OOTD: Blue

Hijab - Random Hijab Place

Coatigan - Primark

Top - Topshop

Jeans - Topshop

Chucks - Schuh

As-Salaamalaikum x

Review: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

Hey guys, well I think it's been way overdue for me to review this new foundation I've recently added to my collection, if any of you didn't know already this little baby here is NARS Sheer Glow also known as my number one most favouritest favourite foundation ever in the history of my foundation collection. Personally I didn't think anything could beat MAC's pro-long wear foundation but NARS has blown MAC out of the water with this one. 

Now that the introduction is over, I shall get back to reviewing the foundation. I've been using it more or less everyday for the past couple of months so I feel like I can give you guys my honest opinion about it. This is the first ever NARS product I've used and after hearing everyone on YouTube and various other blogs rave about it, I thought I have to try it too. Besides anything that promises to give me flawless looking skin I'm a sucker for!

The lady that colour matched me said I was in the middle of the shade 'Barcelona' and 'Punjab' (snazzy names huh), in the end I went for the darker shade (Barcelona) just because I felt more comfortable with it on my face. Let me start of with the coverage, when I first heard about the name 'sheer glow' I assumed it was going to give me a really dewy finish and the coverage was going to be light.. To my surprise it was the complete opposite, the coverage is medium but very buildable, the finish is slightly dewy, but by no means glowing as the name suggests. The best thing about this particular foundation is, I don't find myself looking blotchy after applying it at 7am, which is another bonus for anyone that works during the day, speaking from experience this foundation won't let you down.   

When applying it to my face I find that the Real Techniques buffing brush works a treat, doesn't take a lot of effort to blend and leaves my skin looking radiant and some what natural. What I mean by natural is, it doesn't completely paint the face, if applied correcting and buffed in properly, you won't be left looking cakey in the slightest but more natural and evened out. If your like me and don't particular like looking dewy, I usually apply MAC blot powder over the top which gives me a matte look. As my skin type is a combination (oily T zone and normal everywhere else) I find I need to blot my face during the day but never have to apply more foundation. 

The only negatives I have about this foundation is the fact it doesn't come with a pump, after paying so much for the foundation alone, you'd think the pump would be thrown in. I think higher end brands should really consider making that rule mandatory (who's with me?) Also the price wasn't very impressive either, £30.50 for a foundation is pretty ridiculous but it does last quite a long time and is amazing so I guess I can let that one slide.    

With this foundation a little definitely goes a long way. Above are a few swatches to show you how nicely it blends and I hope you can see the coverage it gives too. I only have to use one pump for my whole face and for me that's suffice. In all honesty since buying this foundation, it's all I wear and would recommend it to everyone even if you have oily skin, like I mentioned earlier, it doesn't really give you a glow, I'd say it's more semi-matte so don't be put off by the name. I've never had more compliments on my skin since wearing this to be honest.. So purchasing it again is an absolute must!

Have you tried this foundation? If so what do you think of it..

I hope this review has helped (specially for those that asked me on Instagram).

Until my next post,

As-Salaamalaikum x

OOTD: Thrown on?

What I'd typically just throw on when I'm in a rush..

Hijab - Zara

Leather Jacket - Miss Selfridges 

Long Dress/Abaya/Kurta - Janan Boutique

Shoes - Primark (I couldn't resist, their so cute)

Bag - Zara

Take care,

As-Salaamalaikum x

How To Wear: Neon

Hey guys, so I thought I'd do a little bit of a different post for you all, your probably getting bored of my endless OOTD's lately.. Sorry about that! Well recently I've been loving wearing neon colours! Abit daring & out of my comfort zone.. Yes! But I've kind of come up with a way that isn't as daunting to wear so I hope it helps the rest of you that love neon colours as much as I do but don't really know how to wear it without looking like a rainbow. 

(Above are a few pieces I have in my wardrobe that are neon & as you can tell I've taken a liking to the limes & corals.. Such pretty colours!)

So basically the way I see it is, you can't wear 2 pieces of clothing that are neon at the same time. That for me is a big no no! By having just one piece of neon on, you'll make a statement with a little pop of colour instead of blinding someone. Below is a list of how I wear neon and what I'd wear them with.

