OOTD: Ethnic Touch

Hi guys, it's Nazma here with the first OOTD (outfit of the day) on our blog.

(YAY!)

Well, I have a little confession to make, this ootd isn't actually of today or yesterday or a day last week or the week before that, it's actually from last summer but I just thought why not? 

I was super excited when I picked up this powder blue long blouse from ZARA (if you're Pakistani you'll know, this isn't a long blouse at all, it's a kameez.. A really overpriced kameez! *cough*) I was kind of gutted when they didn't have the burnt orange colour in my size as they're so convenient to just throw on and the best thing is, you don't need to worry about putting something over the top as they're supposed to be a loose fit. Oh and the materiel is super breathable and so comfortable in the warmer seasons.

Anywhoo.. Enough rambling and on to the outfit -

Scarf/Hijab - DinaTorkia.com // Blue Long Blouse - ZARA // Jeans - Topshop // Peep Toe Mules - Primark (bargain buy of the year) //
Bag - Hermes (borrowed from my mum) // Necklace - Forever 21

 How gorgeous is this necklace? (love the ethnic look it has to it)

Unfortunately most of what I have on probably won't be available.. Sorryyyy! The next outfit will be current, I promise! I will always try my best to link what I am wearing to the website I bought them from too.

Hope you liked this outfit.

Take care,

Nazma x 

Haul: Inayah Collection Basic Essentials Hijabs

Hi everyone reading!

It's Ayesha.. I purchased these gorgeous hijabs/scarves from Inayah Collection a couple of months ago and thought I would show you guys.

Inayah is a London based online brand specifically designed for women that want to dress modestly regardless of their faith. All of what they design 'are built upon three elements, Vintage, Ethnic and Contemporary'. I would personally add in simplicity too. They really are a one stop shop for hijabi's in particular. Their clothing aren't opaque so you don't need to layer underneath and the length of the garments are long enough to maintain your modesty without compromising on your beliefs whilst still looking fabulous. They categorise their clothing into day wear, work wear and occasional wear, so you really are spoilt for choice! They also sell abayas, hijabs and recently started selling some stunning pieces of jewelry.

The only downside I feel with Inayah is, they're slightly on the pricey side and their return policy isn't the best especially with the hijabs. They don't accept any returns or exchanges of opened hijabs and hijab caps due to hygiene reasons. I'm sure you'll all agree with me when I say this can be very inconvenient and annoying! When you get a parcel you want to open it, even if you don't put it on your head or around your neck, just opening it to feel the material or to get a better idea of the colour is necessary especially when you've paid the amount you have.

These are the hijabs/scarves I got..

1.Light Flint Crepe Hijab - £12.00 - This colour is absolutely beautiful, it's one of them colours that changes depending on what you have on with it and suits every skin tone. I love it! 

2. Mink Georgette Hijab - £11.99 - This isn't the same colour as it appears on the website unfortunately, it looks like a nude on the website but when it came it was more of a light mustard which I wasn't really happy with. I was unable to return it as mentioned above! :(

3. Emerald Hijab - (No longer on the website so I don't know how it was.. Sorryyy!) 

4. Deep Grey/Purple Hijab - (Again, this is no longer on the website)

Their 'Basic Essentials' hijabs/scarves are lovely but aren't the ideal material to wear on your head. They're an extremely slippy material (Polyester Georgette), so you'll require a lot of pins to secure it down, also a hijab cap is definitely needed to keep everything in place. The material is very opaque, I've shown pictures below of the material single and doubled.

The 'Light Flint Crepe Hijab' single.

The same hijab doubled. 

As you can see, the material is lightweight but when it's doubled it's no longer opaque which is good as many of us wrap our hijabs when we put them on our heads. The length of these scarves are very ideal to create different hijab styles, the width is perfect, as is the length.

Here are some of our Inayah Favourites!

(All images taken from the Inayah Collection website)

Overall Inayah are a great company that really cater to the modern hijabi woman. Although the prices are more on the expensive side, the quality is worth it. I have my eye on a few other items, stay tuned!

They also have an instagram @inayahc, where they share some lovely outfit ideas!

Hope you liked this post, until our next haul, byeee!

Ayesha x

Birchbox: February 2015

Hey guys, it's Nazma!

So I thought we should have something that's quite repetitive on our blog, so I introduce to you, The Birchbox! 

For any of you that haven't heard of Birchbox or any other box similar to this (Glossy Box, Latest in Beauty, Look Fantastic, Your Beauty Discovery ect), all you have to do is subscribe to a monthly subscription of £10.00 plus £2.95 for postage and you receive a box every month with 5 or 6 different product samples personalised for you. The personalised bit comes into play when you subscribe, you'll be directed to complete a questionnaire asking you things like, what is your skin type? Hair colour? Hair type? ect, from the information submitted by yourself, they design a box especially for you using the existing products for that month, which I think is a really good idea.

The theme for February's box is 'Birchbox Loves..'

If you're someone that likes trying new beauty and skin products in particular and want to keep on top of the trends, this is definitely for you. They always send a list of all the items in the box along with their RRP prices. I only subscribed at the start of the year, as January has already passed us by (can you believe it) I'll just start with February's box (leave me a comment if you'd like to see January's box).

I received 6 products this month.

