Sorry guys, I really don't mean to be patronizing with these reminder videos but I just had to post this:
30 August 2010
A Quick Style Tip: Coil-less Pins
I was searching for hijab pins online when I came across these nifty safety pins from pinzpinzpinz.com. They don't have the coil so they won't snag your scarves.. Unfortunately, the small gold ones are not available at the moment, only the bigger silver ones are. They sell at 5 for £1. You can also get them from this ebay shop for £1.50 for 10 pins :)
27 August 2010
It's Not Just Eating That Breaks Your Fast..
I made a pact with a friend a few months ago to stop talking about other people behind their backs and I honestly thought it would be a piece of cake.. But it was only when I was actively forcing myself not to that I realised how easy it is to backbite and not even be aware of it. I hope very much that I have not broken the deal we made but we all need reminding from time to time and what better time to turn over a new leaf than in Ramadan? So why not decide to stop committing gheeba, for good?
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This should put you off the gossip for sure..
"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicions are a sin. Do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would abhor it. And fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful." Qur'an, [49:12]
"He does not utter a [single] word, except that there is, with him, [an angel] ready and waiting [to record it]." Qur'an, [50:18]
25 August 2010
The Blue-Green Look: Love It or Shove It?
It breaks all the fashion rules in the book and features the infamous harem style jumpsuit.. Are you googling 'lime green cardigan with matching scarf' or does it make you thankful that you're fasting as you might just have thrown up?21 August 2010
Masoomah Jilbab Review
I while ago I said that I had ordered the above jilbab from Masoomah Jilbabs - I have since received (and returned..) it and have decided to write a review on the site and the product..
Shop review:
Quality of website:
Aesthetically speaking and by comparison to popular fashion sites, it's not the best by a long shot; but by comparison to popular abaya and jilbab sites, it's quite average. In terms of ease of use, it's relatively simple to navigate and order from. I has a very wide selection of jilbabs and abayas as well as scarves.
Overall rating: 3/5
Customer service:
Buying:
Too informal for my liking: I was called up by a woman from Masoomah asking me to text her my sizes. Although she was friendly, I didn't feel it was professional enough for a company that started in 2001.
Quality of website:
Aesthetically speaking and by comparison to popular fashion sites, it's not the best by a long shot; but by comparison to popular abaya and jilbab sites, it's quite average. In terms of ease of use, it's relatively simple to navigate and order from. I has a very wide selection of jilbabs and abayas as well as scarves.
Overall rating: 3/5
Customer service:
Buying:
Too informal for my liking: I was called up by a woman from Masoomah asking me to text her my sizes. Although she was friendly, I didn't feel it was professional enough for a company that started in 2001.
The jilbab arrived in relatively good time considering that they alter the garment to your size. P&P was well priced.
Returns:
I am a firm believer that you can tell the quality of an online company from their returns policy. In order to return an item at Masoomah, you have to email the company telling them that you want to return it and then they email you the returns address. You then must pay to return it unless it is faulty or incorrect, in which case they will pay. This procedure is far to long-winded and will make me think twice about purchasing from Masoomah again.
I am a firm believer that you can tell the quality of an online company from their returns policy. In order to return an item at Masoomah, you have to email the company telling them that you want to return it and then they email you the returns address. You then must pay to return it unless it is faulty or incorrect, in which case they will pay. This procedure is far to long-winded and will make me think twice about purchasing from Masoomah again.
Overall rating: 2.5/5
Value for money:
I think the abayas and jilbabs are very well priced, with a basic jilbab costing around £35. The tweed one above was £31.99.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
Jilbab Review:
Pros:
- Where else can you get a tweed abaya?!
- Good length
- Perfect for winter
Cons:
- The sleeves look lovely in the photo but are far too poofy in real life so they make your arms look disproportionately fat
- It's heavy to wear
- The colour in the photo is nicer than it really is
Overall:
Overall:
Even though the review sounds a bit harsh, I would actually recommend the site because of it's wide range of jilbabs, good prices and most importantly, it's safe to purchase from. Good for a full time jilbab wearer, but just not for me.