1. White goes with everything - By wearing all white (skinny jeans, shirt & blazer/cardigan) and adding some neon coloured shoes or bag or even hijab, you'll be toning down the neon with the white whilst still making the neon the pop in your outfit. 

2. If not White, then any Neutral Outfit - Like the previous point, adding any neon accessory with a neutral outfit will still look on trend without looking too over the top. 

3. Neon top/Dark bottom and vice versa - If I'm wearing a neon top then I will make sure I'm wearing something darker on the bottom and vice versa.

4. STRIPES - Neon and stripes always look so cute together. Let's say you have a neon coloured blazer, pairing it with a striped tee, some boyfriend fit jeans and converse, will give you a nice laid back casual look whilst still looking bang on trend. 

5. Let your Shoes do the talking - If any of you caught my OOTD I posted not long ago, it's a perfect example of letting your shoes be the main focal point of your outfit. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Shoes are a good way for erm let's say new starters to neon (like me). Throwing anything on and adding some neon shoes always looks good.. Give it a try and see how you like it.

6. Neon Skinny Jeans - I don't actually own a pair myself (not that brave.. yet) but I've seen girls wearing them and they look so good depending on what they wear with them obviously. I think you have to be really careful with neon jeans as it's such a big part of your outfit and can't really be hidden so it's vital that when you wear them, you wear them right! In my opinion if you was to wear them during the day, pairing them with a solid colour tee or light jumper would be perfect. In the evening I would pair them with a dark coloured blouse and shoes, Black would look really nice.

7. Neon Jewelry - Understated and always gives it that little pop of colour. Neon jewelry can be found everywhere on the high street now and by adding it to any outfit you'll give it a nice little boost.

8. For us Hijab's! - YOU CAN ROCK ANYTHING ANYWAY SO YOU GO GUUUURLSSS!    

(Neon Cambridge Satchels.. LOVE!)

       (Some ways you could wear your neon pieces)

Why not pull your neon pieces out and experiment abit with them, your bound to find a comfortable way to wear them whilst looking amazing but hurry, Summer is leaving us fast!    

Show me how you wear your neon pieces.. 

Find me on:

Instagram - nk92

Twitter - @NazmaKahn

Tag me in , I'd love to see your ideas, it'll give me inspiration too! :)

Take care, until my last post,

As-Salaamualaikum x

OOTD: It's Eiddd

Hijab - Random Hijab place

Kurta (Long dress/kamees) - Bombay Stores 

Black leggings - Primark

Shoes - Jellies

Clutch - Primark

Watch - Michael Kors

Bracelets - H&M

Eid Mubarak & As-Salaamualaikum x

OOTD: All Black Errrthang

Hijab - Random Hijab Shop

Black Peplum Top - Primark

Skirt - H&M

Bag - H&M

Necklace - New Look

Watch - Michael Kors

Shoes - Black peep toe flats (even though you can't see them) 

As-Salaamualaikum x

Ramadhan - A Month to Reflect

Salaam readers, so I know I'm a tad bit late with this post as were already in the middle of Ramadhan (can you believe it?) but I thought it would be nice to share with you my experiences so far. I admit I have found Ramadhan this year some what a struggle. I don't know weather it's the lack of sleep or the fact that the UK was experiencing a heatwave the week Ramadhan started. Nevertheless I am trying my best to make the most of such a blessed month we've been gifted with, Alhamdulillah. 

(Iftar time in Saudi Arabia)

To me Ramdhan is a month to reflect, to change our bad habits into good, to purify our souls, to learn new things and better ourselves as much as we can. If any of you are in the same situation as me that doesn't have a choice but to go to work during the week days rather then concentrating solely on Islam, it's difficult to say the least. There's so much I want to do during this blessed month but balancing everything out is proving a lot harder than I thought. 

