Finally in the Middle East!

Finally! A safe, handmade, SLS-free, Preservative-free, Parabens-free AND mostly organic, delicious looking SOAPS in EGYPT!!! Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
"Sabouna" means "Soap" in Arabic and it is the first company of its kind in the Middle East. Although Sabouna soaps are currently only available for people living in Egypt but it's getting A LOT of buzz in the personal-care products media across the Middle East!
Here are just some of the cute looking soaps Sabouna Handmade Soaps offers ;

All Sabouna Handmade Soaps products could be purchased directly through www.souq.com and Facebook fan page : https://www.facebook.com/SabounaHandmadeSoapsandCosmetics 

You could also follow Sabouna Handmade Soaps and Cosmetics on twitter :  http://twitter.com/#!/SabounaSoaps 

Watch this space there are more to come veeerrrryyy sooooooooon!

It's Sale Time!

It's SAALLLEEE time in Egypt! :))
Ramadan is almost here, اللهم بلغنا رمضان , and all the lovely ladies are preparing themselves spiritually and outfit-wise ! :) Well, Abayahs are the must-haves during Ramadan for Taraweeh prayer. Abayahs are comfy, practical and very modest but this doesn't mean you have to compromise when it comes to style. Check out Le Manteau collection and enjoy up to 50% discount!!!

Le Manteau : 192 Abd EL Salam Aref Street, Tharwat Tram station beside Omar Effendi store

Tel : 03 5840022

Alexandria, Egypt

2011 Colour Trends

Flashy colours are this season's must-have!

Femi9 : "I am playful and have fun with fashion..."

Femi9 is a Saudi brand. www.femi9.com 

Zara :

Le Manteau- A New Hip Store In Town!

Finding a modest yet young-looking and trendy Abaya / Manteau (similar to Abaya but with bottons on the front) was something like 'mission impossible' for EL Ariny sisters!
So the creative, pro-active sisters decided to solve this problem for good by designed their own Manteaux to preserve modesty , used trendy colours to keep it youthful and insisted on presenting high quality end products!
I was lucky enough and honored to be invited  to the opening ceremony of "Le Manteau" Store.

192 Abd El Salam Aref street - Tharwat tram station beside Omar Effendi
Alexandria,Egypt.

Looking For Long Skirts?

Spring/Summer 2011 Long Skirts :

Did my homework and here are all of the long skirts available in Egypt (most probably in your country too ) :

Zara (A Winner!lol ) :

 

I got this wonderful/romantic skirt :)

 

Promod :

Four Weeks of Accessories!

A month of accessories! Well, it wasn't intentional but for the past four weeks I haven't bought a thing except accessories! Hehee. Trying to stick to one of my "New Years Resolutions" : Appreciate and Buy Handmade, I bought 2 bracelets and an amazing necklace all handmade and all made with love by local emerging talents :)

Nadine's Handmade Paintings and Accessories - By Nadine Mohammed Hafez

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nadines-Atelier/189914324388297

Black Berry Accessories : By Dina Ahmed

Facebook Group : https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10605947010

5araz(handmade accessories-wedding invitation cards-fashion designs)

Me wearing it! lol :) I adore this bracelet for it's soooo Egyptian! :) 

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/5arazhandmade-accessories-wedding-invitation-cards-fashion-designs/171015622914175

Q&A : Acne scars

Question by Hagar : I want to know; I have scars cause of acne...what to do to erase them?


Answer : Acne scars/marks is a very common problem for olive-skinned ladies (Tanned Arabian-skin). There are two types of scarring ;


1- Dark spots at the place of the pimple/acne

2- Irregular skin (groves like) at the place of the pimple  .

Today I'll be discussing the first type : Dark spots/marks .


How to get a clear, dark spots-free skin:

I would like to note that getting visible results when treating any problem related to skin or/and hair takes at least 3 month (so yes you got to be patient ).


Working from the inside :   Feed your skin!
Getting a healthy skin requires a skin-friendly diet for beautiful skin starts from within! :)  

1. Brewer Yeast Tablets : Rich with B-complex vitamin (B1, B2 ,B3, B5, B6, B9,B7). Recommended dose : 3-4 Tablets daily ( Egyptian Medicated Brewer Yeast Tablets) or as stated on the bottle/container. Please note that it isn't recommended to consume Brewer Yeast if you are allergic to yeast or/and wheat. 
2. Zinc and Vitamin B12 supplement : the dose/amount of Zinc shouldn't exceed 15 mg daily.
3. Water! Yup!! at least 1.5 Liters of water everyday.

