The Beauty No-No's of the Muslimette

Asalaamu'alaikum!
The Muslimette is not a hermit :-) She is aware of trends in beauty, but knows that Allah, her Lord, has set for her limits, and she respects those to the best of her abilities. 
Well now, every woman has her beauty rituals, depending on her likes, culture etc. But down here you'll pick some general guidelines which Muslim women (generally) need to follow :-)

• Fake lashes may seem like the way to make your eyes pop. Hair extensions or lash extensions are the way Victoria Beckham adds a few inches to her hair. HOWEVER, Bukhaari and Muslim (2122) narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr said: "A woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I have a daughter who is newly married, and she had the measles and her hair fell out. Can I give her hair extensions?” He said: “Allaah has cursed the one who fixes hair extensions and the one who has that done.” According to scholars, adding fake lashes fall into the same category. 
• Cosmetic ingredients like pork fat are prohibited. I have heard of the impermissibility of dead sea derivatives too from a local Sheikh (scholar).
• Eyebrows thinning out/ shaping/ plucking/ threading/waxing is not allowed in Islam. According to an authentic hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The woman who plucks facial hair and the woman who has this done are cursed.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). (Facial hair is here understood as eyebrows, not upper lip hair.) And yeah, in a case where your lashes are so bushy you can't see properly, you MAY trim them.
•  Permanent make up and tattoo: It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah said: “Allaah has cursed the women who do tattoos and those who ask for tattoos to be done, those who ask for their eyebrows to be plucked, and the women ask for their teeth to be filed for the purpose of beautification, changing the creation of Allaah.” 
• Camel hump  Hijaab!( Ok,you'll tell me, how's that relevant? Bad for your hair, bad for your Imaan). Narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen: people with whips like the tails of cattle with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, astray and leading others astray, with their heads like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance, although it fragrance may be detected from such and such a distance.”  Narrated by Muslim, 2128. Scary, no? According to scholars, putting flower bobbles which make your head (under your hijaab, and outside it) look like a camel hump is prohibited. (And adding extra weight to your hair by those huge clips leads to hair fall anyway!)
• Fake nails/extensions are prohibited too.(Unhygienic too if you ask me.) Nails should be trimmed (at most) every 40 days. 

Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allaah.’ And whoever takes Shaytaan (Satan) as a Wali (protector or helper) instead of Allaah, has surely, suffered a manifest loss”

[al-Nisa’ 4:117-119] 

I personally feel okay with heavy make up around my mahrams (men I'm never allowed to marry, in simpler terms). But the moment I'm out of the house, even if I wear make up, I feel more comfortable with natural looking or lesser make up which wouldn't draw attention on me. I do not wear make up in a way "to change the nature created by Allaah" to the best of my abilities, Alhamdulilah.
Of course, the above information is part of my convictions, backed by scholars' analysis and proof from reputed books. Allah knows best!
Source: http://islamqa.info/en/
What are your beauty faves and no-no's?

My Makeup Essentials Reviewed

Asalaamualaikum everyone!
Does the claw brush tell you something about the way it delicately grabs your lashes to give you the feline look with adequate amount of product? Coating the smaller lashes towards the outer and inner corner of your eyes suddenly becomes easy.

Colossal Volume Express, Maybelline.

Claw Brush for that feline look!

The downside? Not much suitable if you want a subtle look. And yeah, it is impossible to make ablutions with the product on! Panda eyes, anyone?
This product is pretty thick and makes your lases full. I've bought it like two months ago and I'm completely satisfied.
And by the way, do check for the washable or  waterproof versions. Remember, waterproof make up won't allow water to reach your lashes :-)
What you want next for a perfect cat eye is this Yves Rocher Eyeliner in black. A slim and short brush allows drawing steadily your cat eye shape, or simple line to make your eyes stand out. It is not a very intense black liner. You may want to double the coat. But very affordable! Let me know what you think of it!
:-)

Natural ingredients, light formula!

Thin brush, perfect to draw your favourite shape!

P.S Oopsie1 Did I forget to say the eyeliner is formulated for sensitive eyes and contact lenses wearers!

What's your beauty routine?

Asalaamu'alaikum!

 I wake up every morning, grab a glass of lukewarm water, to which I add a tablespoon of pure honey (prophetic medicine, yeah!) I put on a face pack made of chick pea flour (recipe coming up soon) to cleanse my skin thoroughly...Oh wait, that was me when I had time. In a not so distant past, before I became a wife!

Now I believe every wife should have a beauty routine; even if she picks ingredients from her kitchen shelf. All the better, olive oil is a great moisturizer and honey is a good antiseptic, minus the ingredients which you can find in ready made beauty products which may not be permissible for Muslims.) 

Every woman owes herself some care. Especially if you are a wife. There is no harm in getting on with your housework while being properly decked up. It gives me confidence and makes me feel good about myself if I use a wee bit of make up in the morning, before I start a busy day.

As I only got busier over the last few years, I now find it more convenient to use a Freeman Pear Refining Cleanser  every morning (great to get rid of excess shine and grime), and the Freeman Apricot Creamy Facial Scrub (3 to 4 times a week if I'm out a lot.) Other than that, I do use make up at home (but that's for another post, hehe!)

Verily, Allah is beautiful, and He loves beauty.

Indeed, Allah "created man of the best stature (mould)" [ The Holy Qur'aan, Chapter At Tin, Verse 4]

He created you beautiful, so grab on means He provided you with to make yourself pleasing to you and to your loved ones to whom your beauty can be unveiled! It is a way of thanking Allah too!:) 

But hey, what's your beauty routine?

Are you happy?

I hate such philosophical questions. I hate existential and abstract questions. But are you literally happy?
Some time back, while generously coating my  lashes with mascara, a question popped in my mind: am I too vain? Yeah, I've done things worthwhile, I do pray (removing my waterproof make up before ablutions, de mise!), read the Qur'aan, wear the headscarf. But is my love for a lil' bit of pampering, make up and carefully assorting a posh abaya with a pop scarf making me all style  and no substance? Above all, is this going to benefit me in the next life?
A very happy reality of my life: my faith! I believe in Allah as One, and feel happy to be part of an undeniable Truth. And I have to admit that other than acts of prayer and submission to Allah, I am very happy when a sister praises my style and feel relaxed about slathering on my fave moisturiser at night after a hard day's work!
From then on, I decided that my happiness had to be from inside out. I dug on about women,beautification within the parameters of Islam. And still digging!
And from there began my quest to exist as the swanky muslimette I truly am, within the limits of my faith.
Not compatible, ye say? Follow my story, if you will :-)