So here's what I decided to do, at most peoples work places there should be some sort of contemplation/prayer room, I've been spending my dinner and breaks in there.. Being far far away from the nice smelling food the better, trust me! (Is it just me or does food seem to smell that little bit nicer when your fasting?) haha.. But seriously it does help, pray some Nafl salah, read the Quran, make dua, dhikr or even read a book. I promised myself at the start of Ramadhan that I wanted to learn something new everyday, and by going to the prayer room at work I'm managing to do just that, Alhamdulillah. Also just recently I have become inactive on twitter which maybe to some is unnecessary as there's alot of fellow Muslim brothers and sisters on there that tweet very beneficial things, but I felt like I was spending too much time on there re-tweeting when I could be reading the Quran and gaining ilm  in that time.. We shall call it a twitter fast! :)

I've also been carrying around with me a tally counter or dhikr counter as I like to call it, which I was gifted with before Ramadhan. It's become so useful, I don't leave the house without it. When I find myself doing nothing it comes in handy. A tasbeh is used for the same purpose also.

I always remember the Hadith..

 “Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allah.”

and the verse in the Quran..

'Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find peace.' 
- Surah Ar-Rad, verse 28

I've also been trying to attend as many Islamic talks and lectures as I can at a local Islamic centre. In Ramadhan they tend to hold alot more classes and talks then usual. I'm making the most out of them, they can be so beneficial and again it's another way of learning new things about my deen. If there isn't a masjid or centre near you that holds talks then watch Islamic videos on YouTube, channels like TheMercifulServant and TheDailyReminder upload videos frequently of talks and lectures by sheikhs and imams that I personally learn alot from. May Allah be pleased with them.

I've also started to write notes when reading the translation of the Quran. By going through each surah and breaking it down, you start to truly understand the words of Allah, Subhana'Allah. I would tell everyone to do this insha'Allah. I feel like because I'm writing the translation down in my own words it makes it that much easier to understand. Alhamdulillah we've been blessed with really good technical gadgets these days, why not use them to best of there ability? I have various Quran apps on my iPad and iPhone but iQuran has got to be my favourite. It has different reciters but also different translators too so it's easier for us to choose which translator we understand best and on top of that, if your learning to read the Quran in tajweed or already read the Quran in tajweed, iQuran colour codes the rules of tajweed for you, making it easier to not forget to do idgham for example in certain parts. 

Lastly I've been reading books.. A whole load of books! I would trade anything in to just sit and read all day. My advice.. Bury yourself under books, obviously come out at salah time but then go straight back haha. Being an ultimate philomath, learning, discovering and gaining knowledge about new things is my favourite thing to do so books are my best friends. Take heed and gain ilm whenever and wherever you can, it will only strengthen your Iman insha'Allah.

So I leave you with this humble message..

  

I pray Allah {SWT} accepts our fasts, our Zakah and Sadaqah, our Umrah and Hajj, our repentence, our good deeds and insha'Allah multiples them and lastly accepts all of our duas made during this blessed month. I pray whatever good changes we've made to our lives, we carry them on after Ramadhan with the will of Allah. 

Aameen

Remember the reason why as Muslims we fast. Knowing that Allah's mercy is wide open to us during this month, truly is a blessing. Keep the less fortunate in our duas and give abundantly.

Those who spend (in the cause of Allah) privately or publicly, by night and day, have their reward with their Lord. And (on the Day of Resurrection) they shall neither fear nor grieve. 

- (Al-Baqarah 2:274)

Until my next post, 

As-Salaamualaikum x

OOTD: Are they Bright Enough?

Hijab - Primark

Dress - H&M

Blazer - River Island 

Jeans - Topshop

Shoes - Topshop

Bag - Zara

Necklace - F21

Watch - Michael Kors

Ring - Topshop

As-Salaamualaikum x

OOTD: Hello Sun-Summer

Hijab - Random Hijab Shop

Top - H&M

Jeans - Topshop

Shoes - River Island

Sunglasses - Topshop

Rucksack - Primark

Hope your all enjoying the sun & preparing for Ramadhan insha'Allah! :)

As-Salaamualaikum x

Strawberry Picking Fun in the Sun

Hey guys, hope your all doing well and catching some sun we've had these past couple of days. It's been lovely! Yesterday we decided to make the most of the weather and went strawberry picking. Probably not everyone's cuppa tea for having fun in the sun but believe me it was so much fun. I went with my mum & little sister and I couldn't think of anyone better to go with, spending quality time with my family is the nicest thing for me. 

I took a few snaps whilst I was there..

The place we went to was in Morley in West Yorkshire.

