy your hijabs. In the Bay area, we have a few stores that sell hijabs and hijab pins, but it’s not quite as large of a market like my hometown of New York City.
One the blessings of social media and the internet is that it has allowed hijab vendors from all over the world to offer their goods and services to hijabis that don’t have access to such goods and services locally.
Since ordering online is always a gamble, I will take the risk for my readers and give you the lowdown about the price, shipping time and costs, quality of the items, and overall customer experience.
Recently, I ordered a few items from Hijab-ista. I ordered three hijab chains and a hijab.
Price: In terms of cost, this site gives you great quality items for a good price. Even with shipping, it was better for me to order online than to buy the same items locally. Now that is what I call a bargain! I bought 3 hijab chains and a hijab for under $40.
Shipping: The lovely ladies at Hijab-ista were very quick! The minute I ordered my items, I was sent a confirmation email. And it got to my doorstep much faster than other items I order online. I was impressed.
Quality: The quality of the items were good. The hijab pins were especially lovely and I can’t wait to wear them. I bought one of them as a gift for a dear friend and I know she will love it.
I also ordered a hijab from Vela, a small hijab designer from LA. I ordered the Pleated Chain Scarf.
Price: This site is not for starving student hijabis (unless you have other means of funding haha). I only purchased ONE hijab and with shipping it cost $44! However that being said, designer Marwa Atik uses the best materials possible. This scarf is like a piece of artwork. So if you are looking for a high quality scarf, this is it.
I will say that as a curvy hijabi, I think this hijab line is more suited for smaller chested hijabis since its so sheer and the amount of material covers my neck, but I have to use another scarf to cover my chest properly.
Shipping: Shipping was pretty pricey even for same state transactions. It also took a while to get it. But the hijab was worth the wait!
Quality: The first term that came to mind when I saw my scarf from Vela was luxurious detailing. Each scarf is handmade and you can tell. I loved how the pleats and chain detailing are so different from the hijabs I already own. If you need a scarf for a special occasion, Vela is your place to shop.
I hope this review helps you! Let me know which online hijab stores to shop and review next.
Hijabi Obsession: Flowy Skirts
I have devoted a lot of posts to beauty, but I have some fashion news for my hijabi fashionistas!
High waisted skirts are still very much in style this season.
Pictured above is Chris Benz’ Rhoda skirt for Anthropologie.
Chris Benz is doing a capsule collection for Anthropologie! It is in his typical colorful style with lots of big bows. Eeeeeek I am so excited, but his price point may be a tad steep even for his lower priced collection.
So for you bargain hijabi fashionistas, I will post a high waisted skirt more in your budget range. I just loved the cut and color of this one so much I just had to post it.
Plus, it’s a new collaboration and I just love all of the new ones so far so I wanted to highlight yet another brilliant one.
What is your favorite collaboration?
The Eyes Have It: Best Eyeliner Kits
Buxom Layer On the Gems Collection
As we all know, it is the holiday season and that means gift sets galore! While Muslims typically don’t have a holiday to celebrate around this time of year, I know that I definitely appreciate the abundance of gift sets. This is the time of year that I stock up on certain things such as perfumes and makeup brands because there are always great holiday deals.
One thing I am always a fan of is eyeliner. Even during the Prophet (saws)’s time, the companions used to enhance their eyes using kohl. I thought this was interesting. It does make sense since back during that time, the companions used to use perfume oils, apply henna, and even dye their hair! So beautifying the eyes is just one aspect of how they used to take care of the bodies that Allah (swt) gave them.
I know that some readers were bummed that the set I featured in the Deal of the Day was sold out, so I have TWO great eyeliner sets for you to try out.
The first above, is the Buxom Layer On The Gems Collection . For those of you who love colored eyeliner, this set has a nice mix of jewel toned eyeliners that are velvety smooth and glide on without too much tugging. I would recommend this as a starter eyeliner set for someone who wants to dabble in colored liners. The best part? It is $29. Typically, to buy each liner would set you back $56 if you wanted to buy all 4. So this set is a nice bargain if you want an array of eyeliners in your arsenal.
The next set is Urban Decay’s Ocho Loco 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil Set . Urban Decay eyeliners are my absolute favorites because you can do a smoky eye in no time. I bought an eyeliner set for my younger cousin YEARS ago and she still LOVES it. (I warned her about infections for using a set from 2005, but she refuses to listen because it is THAT good). I hope that if you buy this set, you use it in a more sanitary fashion, but I promise you beautiful highly pigmented eyeliners that never fail to impress. That cousin of mine is KNOWN for her gorgeous peepers. For $59 a set, you get $152 worth of makeup! I know it is still steep, but these liners are not only creamy, but they are waterproof. So line your eyes and know that you are safe to cry if you want to (or take a dip in the ocean).