Personally, I don't have time to go to out and try loads of different products and I'm sure you will all agree with me when I say, sometimes it really is a waste of money! We've all been there where we've bought a product in it's full size on face value, used it for a few weeks and then realise it's doing absolutely nothing for you! The good thing about these boxes is, they send you samples (sometimes in full sizes) of well known brands and new brands that maybe you haven't heard of before, you can try them, if you like them, then purchase it in it's full size, if you don't, it's okay, it's not burnt a massive hole in your pocket, it's a win win!

This eyeliner by Cynthia Rowley is ahhhhmazing! It's so creamy, long lasting and glides on like a dream!

On to the products..

1. The Chia Co (Oats & Chia) / RRP £4.95 (pack of 5) - I'm not a big fan of oats, porridge or anything else goey but as all the oats have chia in them, (which is the world's oldest source of nutrition containing omega-3, fibre and protein alongside a range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants) it makes these oats different to the rest. The oats come in 3 different flavours, Mixed Berry, Banana & Mango and Apple Spice. I'm looking forward to trying this.

2. T London Bath & Shower Wash / RRP £6.50 - This bath and shower wash has quite the mixture.. It has lemongrass extracts, orange peel mingle, spicy nutmeg, chamomile and green tea in it.. I'm wondering how it smells?

3. Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect / RRP £20 - This product is for your hair when it's needing a tad bit of TLC. It claims to strengthen, repair, de-tangle, tame fly-aways as well as nourish and protect your hair. Sounds brill doesn't it? They advise to use it on towel dried hair after it's been shampooed and conditioned, I'm looking forward to trying this out (although I wear Hijab, we still need some TLC too) haha!

4. Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum / RRP £45 - I was really excited when I saw this in the box as I've heard good things about Caudalie products. This on the other hand has very mixed reviews, it claims to brighten the skin and improve the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tones. Like any other skincare brand, some work for you, some don't so I'm not going to let the reviews I've read about this overshadow my judgement and give it a try.. I'll keep you posted. 

5. Cynthia Rowley Eyeliner / RRP £11 - LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! This is has got to be my favourite item in this months box! I haven't come across an eyeliner so pigmented since MAC's Smolder! I don't wear eyeliner on a daily basis but I can imagine this being amazing to create a smokey eye as it's so creamy and easy to apply. If any of her other products are like this one, I will definitely be looking into them!

6. theBalm cosmetics Stainiac in Beauty Queen / RRP £10 - This is similar to Benefit's Benetint, I believe it's an American brand (explains why I've never heard of it) but it essentially does the same thing that any other lip and cheek tint does. I've never really purchased a tint before but I remember when they were all the craze not so long ago. The colour is personally too bright for me but I'm pretty sure others can rock this.

My Verdict!

I really like this month's box! I can see myself using a couple of the products, well I've used the eyeliner already.. Let's see what next month's box has in store for me.

Look out for another post next month on March's Birchbox!

Hope you enjoyed, take care!

Nazma x

Must Have: MAC Lipsticks

Hi everyone!

As this is our first post on our brand spanking new blog, we thought it was only right to do something that is close to all our hearts.. Yep you guessed it.. LIPSTICKS!

I'm sure everyone has at least one MAC lipstick that's their fave! We on the hand have collated a few favourites between us that we have to share with you. We've picked quite a mix of colours, we're sure one will tickle your fancy!

1. Ruby Woo / Matte finish - The perfect go-to for a bold red lip, it has a blue undertone so it really compliments cooler toned skin. A lip liner with this is a must.

Dupe Alert! Rimmel London Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in Shade 111

2. All Fired Up / Retro Matte finish - Such a pretty colour, looks really good on medium/dark skin tones, very statement! The texture of the Retro Matte finishes are matte obviously, but we do advise you to moisturise your lips before applying this as it is a lot more matte than the ordinary matte finish lipsticks, you don't want your lips to look dry and flaky. Overall the formula is extremely creamy, very long lasting and the colour pay off is amazing!

3. Heroine / Matte finish - Again, like All Fired Up, this is also such a pretty colour, very daring.. Simple eyes with this lip will look spot on!

4. Chilli / Matte finish - Muted redish Orange colour, we noticed this looks different on each of us (strange, I know).

5. Amorous / Satin finish - A deep purple colour, a little like Rebel but not as intense and a lot more moisturising.

6. Twig / Satin finish - An all time favourite! It's a nice mix between a dark pink/purple, definitely an everyday shade. 

7. Verve / Satin finish - If you're someone that likes Brown's, this is perfect for you!

8. Taupe / Matte finish - Again, another Brown but not as intense as Verve, this can be used on top of other bolder lip colours to mute the intensity a little.

9. Velvet Teddy / Matte finish - It's finally back in stock and back in our lives! This is definitely our all time favourite Nude lipstick.. Always a go-to! It's ideal for an everyday lipstick, especially if you're medium/dark skin toned, it's not too light or too dark so if you're looking for a perfect Nude, this is the one! 

Dupe Alert! Revlon - Mauve it Over

On to the swatches - 

As you can tell we prefer the matte and satin finishes!

TIP! If whenever you want to matte a lipstick down, dab a little powder on your finger and lightly dust your lips, you'll instantly have matte lips! 

What are your favourite MAC lipsticks?

We hope you enjoyed this post, until the next one!

Nazia x Ayesha x Nazma

NB - We know the picture quality isn't amazing, just bear with us, we're in the process of purchasing a DSLR camera.