All the strawberry bushes..

The isle 'Marshmello' had the best strawberries, so ripe and juicy.. Yum! 

Me busy trying to find the biggest strawberry.. We had a competition going on to see who picked the biggest :)

Here's the biggest strawberry I picked.. I came 2nd place!

My basket full of goodness!

All of our baskets.. The whole lot cost us £18.00 which was ah-mazing!

We got home and starting demolishing them straight away haha.. There so sweet, we couldn't resist! I think we went at a perfect time as Ramadhan starts tomorrow insha'Allah, we can experiment by making different deserts for Ramadhan treats.. yay! :) Comment below if you have any cool ideas for me to try out. 

Hope you enjoyed this post,

As-Salaamualaikum x

LUSH Goodness

Hey guurlies, I went to LUSH over the weekend and got a few things and thought I would show you all. This place is probably the best smelling shop in the world. I swear I just stand around near the nice smelly stuff for a while until I've had a dose then move on to the next.. (yeah I'm totally aware of how much of a weirdo I must look but you do it too.. I know you do) ;) lol 

Anywho swiftly moving on, the assistant that helped us with stuff we wanted was really helpful and was so funny, he was kind of in touch with his feminine side so you can imagine why he made us laugh. We just told him what we wanted and what we wanted it for and he recommended the best stuff for us and some products he actually used himself, so he was giving us little testers and reviews as he was going along which was a bonus. We weren't really looking for anything in particular except the lip blam/scrub but saying that I'm excited to try out everything I got.

The Comforter bubble bar

Melting Marshmellow Moment bath melt

Dragon's Egg bath bomb

Angels on Bare Skin fresh facial clenser

Ultrabland facial clenser

Bubblegum lip balm/scrub

Eau Roma facial water

If you'd like me to review anything I purchased then comment and I will do that insha'Allah, also tell me what your favourite product(s) are from LUSH..

Follow me on instagram @nk92 and twitter @NazmaKahn.

Take care & As-Salaamualaikum x

HAUL: Shoes

Hii lovelies, hope you're all well..

I went shopping about a week ago and picked up a few things so I thought I'd post a little haul. I was actually really excited to go as I thought the shops would have all the nice summer stuffs out but I wasn't impressed, maybe I need to wait til July *sighh* but never the less, me being the trooper I am, I still managed to find some cute stuff.

I think I was more impressed with the shoes I got more than anything else, specially River Island. So here is what I got..

(Top left - River Island Black chain loafers, Navy Nike rifts, River Island Gold and Black peep toe flats)

Until my next post,

As-Salaamualaikum x

REVIEW: Conceal yoself

Hey guys, so I thought I'd do my first official post reviewing some concealers. I think it's safe to say I try out a lot so I thought you'll all benefit from my reviews on them. Please bear in mind my skin type is combination so my opinions may not be the same as yours and also I'm not much of a makeup person so my lingo probably isn't up to par but it's a learning curve, give me time! :)

(Left to right - Garnier Pure Active, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection, Maybelline The Eraser Eye, MAC Moisture Cover, MAC Pro-long wear, MAC Studio Fix)

These are the ones I have recently been switching between. I'll go through them individually..

Garnier Pure Active - This is actually a 2 in 1 anti-spot roll on but everyone I've come across uses it as a concealer so I got on that bandwagon. To be perfectly honest it's not very good at concealing at all, I use it more of a highlighter under my eyes to make that area appear more brighter which probably totally contradicts what I just said but you get my drift. I feel like this product is best used on top of another concealer but saying that if your someone that doesn't need a lot of coverage then you should try this out.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection - Well I'm pretty sure most of you will already have this or adleast heard about it but let me tell you it's amazinggg! It's my go to concealer whenever I'm in a rush and to say it's from a drugstore (in the UK that's places like Boots, Superdrug ect I just don't know what you'd call them other than drugstore lol) and only costs a couple of quid, it really does the job and I personally think it can give some the higher end brands a run for there money. I'm the shade 'Medium' and feel confident dabbing it here and there on my face and blending it in when I don't want to wear foundation. I think the coverage is medium but is definitely buildable. Like I said before if your a person that doesn't wear foundation on a daily basis and is looking for a good concealer without breaking the bank then this is perfect for you.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye - This concealer is a 'perfect and cover concealer' and is a anti-aging one, so it says. To be honest I remember purchasing this after I saw the advert for it and it was one of them adverts that really sells the product with the girl with the flawless face, all because she used this concealer.. Well let me tell you, it's all lies. It's supposed to be a 'micro-correcting eye concealer that instantly erases dark circles and fine lines and visibly diminishes under-eye puffiness'. Again all lies! For me this product doesn't really blend well under your eyes, if you have dark circles it doesn't erase them, it makes them stand out even more, the coverage is light and not really buildable and felt really dry under my eyes. Basically what I'm trying to say is, this concealer is not very good and yes I have learnt my lesson, the moral of this story is, don't be so gullible and fall for the adverts!