For my super bargainista hijabis, here is my absolute all time favorite:
L’Oreal Le Kohl Pencil in Carbon Black
L’Oreal Le Kohl Pencil is under $10 and you can use it to line your eyes, tightline in your waterline area, or even as a smoky eyeshadow. I use this pencil ALL the time. So there you have it. These are my top eyeliner picks for you. What is your favorite eyeliner?
Savvy Hijabi: Deal of the Day
As a busy mom, I find the first thing I neglect is myself when it comes to prioritizing my time. Well, Muslim moms should consider that spending a little extra time to look nice does make a difference for our husbands!
I knew I was getting bad when my Hubster would emphatically say how nice I looked if I put on a little Vaseline on my lips! I thought to myself it was time to put some effort in looking nice for both of us even with a full time job and a baby.
The good news is that looking a little nicer doesn’t have to take a lot of time either. Thanks to Tarte’s Carried Away makeup palette, I have everything I need to look a little more polished.
It has 24 full eyeshadows, 8 mini lipglosses, an Amazonian clay blush, a brush, finishing powder, and mascara.
The colors are all a nice neutral palette. I tried them all out and found that you can do an array of looks. From sparkly pastels to smoky eye looks, this palette can help you get the right look you want. I especially love how pigmented the colors are since as a woman of color, some lighter colors can fade out on my skin.
I love the finishing powder! It gives your skin a nice airbrushed look. Even if I have nothing else on, I still look well rested and glowy.
For $54.00, you are getting a whopping $512.00 value! I can tell you how I love a good bargain but this blew my mind away. You really do have a lot of high quality makeup for a great price.
The best part about Tarte cosmetics is that they are paraben and petrochemical free. They are also a cruelty free makeup line which means they don’t test on animals.
I think this palette may be sold out, but keep your eyes peeled for more Tarte deals soon!
Oil Cleansing Method Review
Source: oilyskinblog.com via Jayme on Pinterest
There has recently been a lot of buzz about the oil cleansing method among the hijabi set. The ever so lovely Amena Khan did a wonderful little video tutorial on the oil cleansing method, and I could not resist trying it! Yes, I know I am a sucker for all things beauty, but I promise you that this is definitely worth trying.
I have to say, I was already pretty happy with my cleanser (I used Chantecaille’s Rice and Geranium Foaming Cleanser) coupled with my Clarisonic face brush. However, I was being lazy with charging my Clarisonic and was just washing my face without the brush. Needless to say, I broke out on my face so I needed to change up my skincare routine a little.
It was just what I needed to try the oil cleansing method.
However, after reading a lot of blog posts about the oil cleansing method, I had a few takeaways. The first is that castor oil is the typical carrier oil for the cleansing method. However, if you have acne prone skin or sensitive skin, castor oil may not be ideal. I would say start off with castor oil, but tweak it to suit your own skin’s needs. The second is that you can use any mix of oils that work best for your skin.
The oil cleansing method is all about the idea that “like dissolves like.” This means that oil should dissolve the oil that is clogging your pores and the root of your bad skin issues. Remember, there are other things such as dead skin cells and bacterial inflammation that is also causing your skin issues. So the oil cleansing method promises to dissolve the stuff clogging your pores while avoiding harsh chemicals found in traditional face cleansers that can strip away your skin’s natural barrier of protection. I know from personal experience that stripping away my skin’s natural oils only forced my skin to produce more sebum (oil in the skin) and caused more breakouts.
I decided to try out two different combinations of oils. The first was 2 parts extra virgin olive oil, 1 part almond oil. The second is all almond oil and 2 drops tea tree oil. For now, I think the tea tree oil combination is working out better for me. My two pimples (I know, TMI!) started to calm down and I also noticed that the redness is going down a lot faster. As a woman of color, I also grapple with hyperpigmentation and scarring from acne as well. Well, I can honestly say that after trying the oil cleansing method, my dark spots are actually healing a lot faster than with any fancy cream (trust me, I tried MANY of these; including Clinique’s).
I think the true test is that I find myself really debating whether I even want to wear foundation or concealer because I feel like it masks my own natural glow!
The best part is that not only is the oil cleansing method natural, it is a heck of a lot cheaper than what I was spending on my original face wash.
If you are interested in the oil cleansing method, check out this great starter post on the oil cleansing method on Nature’s Nurture blog
Hijabi Life 