Overall rating for Masoomah: 3/5
Overall rating for Masoomah: 3/5
20 August 2010
A Non-Muslim Perspective: 5 Benefits Of Fasting
I found this article by Gabrielle Lim on this non-Muslim website.. It's a nice little read:
The 5 Benefits Of Fasting — For Your Mind, Soul, And Body
With start of Ramadan approaching on Saturday, I thought it’d be apt to put up a guide to the benefits of fasting. Whether you’re religious or not, fasting is something that has permeated every culture, religion, and history.
And for good reason. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it for religious reasons or health reasons, fasting can be a way to rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul.
Enjoy these 5 benefits and if you’re currently fasting or will be in the near future, drop a comment. I’d love to hear what your reasons were for your decision.
1. Retune your digestive system
Not many people know this but fasting can be a way for you to give your digestive system a tune up. According to Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA, “You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you’re less fond of taking.”
What happens is that the body eventually uses up the stored sugar (glycogen) so that less insultin is needed to help the body digest food. And that gives your pancreas a rest.
2. Reduce your intake of free radicals
Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, has reported that fasting can reduce your intake of free radicals, which can cause cancer. In fact, according to Mattson, “These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells. They can damage all those different molecules in cells.”
Even just reducing your calorie intake can have the same effects as a fast. In a study amongst rats and mice, it was noted that those who were fed very little and restricted in their food intake had a reduction in disease compared to those who were fed normal daily diets.
3. Speed up your journey to self-discovery
We are all creatures of habit. And eating, just like smoking and sleeping, is a habit. What happens during a fast is that by taking away such an essential part of your daily routine, you mess up your whole schedule. This sounds bad but it’s not. It’s really a time to reflect on your routines and give you a pause to think about how you want your life to move forward.
By fasting, you become more conscious of yourself and you can take the time usually spent eating to meditate, journal, or do any other form of reflection.
4. Increase your gratitude
How could you not be grateful to break your fast? And after each day when you do break fast, it’s a celebration. A celebration for a completed day of fasting, reflection, and persistence. So rejoice and celebrate your success! Show gratitude to yourself and others.
And when you break your fast, you will be very very happy to taste food again. And contrary to some beliefs, you won’t binge on food. In fact you will be more conscious of what you allow into your body and feel gratitude for the food you receive.
5. Launch yourself into your ideal life
Sounds like a pretty big benefit for something as simple as fasting. But it’s true. When you begin your fast you can take this time to break old patterns, examine your current situation, and use it as the starting point for a whole new life.
What really makes this possible is that by fasting you are exhibiting control over yourself and your situation. And controlling your eating habits may be one of the hardest things to do. For each day you complete a successful fast, you condition your mind into to believe it can and will do anything. You are training your mind to be successful. And after days of a successful fasting your mind will be neurologically conditioned for success.
So the next time you set a goal for yourself, it’ll be easier to attain!
There are tons more reasons why fasting can be good for you and before you begin a fast, check out some resources for the safest and best way to do so.
The 5 Benefits Of Fasting — For Your Mind, Soul, And Body
With start of Ramadan approaching on Saturday, I thought it’d be apt to put up a guide to the benefits of fasting. Whether you’re religious or not, fasting is something that has permeated every culture, religion, and history.
And for good reason. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it for religious reasons or health reasons, fasting can be a way to rejuvenate the body, mind, and soul.
Enjoy these 5 benefits and if you’re currently fasting or will be in the near future, drop a comment. I’d love to hear what your reasons were for your decision.
1. Retune your digestive system
Not many people know this but fasting can be a way for you to give your digestive system a tune up. According to Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA, “You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you’re less fond of taking.”
