My top three websites I recommend for Modest Mama Fashion…
Alliyah Dawud
January 28, 2019

I have a rule of thumb I go by. If I know something makes me look frumpy and doesn’t make me feel good or suit me I don’t have it in my wardrobe. It’s as simple as that. If it’s not in my wardrobe I cannot wear it.

I also have other rules I go by:

  • I don’t buy items I cannot wear with my existing wardrobe items
  • I have a ‘style’ for work I stick to.
  • I have fail safe outfits that are at the core of my wardrobe.
  • If something suits me I stick to that and spice it up as and when I need to (e.g. new colour, texture etc).
  • I have a huge collection of jeans and make no apology for that as I have a pair suitable for 90% of life events.
  • I don’t try outfits on when I’m not feeling my best.

As someone that dresses modestly I can sometimes struggle to find things that fit my requirements. I love Autumn because I can layer up and things that were not suitable due to short sleeves etc suddenly I have more outfit options.

When I do find a website that is economical and caters for my needs I use them a lot. I generally don’t purchase a full wardrobe for each season as a lot of what I wear is transferable through seasons.

So here are my TOP THREE websites:

1 LOTD.COM (Look of the day)
I’m no avid fashion follower but I do mix things up by purchasing a few bits that are more catwalk inspired for the season.
LOTD is a website aimed at women with the primary mission of providing affordable fashion. And it’s all about the latest trends and what’s hot now.
If you follow LOTD on Social Media you will often find codes for % off or free postage too. I purchased one of my favourite slogan (the future is female) t-shirts from LOTD. I recently placed an order at 3:15PM to have it dispatched the same day and delivered the next day (I paid £3.99 postage).
Another bonus of LOTD is they offer a student discount on non sale stuff.
Orders are dispatched super fast and I’ve not had any problems with them.
Recommended: their t-shirt range.
Price range: I’ve picked up t-shirts and maxi skirts for £2.00 each…

2) everythingfivepounds.com
A website where nothing is over a fiver. It’s a treasure trove of goodies some of which are from the British High Street (I’ve ended up with a skirt from Primark and dresses from other more ‘expensive’ High Street favourite shops.
There’s also non-labeled goodies too.
But nothing is over a fiver.
Postage costs vary based on the weight of your parcel and you rarely get discount codes for these guys however if you follow them on Social Media you are likely to see lots of new items come in and spend more than you plan so I don’t recommend it.
A great range of products. I’ve ordered jackets, dresses, skirts and even boots (these boots were a fiver!).
Recommended: the maxi dresses, boots…everything really.
Price range: nothing is over a fiver however they do have sales! Yes that’s right. Sales. What more could a Mama ask for?

3) eBay
Hear.me.out.
I love statement necklaces and these can retail at crazy prices on the High Street. If you have patience you can order off eBay and have them delivered straight from China for a fraction of the price. So if you are looking for a piece of costume jewellery that you won’t be wearing a lot and cannot justify spending £35.00 on a necklace head over to eBay.
You can also pick up vintage items and new clothing from some big names outlet stores. I bought a pair of Jeans from Very Outlet story for £11.00 (yes they were new). On their website they were priced at more than double that. You may need to do a bit of searching but there is bargains to be had.
Recommended: jewellery and outlet stores.
Price range: varies.

Where do you shop for Mama bargains online? Drop your recommendations below or let us know on Social Media and share your pearls of wisdom with us on there.

My top 10 beauty product discoveries of 2018
Alliyah Dawud
January 28, 2019

90% of my discoveries cost less than a £10.00….so all in all budget friendly awesomeness.

It seems like months ago that we said goodbye to 2018. It was if any thing a testing year. It taught us a lot and I believe a lot of us are stronger for what we went through.

In 2018 I tried a range of products and have created a list of top 5 discovered along with a summary of the product.

Don’t forget to leave your own favourite discoveries below.

1) Soap and Glory 3 in 1 daily Vitamin C face wash (350 ml for £8.00).
Environmentalists please turn away as this product contains those little balls that literally wipe clean the gunk on your skin to leave it glowing.
£8.00 quid for a face wash? Yes! Because the bottle lasted me over 3 months. It’s huge!
The face wash left my skin feeling clean, it mattified the oily patches (I maybe 22 but my face believes it’s 15….) and the best bit?! It didn’t dry my skin out. No dry batches. I felt my skin was clearer and it LOOKED clearer. I love it. No breakouts either since using this produce too. It’s bloody amazing.

