Autumn/Winter Skincare

Clearly Summer has left the UK before it even began to settle in. Already I'm digging out my boots and chunky knits, ready for the cold wind and rain that is slowly arriving. Alongside changing up my wardrobe, I also adjust my skincare routine. I find that during the Winter, I get a lot of patches of dry skin on my cheeks and my eczema flares up really badly. And don't forget the chapped, cracked lips and dry hands! I've put together a little list of products that I will be using throughout the next few months to keep the Winter skin at bay!

 

L'occitane Honey Shea Butter - A handy little tub that I keep on my desk. I massage this into my nails and cuticles to keep them hydrated.

& Other Stories Punk Bouquet Body Scrub - A new body scrub that I picked up a few weeks ago on a trip to Oxford Street. This scrub smells lovely and sweet (as you'd probably have guessed by the name) and it's not too harsh on the skin (but it is exfoliating enough) =)

EOS Lipbalm - My Holy Grail lip balm. Seriously, this is better than Carmex!

Lanolips Lip Ointment - My other HG lip balm. Just as good as the EOS and it's a lot easier to carry around in my bag.

Bioderma Atoderm Nourishing Cream - This Bioderma cream is helping keep my eczema and dry skin at bay. Ever since I've come back from holiday, the eczema around my eyes has disappeared (I think it's something to do with the warmer climate), and I'm just using this around my ears and my arms and legs, as I seem to always be getting told that I have very dry skin.

L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - I have back-ups of this hand cream. This is another HG product and I use it all the time. The Shea Butter in the hand cream helps keep my hands moisturised and nourished so I'm not constantly applying hand cream.

Do you change up your skincare for Autumn and Winter?




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Winter Warmer - Yankee Candles

I've always heard about Yankee Candles but have only been purchasing them for a few months now as Clinton Cards stock a small selection in stores. I love burning candles (especially in the Winter) as they add warmth and fragrance to any room. The Yankee Candles in particular are scented enough that you can smell the fragrance while it's burning (I've used candles before which smell great when they're still packaged, but have no scent when you burn them).

I recently picked up samplers in Pink Dragonfruit, Black Coconut, Fluffy Towels, Midsummer's Night and Cinnamon Stick. I prefer the samplers as they are small and easy to store (no big jars) but still burn for upto 15 hours. I have a glass tealight holder to stand them up in when they burn, otherwise I'd have a puddle of wax to clean up!

Red Velvet Yankee Candle burning away (while the snow falls outside)

 

 

What do you think of Yankee Candles? Any favourite scents that you have?

 

 



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UnderMyAbaya: Winter Warmer

Haven't done an UnderMyAbaya post in ages! This one is inspired by the lack of sunshine and warm weather now that it's nearly winter here in the UK (just waiting for the snow to arrive).

 

AX Paris Patterned Sweater / Warehouse Straight Leg Jeans / New Look Buckle boots / Dorothy Perkins Bangle / Topshop Scarf

A cosy and comfortable under abaya outfit that's perfect for keeping me warm whilst not looking like I've got too many layers on (not that that's a bad thing). A knitted jumper dress/top worn with a pair of straight leg jeans that are tucked into the knee length boots (to avoid the whole soggy and uncomfortable trouser hems that are always a result of typical British weather). Accessorise with a simple bangle and a printed hijab to add something a little different and bring the whole outfit together.

It's easy to put an abaya (and probably a coat aswell) over the top of this outfit, and avoid looking too bulky.


What's your perfect winter outfit?



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Autumn/Winter Boots : Bring on the Rain (not really)

I really need to go on a spending ban soon, as I've been buying quite a bit over the past few weeks. In my defense, I'm adjusting my wardrobe for the colder months which have arrived (a little too early for my liking).