What happens is that the body eventually uses up the stored sugar (glycogen) so that less insultin is needed to help the body digest food. And that gives your pancreas a rest.
2. Reduce your intake of free radicals
Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, has reported that fasting can reduce your intake of free radicals, which can cause cancer. In fact, according to Mattson, “These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells. They can damage all those different molecules in cells.”
Even just reducing your calorie intake can have the same effects as a fast. In a study amongst rats and mice, it was noted that those who were fed very little and restricted in their food intake had a reduction in disease compared to those who were fed normal daily diets.
3. Speed up your journey to self-discovery
We are all creatures of habit. And eating, just like smoking and sleeping, is a habit. What happens during a fast is that by taking away such an essential part of your daily routine, you mess up your whole schedule. This sounds bad but it’s not. It’s really a time to reflect on your routines and give you a pause to think about how you want your life to move forward.
By fasting, you become more conscious of yourself and you can take the time usually spent eating to meditate, journal, or do any other form of reflection.
4. Increase your gratitude
How could you not be grateful to break your fast? And after each day when you do break fast, it’s a celebration. A celebration for a completed day of fasting, reflection, and persistence. So rejoice and celebrate your success! Show gratitude to yourself and others.
And when you break your fast, you will be very very happy to taste food again. And contrary to some beliefs, you won’t binge on food. In fact you will be more conscious of what you allow into your body and feel gratitude for the food you receive.
5. Launch yourself into your ideal life
Sounds like a pretty big benefit for something as simple as fasting. But it’s true. When you begin your fast you can take this time to break old patterns, examine your current situation, and use it as the starting point for a whole new life.
What really makes this possible is that by fasting you are exhibiting control over yourself and your situation. And controlling your eating habits may be one of the hardest things to do. For each day you complete a successful fast, you condition your mind into to believe it can and will do anything. You are training your mind to be successful. And after days of a successful fasting your mind will be neurologically conditioned for success.
So the next time you set a goal for yourself, it’ll be easier to attain!
There are tons more reasons why fasting can be good for you and before you begin a fast, check out some resources for the safest and best way to do so.
18 August 2010
Eating Out
If you are planning to eat iftaar out this Ramadan, here's an outfit idea that I made on Looklet..
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Not quite sure how I managed this, actually.. Iftaar was an hour ago and I'm stuuuffed.. :O
16 August 2010
A Must See Video - What Really Happens In Iraq
If this does not reduce you to tears I really don't know what will..
14 August 2010
The High Street Abaya
Well, it's as close to a high street abaya as you're going to get anyway... Feast your eyes on this long sleeve maxi from Oasis:
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All you need to do is get this dress a couple of sizes up and voila, you have your very own £30 abaya - perfect for summer and winter. In fact, it would end up looking not too different to this Aab abaya which would set you back £84.99.. ouch.
Oasis' latest drop is actually pretty impressive, check out these Hijab-friendly pieces..
£55 maxi.. (It would be nice for a ladies only event):
Versatile skirt for £30..
This next skirt is on sale at £10:
I've left the best to last:
And it's only 70 quid.. Bargain!
13 August 2010
11 August 2010
Reader's Look: Fatimah
My next edition of Reader's Look is on Fatimah from the Forever Fatimah blog. She currently lives in the US and loves to style her maxi dresses:
A formal look, love it all..
Love this!
Some maxi styling of my own..
And my favorite look... That dress is amazing!
Thanks Fatimah! If you want to be featured, email me :D
10 August 2010
05 August 2010
Where To Get Loose Jeans
A reader wanted to know where she can get some straight cut jeans the other day, she said that she's really thin so they will look loose on her which is great but I just don't like the straight look unless the top is well below the knee - this is simply my opinion. So anyway, I'm not going to direct you to straight cut jeans but this website is great for reduced, loose, hijab friendly jeans which I love. Here are a couple I like:
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They are from this website. Hope that helps!
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