2) Pure Active 3in1 Charcoal Blackhead Mask Wash Scrub ( 150ml for £4.99)
Limited space in your Bathroom? This is an awesome product because it’s three in one. It’s a wash, scrub and mask. As we know the world has gone mad over charcoal and this product ticks the major trend box. I used it as a mask (I use various masks and this worked extremely well for hormonal skin) and can recommend it. No staining around the sink either so no crazy clean up required after.

3) Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Shampoo Argan Oil (400ml for £6.00).
I honestly thought Argan Oil was a myth until I purchased some oil (and soap) in Marrakesh. A little goes a long way and you can notice the difference from first use. After using the shampoo followed by the conditioner I noticed my hair was less dry, looked healthier and shinier. I’ll be honest. No product has ever left me wanting to use it again and lived up to any hype from their multi million pound advertising campaigns. Great on coloured hair too.

4) Superdrug Vitamin C Orange Peel Jam Mask (50 ml for £4.99)
I don’t understand how this product isn’t being raved about. It literally brings your skin back from grey to bright. It’s THAT good. It gives you a glow ( a healthy I slept 11 hours and meditated too stylee) and smells divine…well if you like the zesty smell of orange. After one use you will notice a glow. It’s that bloody good.
Actually the full range is THAT good but as I haven’t used them all enough I will save reviewing them.

5) Boots Traditional Glycerin and Rosewater (200ml for £2.39)
If there was ever a budget product that deserves cult status and to sell out THIS IS IT.
I use it at night before I go bed and find it cleanses, moisturises and tones all in one. And it smells nice. And there isn’t an endless list of ingredients either. And the price guys. Can we talk about the price? Sometimes we don’t need to reinvent the wheel…this case is a golden example of it.

6) Boots Botanics All Bright Radiance Serum ( £8.99 for 25 ml )
This is one of products you read about but don’t really understand the purpose of. You apply a few small drops to cleansed and moisturised skin. This gives you a lovely healthy glow (making it ideal for tired and dull skin). A little does go a long way with this Serum too.
I apply it over BB Cream and even lighter Foundations for a nice glow. It’s plant based magic and is at the more reasonable price point for similar products. Boots often have this on offer.

7) Loreal Pure Clay Red Algae Glow Face Mask ( £7.99 for 50 ml for 10 applications)
I’m a lover of clay based masks and this fits the bill nicely. This brightening and exfoliating mask leaves your skin visibly glowing from the first use. I use mine weekly as part of my routine however you can apply it up to 3 times depending on your own skin requirements.

8) No7 Youthful Replenishing Oil ( £23.00-available at Boots)
I have combination skin and I was looking at a face oil to apply during the day to help with dry patches and keep skin moisturised. And this product did the job. Prevention is better than cure so if you are looking at keeping skin looking young this is an awesome product to consider (also a little goes a long way).

9) Superdrug Radiant Balm Brightening Radiance Balm (50 ml for £5.99)
If you need a pick me up for your skin this is an awesome product. Add it to your skincare routine and see the difference in just weeks…literally. Ideal for the winter months where you need a boost.

10) OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Extra Penetrating oil (100 ml for £6.99).
This is the holy grail of reasonable priced hair treatments if there ever was one. I apply this after using the Herbal Essence range of Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner and I’ve never had such shiny hair. This bottle will last you a while.

And that’s my list of my top 10 discoveries.
Remember that unless you have a reaction and need to stop using a product you can only really tell if a product works for you after a reasonable amount of regular usage.

Do you have any products you discovered in 2018 (or earlier) that you can’t live without? Let us know below by sharing them.

Be social! Follow us on Facebook, IG and beyond!

My Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
Alliyah Dawud
January 25, 2019

Note: this recipe is by no means a REAL ITALIAN sauce. This is a sauce I make that is pretty much easy to put together (in less than 5 minutes if you have frozen browned mince in your freezer).

This is enough for 4 family dishes serving 4 at a time so 16 servings (or more depending on your portion sizing and if you wish to add additional vegetables).