MAC Moisture Cover - This concealer is the most recent one I've purchased and have only used it a couple of times. I have it in the shade NC30 and really like it so far. It's exactly what it claims to be, 'moisturising' it goes on and blends perfectly weather your using a brush or your finger and the best thing for me about this concealer is that the application is a wand which I personally prefer. I'd say the coverage is medium but buildable. If your someone with dry skin then this is perfect for you, I have combination skin and this works wonders for me. Not my fave but it's up there. I would definitely recommend it if your wanting to try something new and refreshing.

MAC Pro-long Wear - Ok so this has got to me my fave of all the concealers I've tried in my time (and believe me that's a lot). I purchased this the same time I got the pro-long wear foundation and let me tell you I love that too but I'll stick to reviewing the concealer for now. I have this in the shade NW30 which I didn't think I was a NW shade but the very nice MAC lady colour matched me and said the NW will work better for and she wasn't wrong. The coverage is perfect, medium, maybe to some heavy but very buildable. Sometimes I use this as a foundation all over my face and you can't even tell. The consistency isn't runny at all and just glides on nicely. The only negative I have about this concealer is the bottle it comes in. It has a little pumpy thing which I don't really like as you can't control how much product will come out. As I only use it under my eyes and on a few blemishes, one whole pump is too much and I think whoever already has this will agree. But never the less as a whole this is amazing and I will forever be repurchasing.

MAC Studio Fix - This is the first ever MAC concealer I purchased (aww the memories). I got this is in NC30 and really like the fact that it comes in a little tub as I can control how much I use and in my opinion lasts a lot longer too. For me this concealer is too heavy for everyday and creases a lot under my eyes. Something I learnt with this concealer is to try avoid using a heavy hand when applying as it can result in cakeiness. The consistency is thick but has excellent coverage. I think it's perfect for a evening event, wedding ect. A day when your going to have makeup on all day and need something reliable, something you don't need to top up mid day. I don't think this concealer will work well for people with dry skin as the consistency isn't runny in the slightest but has more of a creamy texture which may not work well with dry skin. I think it's definitely one to have for occasions but like I said for me it is way too heavy for everyday.

I think I've said everything I wanted to say about the current concealers I'm trying and I hope I've helped you guys in some sort of way. The next concealer I really want to try is Benefit's Erase Paste, I've heard a lot of good things about it, comment below or email me on nazmak92@gmail.com and tell me what you think if you have it or tried it, and tell me about any other concealers that you guys love. I'm always one to try!

Until my next post..
As-Salaamualaikum x

Guess who's back? back? back? Back again

Yes I'm back with a new blog name & ready to get back into zee blogging mode! I hope your all in best of health & happiness when you read this & hope your all enjoying the summer insha'Allah.

I asked you guys on instagram & twitter if I should start blogging again & you all said 'YESSS' so I'm excited to rekindle my love for it. I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to post about at the moment, but a lot of you wanted fashion & beauty related stuff like OOTD's, hauls, reviews ect which is a must as I'm a big fat fashion junkie head but hopefully they'll be other random stuffs posted too insha'Allah.

Anyways I'll wrap this up. Please leave me a comment on any suggestions you have for future posts or msg me on instagram, tumblr or twitter (below).

Twitter - @NazmaKahn
Tumblr -  ThatCoveredGirl.tumblr.com

Instagram - nk92

Takecare until my next post.

As-Salaamualaikum x