Follow Friday: Aisha Liinaa

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!

Follow Friday: Dina Toki-O

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.

Perfect Pout

hot pink and red lipstick looks

Get bold this spring with bright lips.

Spring is the perfect time to change up your winter beauty routine and try something different. I know I have been stuck in a beauty rut all winter because my eyeliner pencil is almost a nub and my nude lipstick is all but gone. Since I am definitely more of a smoky eye with nude lips kind of hijabi, I knew I wanted to change it up for spring. I started wearing brighter lip colors. While it may seem scary, it helps to tone down the makeup every where else. I also like to go sheer with a gloss at first so I can get used to seeing my lips with so much color.

Another good way to make sure your lips don’t get smeary is to use lip liner. The Joker look is just not pretty. Let me know your own lip tricks in the comments!

Hijabi Obsession: Angels On Bare Skin By Lush

AngelsonBareSkin

Get glowy skin with Lush

Salaam my lovelies! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend inshallah. I know that I mentioned how I moved, but did I tell you how it ruined my skin in the process? With the move, I happened to lose my Clarisonic charger. (For those of you who don’t know, Clarisonic is a skin brush that helps you clean your face and I don’t know what I did before I owned this beauty tool.). So anyhow, without my Clarisonic, I noticed that my skin started getting blackheads and I started to break out again!

I was resigned to riding out my breakouts, but then I walked in to Lush Cosmetics. Personally, I avoid Lush because I feel like the smell in the store is overpowering, and I just don’t know a thing about what to use. While I was in there, a customer kept raving about something called Angels on Bare Skin. So I asked for a sample. Angels on Bare Skin is a gentle skin cleanser and exfoliator that contains kaolin, ground almonds, glycerine, rose, lavender oil, lavender flowers, and chamomile oil. It looks sort of like wet sand with flowers sprinkled throughout. Here is my take on this skin cleanser:

It’s Natural

I liked the concept of using an all natural cleansing method. You may have read about my oil cleansing method review, and I mentioned there that one of the things I loved about the oil cleansing method is that it is all natural.

It’s Gentle

As a hijabi in her thirties, I noticed that I can not just tug my skin around. I have to be gentle and careful with my skin. I avoid anything with harsh chemicals or detergents. Angels on Bare Skin is very gentle. I used to use St. Ive’s Apricot scrub, but the scrubbing particles were too jagged and harsh for my skin at this age. The ground almonds are just the right amount of exfoliant for skin that can’t take a harsh scrubbing.

It’s Mid Priced

I can’t deny the fact that this cleanser may be a bit pricey for some readers. However, I find that when I invest in skin care, I can cheap out a bit more with my beauty products or skip some products all together. Your skin is something you should take care of since its an amana (trust) from God. If you feel like this price point is still too high, I would recommend using a DIY version of this product. Here is an Angels on Bare Skin recipe that seems promising. I personally think its more affordable than some cleansers I adored and used in the past (ahem Chantecaille Foaming Rice Geranium cleanser).

It It Perfect for Dry Climates

Since this cleanser has kaolin clay, it draws out impurities, but still has a nice lavender oil which not only acts like an antiseptic, but soothes as well. The combination has definitely helped me since I moved to a drier climate and my skin has dried out to the point where I look like a ghost. (Not a good look if you ask me. Though some desi aunties like that geisha look haha.)

All in all, I love how Angels on Bare Skin calmed my breakouts and helps me achieve a nice glow like I used to get with the oil cleansing method. So if you ask me, I may still hate how the Lush store smells, but I will brave it to try more new things. Are there any Lush product that you recommend I try? Let me know in the comment section!

Follow Friday: Basma Kahie

Basma K

The ever so stylish and beautiful Basma Kahie

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to Instagram! No, I don’t love to share my own photos as much as I love to admire the photos of the most stylish and beautiful hijabis all over the globe. One particularly beautiful Instagrammer is Basma Kahie (@basmak) from London. While she may be only 23, she is an amazingly talented hijabi when it comes to styling her outfits. Not only does she sew her own hijabi pieces, she also blogs! She blogs about inspiring the world with her thoughts and ideas on modest fashion and style. You can check out Basma K’s blog here.

I love this particular photo above because you can see that Basma K has a few trademarks that work especially well for her. She loved bold lips, cat eyeliner, lashes, and wearing clothes that cinch her beautiful waistline. While these are her trademark staples, I encourage you all to find what works for you. If you look at all fashion icons, they always had some version of what flattered them. For Audrey Hepburn it was straight clean lines, eyeliner for those doe eyes, and her bold brows. For Gwen Stefani, its all about liquid eyeliner and red lips. I am still working on my trademarks, but for now, its lashes, blush, and cardigans.

Don’t you love how Basma ties in that darling polka dot umbrella with her cinched blazer? Its perfect for warmer winter days.

Make sure to check out Basma K for some inspiration and check out some other hijabi fashionistas on Instagram and let me know who I should follow too!

If you are on Instagram, make sure to follow me for my behind the scenes snapshots @hijabilife.

Hijabi Beauty Trend: Wine Lips

Wine Lips

Wine Lips

With New York Fashion Week wrapping up for Fall 2013, one of the major beauty trends I noticed was berry or wine stained lips reigning the runways. From Laura Mercier to Stila, all the major makeup brands pushed out a dark lip to go with the fall looks.

After so many seasons of a glossy nude lip, it may seem a little scary to embrace an almost gothic look. However, if you pick the right shade, wine stained lips can be a pretty way to update your hijabi beauty routine when fall comes around.

Here are my recommendations:

  • Newbies Can Go Sheer: If you are truly terrified of a dark lip, there are options out there that go on sheer and very pretty. My absolute favorite sheer wine color is Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. It is a beautiful shade that truly looks amazing on everyone. In fact, its such a cult classic, that Clinique extended Black Honey to other makeup products like eye makeup in 2011.
  • Try Layering: Adding the color on by layers and blotting can help you achieve a look that is more pretty than messy.
  • Pick the Right Shade: Fair skinned hijabis should try berry based shades, medium toned hijabis can try a nice burgundy, and dark skinned hijabis should embrace a as dark a lip as they want. In the end, it is all about how much confidence you have to pull off this look.
  • Pick a Finish: Pick a finish that is complementary to your face’s finish. If you have a dewy makeup base, rocking a matte lip looks striking. However, a glossy lip with a powdered matte face is also stunning. Take your pick!

What do you think about this lip color trend?

Hijabi Beauty: Matte Lips

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It has been a while since I did a beauty post, but can I say how excited I am about this new beauty trend of matte lips? I was sort of getting tired of slicked up lips.

Matte lips are back!

While I am glad matte lips are back, I hate how dry matte lipstick is. NYX has introduced a genius product called lip creams.

They go on smooth like a lipgloss with a tube and wand, but dry to a long lasting matte finish. One thing to warn about is that if you have dry lips or flakes, this will show so make sure to exfoliate before applying!

I decided to try Amena Khan from Pearl Daisy’s pick of Tokyo and went with a bold pick with Addis Ababa. I love how both of them look! Make sure to check them out. I bought mine on sale from Sear’s if that answers your question on where to buy them.

Which lip cream would you try? Let me know!