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons pre-fried onions soaked in water for 20 minutes then drained.
6 8 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
1.5 kg mince of your choice (I use Mutton)-you can use vegan mince if you wish
1 small (250 gram) box of mushrooms diced finely
2 bell peppers (I use red) deseeded and finely diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt-to your dietary requirements
1 tin (approx 400 gram) chopped tomatoes
1 carton passata (the approx 390 gram carton-not the small one)
125 ml water

For thickening:
1 tablespoon cornflour
Extra water

1) Heat a large pot on a medium heat and add the oil. Fry off the mince to seal it and retain moisture. This step takes me 15 minutes tops but adds a lot of flavour.
2) Add the garlic to the mince and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3) Drain off the excess oil from the mince.
4) Add all the remaining ingredients to the Slow Cooker and the mince. Cook the mince sauce on a low heat for four hours. I check up on the mince after 2 hours and give it a stir.
5) After four hours the mince should be cooked (as should all the other ingredients). If the sauce isn’t as thick as you would like make a ‘slurry’ using the cornflour and a little bit of water. Add that to the Slow Cooker and stir in. Check up on the sauce after 15 minutes. The slurry should help thicken up the sauce.
6) If you are happy with the sauce consistency turn off the heat and allow to cool before freezing.

Note: if you find your Slow Cooker uses up more liquid than mine you may need to add more water. But that’s only if you use up all the ‘liquid’.

TIPS:
If you have fussy eaters and need to get vegetables into your family diet blitz the vegetables and add them to the sauce. If you feel your family won’t like the texture you can fry off the vegetables with the mince. This gives them a more ‘fried’ taste.

This sauce is clearly awesome with and can also be used in your favourite pasta bakes, skillet pasta dishes, cannellini and lasagne too. Leftovers can be used as jacket potato topping or even to top ‘Italian inspired Hotdogs’.

You can also add crushed up pulses to add extra protein.

Grated carrots are also a good addition and hardly detectable with the tomato sauce.
Tinned tomatoes with herbs and garlic will add additional flavour.

For extra flavour add a handful of olives (rinse them first to remove extra salt).

Remember that cooking in a Slow Cooker results in less liquid ‘evaporating’.

#100days left until Ramadan 2019…are you ready for it?
Alliyah Dawud
January 25, 2019

Admit it; even though you know Ramadan is an annual thing you feel it creeps up on you and the panic stricken you promises to devote themselves to nightly prayer sessions, healthy eating and committing to cleansing yourself of this world.

However time gets the best of us and before we know it things are not going to plan.

And every year POST Ramadan we promise next Ramadan will be different. But is it?

Nope!

So this year I will be posting a practical countdown to the Holy Month and hope this helps you get in control of life so you can get the best out of those 30 days and nights.

I’ll also be posting things on Social Media so don’t forget to follow us on there too.

Are you ready for this?

#100daysuntilRamadan

What can you do 100 sleeps before the Holy Month?

Answer: PLENTY.

By being practical and thinking ahead we can do a lot this far in advance.

Health:

Medical issues are one of the biggest reasons we miss fasts and taking part in the nights of blessings. So if you have pre-existing medical problems and need a check up get it done now. Need blood tests for something? Book it and stop putting it off. Give your health an MOT.

Are you a Smoker? Now is the time to consider your options to QUIT.

Have another addiction? Again now is the time as you have ample time to work towards it.

Spirituality:

Have lots to ask Allah for? Make a list of those Duas and update as the month approaches.

Give your life an MOT. Are you happy with life? Is everything going the way you want? Think about what you want to achieve and start making realistic plans now.

Life:

Got plans for big DIY projects around the home? Get organised now. You don’t want workmen in the kitchen banging away at 10AM if you are trying to fit sleep in after a night of reciting Duas and you need to be at work later. Trust me it’s an unproductive mix.
My advice is to AVOID having work done during the month. Sometimes it’s not avoidable but if you can plan as much as possible to have a peaceful Ramadan.
Declutter NOW. That’s right. NOW. The more stuff you declutter now the less stuff you have to worry about later on.

Need to book Annual Leave to give you some space in Ramadan? Do it now (the sooner the better).

Let your children’s School know when Ramadan is…chances are they already know but if you have children that may wish to take part in fasting it’s always good to give the School a heads up and vice versa.

Confident Speaker? Why not offer to read a Ramadan/Eid book at School and explain what Ramadan is to younger children so they understand why their friends celebrate it?

Top Tip: avoid booking play dates, shopping trips and other things in Ramadan. Mark Ramadan and Eid (both) on a Calendar and in your diary so that when you do go to pencil something in you can see it’s Ramadan.

Our Retailer of the year 2018…PRIMARK!
Stylemesisteradmin
January 22, 2019

Without a shadow of a doubt Primark is taking on the world. Stores are popping us Stateside and their ranges are constantly evolving, moving forward with the times and their price point in perfect for the teenage fashionistas, young Mamas, Grannies buying for their broods…etc etc etc.