Working from the outside:

Daily : ALWAYS apply oil-free Sunblock SPF 45 (choose a Sunblock not a Sunscreen ) 20 minutes before going out in the sun.

Alternating days: 

At bed-time : Adapalene gel (Adapalene 0.1% ). To be applied to freshly cleansed skin and only on scar (NOT over the whole face). 

Weekly :

Using a facial scrub specially designed for sensitive skin, scrub (gently please!) your face twice a week after cleansing. Avoid eye area.

Biweekly (twice / month) : steaming/ getting a facial. This step to be done after removing dead skin (scrubbing). A deep cleansing mask could be used after steaming .

Recommended masks : Mud-mask , Clay or Kaolin mask.

Spring/Summer 2011 Essentials by Ann-Sofie - H&M Fashion

My 40 Days Challenge!

Salamo A'alikom Sisters!

I posted earlier that I'll be blogging about my new year's resolutions every once in a while...well one of the resolutions on my list is/was waking up at 5 am (for prayer) and not going back to sleep...I wanted to do this for years! Whenever I think about doing something to be a better, much more productive Muslima, I remember the Hadith of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) : بورك لأمتي في بكورها - “The early morning has been blessed for my ummah.” (Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2841)
In addition to this Hadith, whenever I read the biography of a successful person or a self-development book, waking-up early is the only thing all of them have in common! So I took a decision a couple of weeks ago! I won't sleep after Fajr prayer. Despite having to live on caffeine and Panadol to stay up and headache free, I felt adventurous and excited to see if I'll be able to achieve this new goal or not .
I managed to stick to my resolution for a week, but I was always tired regardless of the number of hours of sleep I got..always drained...didn't have any energy... looked exhausted and couldn't function accurately at work..which isn't fun or safe being a pharmacist!lol!
I thought that maybe being an early bird isn't my thing (I use to wake-up at 9 am)..I went to my mum (she's a medical doctor) and asked " Mumi, do you think that some people are just born with the ability to wake-up early and some aren't..well scientifically..you know?"..She immediately knew where this conversation is going so she gave me the look saying "Stick to your program..you'll get use to it by time..everything is a habit". Later that day while reading "The Leader Who Had No Title" by Robin Sharma (just finished reading this inspiring book today) I came across this paragraph which answered all of my "Why?" questions :

" Because during that initial transition period, you will be in the process of installing new habits. You'll be releasing the old, comfortable ways of doing things and shedding the previous behaviors that no longer serve your ascent into personal mastery.During those first forty days, you'll be setting up new patterns and literally rewiring your brain while recalibrate your inner controls.It's a stressful process, filled with discomfort. It'll feel hard and confusing. So it's natural to think that something is wrong.But that is not at all the case.You're just changing and growing.Everything is perfect, actually.Your former habits of thinking and being must disintegrate before better ways of behaving can begin to integrate. "

This paragraph was an eye opener for me and inspired me to start "The 40 Days Challenge" :
New Habit Number 1 : Waking -up at 5am :)

Who's in? :)

p.s I'll be blogging regularly enshaa Allah regarding this habit and other new habits I am installing!lol :) so watch this space xxx

Now It's Our Turn To Shine! :)

I am dedicating this video to the Egyptian youth...Let us start NOW , Egypt needs us NOW!






Modnmod is calling all of the Egyptian talents to join a very promising new project...so if you are a fashion designer, shoe maker,jewelry maker or even a writer and interested in re-building Egypt, please email us at modnmod at yahoo dot com.
Thanx! :)

Top 10 Foods For Glowing Skin-by Gorgeously Green :)

Lace Accessories DIY Project :)

Hi everyone! :)
Sorry for not posting anything new for a while. I believe all of you have heard that my beloved country was having a revolution!loooool! Sound like " She was busy having a baby"!haha! Anyways, hmm trying my best to cope with posting new stuff, helping to re-build my country and starting my new business ( will keep u posted with the updates regarding this issue later ;) ). Today I am just posting a video of a great DIY project I've found on youtube! Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did !

