AFABEE DESIGNS

I am so excited to be writing this post! This week's post is dedicated to the lovely and talented Asma Banafunzi who is also a dear family friend of mine. She has always been incredibly talented when it came to designing practically anything, and now she has her own fashion label and i couldn't be more happier for her! If you haven't already checked her out, don't worry, I've got some of my favourite pieces from her label and i'll leave her FACEBOOK & INSTAGRAM so you can follow her up! :)

Here are my absolute favourites from her recently:

 I can't even begin to describe how in love i am with this bridal dress. Seriously speechless!

KEEP UPDATED WITH HER WORK HERE:

INSTAGRAM - @AFABEE

FACEBOOK - FACEBOOK.COM/AFA.BEE.DESIGNS

I wish her all the best and i'll be supporting every step of the way! :)

BEAUTYANDTHESECRET,

HAJARA XOXOX

GOLD CHOKER STYLE NECKLACE

I have recently been loving this Choker Style Necklace from Polyvore. Although styling necklaces with a hiaab isn't exactly something new but this necklace sits perfectly with my  hijab and doesn't budge at all! Another thing that i love about this necklace is that you can literally style it with any hijab you want, and it will still give off the same elegance as if you were to style it without a hijab. I would 100% recommend this necklace! Go get it!!

 *Details of the price and full necklace name are on my instagram photo*

BEAUTY&THESECRET, 

HAJARA XOXO

6 EASY STEPS ON CLEANING YOUR MAKE UP BRUSHES

Keeping your brushes clean is the most important thing you can do when you're a make up user. Dirty brushes means a dirty face, and a dirty face leads to major breakouts and acne! If you haven't been cleaning your brushes, then start now!! Here's my way of cleaning my brushes and i get perfect results.

YOU WILL NEED:

- WASHING UP LIQUID

-OLIVE OIL

-BOWL/PLATE

1) STEP 1
Get the bowl/plate and mix the washing up liquid and olive oil. Then get your brush and swirl it in a circular motion to make sure it's extra clean.

STEP 2
Continuing with the circular motion, use the palm of your hand to remove all the access dirt.

STEP 4

Run the tap water on COLD (this removes the dirt quicker) and use your fingers to clean the brush.

STEP 5

After you properly cleaned your brush, you get some tissue and wrap the tissue around the tip of the brush.

STEP 6 

Finally place your brushes upside down (so all the water drips) in a cup of your choice and let it sit there overnight. You should always make sure you do not let the brushes sit upwards because this lets the water sink back into the brush and makes the hairs lose.

And you're done! New brushes, squeaky clean! 

I hope this helped you :) leave comments below and tell me what you think x

BEAUTY&THESECRET, 

HAJARA XOXO

FAV DARK LIPSTICKS

 I wanted to share my favorite dark lipsticks. Those who know me how I've been obsessed with dark lips recently! I have a couple, but these are my Top 3 that are well deserved recommending and worth your money.

#3 MAC - CREMESHEEN HANG-UP

£15

Out of the 3, this is the least darkest. I would recommend this for beginners who want to try out the dark lips but are not ready to make too much off a statement. This should get you started off. This lipstick is the creamier lipsticks from MAC and applies very smooth on the lips. One of my favourite things about this lipstick is that you don't have to worry about the lipstick drying or drying out your lips. You don't need to wear lipgloss, it's glossy enough!

 #2 REVLON BLACK CHERRY 477

£7.49

When i first saw this lipstick, it immediately caught  my eyes. The colour is so unique, it's like a mixture of plum with a hint of dark red. Again, it's a creme lipstick which means it applies beautifully. My favourite thing about this lipstick is that its build-able, meaning you can control how dark you really want your lips to be. The more you apply the darker and richer the colour looks, but at the same time if you want that natural tint to your lips it also does the trick. OH, and let's not forget that it's scented!

  

#1 TOPSHOP DEPTH

£8.00

Last but not least is my all time favourite dark lipstick! When i first saw this lipstick i wasn't really sure if i actually wanted to buy it because i thought it was too bold and i wasn't sure i could pull it off. But i followed my gut and purchased it anyway and haven't looked back since. This colour isn't as subtle as my other two, it's way more loud and most defiantly makes a statement. It's purple with a black undertone so the more you apply the closer it looks to black. 