This year I discovered the Primark Cosmetic Range. Now as we know many cosmetics firms have accepted that having a limited range foundation colours is no longer appealing to the UK consumers. Most probably because skin tones are no longer just ivory…and that’s a fact accepted widely now (kinda like the whole hey we’re not all size 6 you guys….).

I’m Asian and used to struggle to find a foundation to match my skin on the UK High Street. But thanks to Boots colour match services I now have the perfect red lipstick (Pillarbox red y’all) and foundation too. I also found out whilst getting myself rematched (because skin tone can change with seasons) that I didn’t need a full coverage foundation as my skin was actually in awesome condition (yay to the skin care routine!). Oh by the way my skin was still the same colour. I could rave about Boots No 7 colour match foundations but I won’t this is about Primark.

Anyway…I found Primark were selling Matte lipsticks, red lipstick (proper red. Like Alliyah red which is red with sass) and foundations. I picked up some lipsticks…because a girl can never have enough red lipsticks and I also invested £3.00 on a foundation in the shade Honey.
And guess what amigos?!

The foundation was a PERFECT MATCH.

Can you imagine my joy? Well I guess you can’t but it’s an amazing feeling!!!

On top of that I’ve started allowing my daughters to wear nail polish at the weekends at the Primark 60 pence per bottle polishes are proving not only popular in our house but are pocket friendly too (I’m sorry but my girls have to EARN treats…I’m old skool).

Apart from the foundation discovery why else am I saying Primark were the biggest winners of 2018 for me?

The fit on most products was improved!
There was enough Disney stuff to keep us all happy (Have you seen my Grumpy Duvet cover?!)
The Harry Potter Range had us all sending off applications to Hogwarts
They don’t use plastic bags…
The sales rack always have bargains on…
I picked up a pair of Chelsea Boots for…£3.00!
They also have sales.
Their home range is ever changing (side note: Primark not all that shop in your store watch reality trash so can you please ease off the crap. Thank you).
The mens range was also awesome this year (although I don’t think I purchased anything from the range this year).
Their Stationary range is the reason I need a bigger loft
Their perfume range is actually quite nice. I love the smell of roses, uud and I noted they had a few awesome fragrances during 2018. Not too expensive of course and yet they don’t last that long (however I did notice the £10.00 perfumes from the Christmas rang lingered the day after on my coat too).
The newborn range is so cool that I’m excited about welcoming bambino Tebbutt into the fold by buying lots of HP stuff and making them look like a wizard….
For those celebrating Christmas the decoration range was absolutely amazing! From Disney Princesses, Tinkerbell and Mary Poppins to Harry Potter.
Mary Poppins merch was everywhere!

Did I mention the price point?

Social Media wise the Primania section on their website is breeming to the edge with fashionistas posing around the world in Primark purchases. Primark are also active on other media platforms too (check out their Instagram for latest arrivals). Most stores have their own Facebook page to update customers on what’s in and what’s expected in soon.

So I know Primark is often accused of exploiting sweatshops however this article is about the fact they’ve done awesomely in 2018. There’s no negative in here.

What can we expect from Primark in 2019? I’m expecting pretty much more of the being ‘on trend’ with lots of Aladdin merchindise in May (can we have duvet covers please Primark!) as well as more slogan t-shirts and further investment in their cosmetics range. I believe we’ll also see better sizing that will be awesome for plus sizes everywhere.

I’m assuming further world domination is also on the cards. Go Primark!

The only slight downers for Primark are the following:

No website. Now I get why this isn’t practical however can Primark imagine the profit if they went down this path, invested effectively and PUT THE RIGHT team in the right place and allowed INTERNATIONAL purchasing?
Of course they would need to sort out the sizing…hence why they need to develop it and move forward at the right pace….

Their use of reality TV stars in their campaign. They are not needed. The price point means parents that are spending on their children on the High Street are twice as likely to walk in regardless of some woman off a reality TV show being on a poster.

Their customer service at HQ level is PANTS!
I emailed them on several occasions to ask if the Honey shade of foundation would be available across the ranges they have (e.g. powder). I got fobbed off my them to speak to my local store. Spoke to staff in store and they said HQ dealt with what to send out. And the same happened again. AND also when I reached out to them via Social Media. So that’s a thumbs down.

So Primark…we’re ready for your 2019 ranges..are you?