 

My most recent purchase is this pair of High Leg Chelsea boots from New Look, which I purchased for just under £20 (with student discount). I chose the high leg boots as they will stop my feet and legs from getting wet when it's raining, especially as the bottom half of my abaya gets soaked (especially from the knees down). I love the brown colour, which is perfect for the Autumn/Winter seasons and they make a nice change from the usual black boots. These are also wide fit boots and have a low heel, which means that they are practical and comfortable, and also don't squash my feet (also perfect for wearing with thick, winter socks). Not too sure about how these will hold up when it starts to snow but I'll definitely be making use of these boots in the next few months (I have a separate pair of boots for when the snow arrives!) =)

(excuse the photo from the website. I couldn't get a decent picture with my camera)

 



Expect to see a few OOTD posts soon featuring these boots (especially as it's been raining quite a bit).

What do you think? Have you started wearing outfits from your autumn/winter wardrobe?




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Hijabi Tip: Layering

Luckily, the art of layering clothes is a great way to keep warm during these winter months. Most hijabis do this on a daily basis, in order to keep their own style while being modest and appropriately covered. Long sleeve tops are a basic winter must-have. Primark, H&M, New Look and other high street stores offer a variety of colours and fabrics to choose from, so you can shop around for tops that you would feel comfortable wearing. Personally, I find the Primark long sleeve/stretch tops perfect because the material is not so thin that it doesn't keep you warm, but at the same time it's not ridiculously thick which means you can't layer over it.

For Example:

Layered Look by .x.asmaa.17.x. featuring h&m tops

(click here to find out more about the products)

Here's a few of the tops you should be able to find:

Long Sleeve Basic Tops by .x.asmaa.17.x.
(click here for more information about the products)

Hope this helps and enjoy the winter!

=)
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London Snow

Seeing as snow always seems to bring London to a standstill (or something like it), I thought I'd share some pictures of the lovely stuff (taken from indoors of course) =D

Outside the window (with the tree in the way!)

 Icy road and snow topped cars

=)

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Hot Chocolate Recipe

My perfect hot chocolate recipe =)

Milk (measure out how much you want in a mug)
Hot chocolate powder (3-4 heaped teaspoons)
Double Cream (a small dash)
Sugar (to taste)
Hot Chocolate Toppings (marshmallows, cocoa powder, whipped cream, syrup etc.)

Heat milk and cream in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Add in hot chocolate powder and stir well (or hand whisk if you prefer). Add sugar if requires. Pour into a mug and top with toppings of your choice. =D

I find that this works best with Aero hot chocolate however, it can be used with any hot chocolate mix.


EDIT: Add one or two teaspoons of Nutella (or any chocolate spread!) when heating the milk and cream, to add a rmore chocolate-y taste.
=)
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SNOW!!

It's snowing in London (finally)! Luckily the underground is working okay, so I managed to get to uni and back home, but I feel sorry for all those people who use national rail/overground services because of all the delays =(

Now I need to find a decent pair of boots because it sure is going to be icy for the rest of the week and I don't really want to end up on the floor. I was amazed at how I still had dry feet after wearing a pair of Converse in the snow and slush  =)

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Hijabi: Winter Style

So winter is here (unfortunately) and it's freezing cold. This is a quick set to show how I would dress up warm in order to brave the weather outside =)

Winter Hijabi by .x.asmaa.17.x.

Ladies Military Coat, 30 GBP, Peacocks
Black side tie ankle boots, 35 GBP, Dorothy Perkins
Nine West Boom Boom Cross Body Chain Strap Cross Body (BLUE), $40, Nine West
Navy Blue Crystal Wreath Brooch, 15 GBP, Avalaya
Blue Rio sparkle scarf, 15 GBP, Debenhams
Grey fingerless gloves, 6 GBP, Dorothy Perkins
Silver Birch Abaya, 79.99 GBP, Aab

=)
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Cold Weather

It's cold in London at the moment, so I thought I'd do a post on gloves. There are so many different types of gloves, ranging in styles, colours and fabric. I've just included the 5 most common styles below.

Gloves by .x.asmaa.17.x. featuring striped gloves

F&F Soft Leather Glove, 10 GBP, Clothing at Tesco
Velvet Bow Fine Stripe Capped Gloves, 10 GBP, Monsoon
Stripe Arm Warmer, 8 GBP, Jane Norman
F&F Fairisle gloves, 4 GBP, Clothing at Tesco
Dark Grey Chunky Cable Mittens, 8 GBP, Dorothy Perkins

=)
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