MUCH LOVE, 

BEAUTY&THESECRET,

XOXO

Jilbaab

I have been wearing abaayas/jilbaab for as long as i can remember. I believe that there is nothing more important than modesty, and correcting the hijaab is where it begins. I am not saying that i am better than those who don't wear the hijaab, that is not what Islam is about. But i'm just elaborating on the value of the hijaab and that a woman is never more beautiful than when she is modest :)

Okay, i don't want this to turn into a lecture. But i just wanted to say, that for this reason, i will not be posting any fashion related posts. However, if you do want me to share different ways you can style the abaaya then please let me know inshallah :)

Just in case you're wondering, the jilbaab in my photos is from Saudi Arabia and it's quite spacious (and extremely comfortable!)

MUCH LOVE, 

BEAUTY&THESECRET,

XOXO

New purchases - E.L.F

I received these today and i'm so excited! This is my first time ever trying out ELF COSMETICS and im looking forward to how they will look.

Listed below:
-Conditioning lip Balm SPF 15
Brightening Eye Colour - Nouveau Neutrals
-Mineral Lip Gloss - Au Naturale

MUCH LOVE, 

BEAUTY&THESECRET,

XOXO

ACNE RECOVERY

MAJOR ACNE RECOVERY!

A couple of months ago something terrible happened :( i woke up one morning with an entire forehead covered with acne. And i'm not talking about mild acne that you can cover up with make up, no this was big, red, painful and extremely noticable! This was so confusing to me because i never had any problems with spots, i've always had clear skin and to experience this acne was beyond upsetting.

I guess the first thing that come's to mind when you get any spots is 'cover up with make up!' but no that shouldn't be the case. If the spots are red and raw, make up will only make it worse. Just take action. As much as i wanted to just pile heaps of foundation on and cover it up, i washed myself and went to college. Yes, i actually left my house!

Since then, it has become so much better. And even though i'ts left marks, theyre disappearing and hopefully in a couple more months im gonna go back to how my face was before. Here are everything i used to help clear my skin again and i will go through what to do every step of the way.

**WARNING** HORRIBLE BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURE ABOUT TO SHOW UP !!

yes, it's pretty disturbing! :(


As you can see, just in a couple of weeks there was a difference. The trick to getting rid of spots is keeping it clean. And never hide them with make up, as silly as it may sound, they actually need to breathe (which helps recovery).

Here are all the products i used (and some of them still using).

LEFT
All the products i have used from the start. I stopped using some and continued using others.

RIGHT
These are the products that i am stll currently using - including Sudocrem.





FIRST 3 WEEKS
The first 3 weeks all i used was the Neutrogena. This helped kill any bacteria/dirt that was on the surface. Twice in a day - morning and night before i went to sleep.

NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS
After a couple of weeks, i did serious research and finding out what is NATURALLY good for my skin because i didn't want to use anything with chemicals. I found out that Tea Tree is really good more spots and clearing up any blemishes, so i purched the SKIN CLEARING FOAMING CLEANSER and the BLEMISH FADE NIGHT LOTION.

COUPLE MORE WEEKS
I went to the doctors to ask about the marks because even though the acne were no longer there, some of the marks still remained. And the last thing i need is to be reminded of the acne. I was prescribed this gel:

You apply this once in the evening onto the areas where you are most likely to break out. For me its the forehead, nose area and chin. This prevents any new spots and it made it so much easier for me to work on clearing up my face.

CURRENT/NEW

I always knew Sudocrem to be used for baby rashes, imagine my surprise when i found out it helps clear spots! Not going to lie, i was abit skeptical at the beginning but i took the risk and i have never received better results. You apply a thin layer on your breakout areas before you fall asleep. I prefer to slowly tap and not rub because rubbing might cause irritation.

AND FINALLY

Never forget to moisturize your face! I have always used Nivea Soft and i love it so much! It gives my face just the perfect amount of moisture (depending on how much i apply, ofcourse). For those who have dry skin like myself i would defiantly recommend this, it does wonders :)

EXTRAS

I used at the beginning of my acne but it's very confusing. I don't really know whether it helped or made things worse! The reason being is that i wasn't using it alone, i was applying this alongside the other products i was using so i don't really know whether it actually works or not. But the reason why i stopped using it was because the spots increased and because this was the only 'new' product i was using, i assumed it was the problem. Maybe what increased the spots was the mixture with the other products. But if you want to try it, go ahead.


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OK, well that's all that i've been using! My face hasn't officially gone back to how it was but it is 100% clearing and i can see the results every morning. I am contining with my routine and will show you the final results when it's ready!

Thank you.

(i will write down a list off all the products mentioned below)
-Nivea Soft
-Stillman's Freckle Cream
-Sudocrem
-BLEMISH FADE NIGHT LOTION
-SKIN CLEARING FOAMING CLEANSER
-DUAC Gel
- Neutrogena Gentle Exfoliating Wash

MUCH LOVE,
BEAUTY&THESECRET,
XOXO