2011 New Year's Resolution Series-Part 2 : Re-use and Update

This year I decided to re-use and update my wardrobe instead of buying all-new stuff! Why? For two reasons actually; firstly, because I am an eco-fashionista and this year I want to take-up a new eco-habit. Secondly, as we all know our world is going through an economic crisis and I suspect this is affecting all of us. So I started with my beige trench coat...trench coats wear really in last year and still are….so I changed my trench coat’s brownish buttons into back ones (to suit the new look). Got a simple black dress to wear underneath, red leopard scarf(to give the look a bit of an edgy kick! lol) and red kitten heels…all on sale and all three together cost me less than 250 EGP which is around 50 USD...and I got a totally new look! :))

2011 New Years Resolution Series -Part 1 : Sunni-wood Smile :))

Get Sunni-wood Smile!

1) Visit Your Dentist ( I'll be taking an appointment this week..and yeah I hate going to the dentist too!lol) :
If you are having a gum problem or should get that wisdom tooth removed , DO NOT wait..the more you procrastinate the more things get worse...so pluck up your courage and set a date.

Gum diseases are linked to heart diseases…so care for your heart and get your teeth+gum fixed!
2) Switch To a Medicated Toothpaste:
Although I am a lover of whitening toothpastes, but the truth to be said most of them damage your teeth’s enamel…I have noticed that the more I use those types , the more sensitive my teeth gets. As part of my 2011 Resolution I switched to medical toothpaste to keep the bacteria away without being harsh on my enamel! lol

3) Tongue Scrapers:



I thought that brushing my teeth 3 times daily after meals does the trick..well I wasn't 100% right. Tongue scrapers get rid of the bacteria that causes bad breath and if you are thinking of using your tooth brush (or its back) for scraping, DON'T! You are actually helping with the spread of bad-breath causing bacteria and you are damaging your tongue tissues.
Use the scraper after brushing your teeth (1 to 2 times daily)…been use it for a week now and loving it!

Here is a very informative video to show you how to use a tongue scraper :

                     

Now for the fun part!


4) Use Suwak/Siwak/Miswak :


If you aren't familiar with the Suwak/Siwak/Miswak here is a brief introduction :
The miswak (miswaak, siwak, sewak) is a teeth cleaning twig made from a twig of the Salvadora persica tree.
Effect of Miswak from a scientific point of view : Suwak/Miswak strengthens the gums, preventing tooth decay and eliminating toothaches. Moreover, the miswak is also said to halt further increase in decay that has already set in. Furthermore, it is said to create a fragrance in the mouth, eliminate bad breath, improve the sense of taste and cause the teeth to glow and shine.
In addition, benefits not related to the teeth and gums include sharpening memory, curing headaches, creating a glow on the face of the one who continually uses it, strengthening the eyesight, assisting in digestion and clearing the voice.


A 2003 scientific study comparing the use of miswak with ordinary toothbrushes concluded that the results clearly were in favor of the users who had been using the miswaak, provided they had been given proper instruction in how to brush using it.The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the use of the miswaak in 1986.( source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miswak)
From a religious point of view : Using Suwak is part of the Sunna ( following Prophet Muhammed PBUH), so I'd like you all to update and check your intention before using the miswak, for you'll be rewarded while keeping your gum and teeth healthy ..Bingo! :))

How to use the Miswak/Siwak/Suwak is crucial for getting great results ( for me Suwak acts even better than whitening toothpastes) :




STEP ONE:
Simply scrape off about half an inch from the tip.
STEP TWO:
Then chew the tip gently until brush-like/or using a knife press gently the tip of the Miswak more than once until brush-like
STEP THREE:
Start brushing horizontally.(side-to-side motion rather than up-and-down for this may harm the gums)
STEP FOUR:
After brushing wash the tip.
STEP FIVE:
Store miswak in packet provided so it doesn’t become dirty.
STEP SIX:
Before going sleep store the miswak in a glass filled with water and put the part of the miswak that was used and leave it overnight to be soaked.
STEP SEVEN:
In the morning cut the bristles and start from step one again, this ensures u have clean bristles every day so that it is more hygienic and effective.


Etiquette of using Siwak:

• That a person should not use the siwaak in front of others or in public, because this is impolite.

• That the siwaak should be washed after use, to get rid of any dirt that may be on it.

• The siwaak should be kept in a clean place.

[Source: Collected & Edited by MiracleBrush.com Team]

Additional tip : DO NOT use the 'flavoured' ones for they contain artificial fragrance/scents

Here is a cool video on how to use Miswak :) Enjoy ;)

                     

















5) A Good Massage! :

Give your gums a good massage using cold-pressed,extra-virgin olive oil. Apply a few drops of the oil to your finger tips and massage your gum. Olive oil will improve your gum's health and whiten your teeth.