a maghribiya's new year resolution

2010 was a difficult year. I have been through a lot this year and in return  grew so much wiser. I have been through difficult heartaches;  from a person who I loved deeply, to a family member, to some of the best friends I have ever met. But loosing them made me stronger, wiser. Going through some difficulties made me turn to the one Person that is and will always be there for me; Allah (God). I became closer to my God, I started wearing Hijab and increased my interest and knowledge for Islam. 

After all, I am much happier with myself, I learned my own strength and learned to greatly love myself and not feel guilty or selfish about wanting to make my self happier before others. I am much more confident, I know what I want and what I don't want. and I will not let anyone try to bring me down. 

anyhow, goodbye 2010, heeeloooooo 2011! here are 11 resolutions for this new year.

1.Become more organized!!!!

2. Get a cute little notebook, and write a to-do list everyday. 

3.Get a grant tutor for calc, physics, and chemistry. 

4.NOT TEXT IN CLASS

5.Sit away from my loud and obnoxious friends in class to focus more. 

6.lead a healthier life style. 

7.grow my hair even longer.

8.focus focus focus in uni. 

9.DO ALL MY HOMEWORK ON TIME. 

10.get straight A's in alllll my classes. 

11.stay happy :D

okayyy, so CLEARLY my new year's going to be all about my education. Im really determined but I feel like last semester I was goofing around and stuff and its time to get serious again :)
what are some of your new years resolutions?

New year clebration?!? WHY SHOULD I celebrate exactly

Instead of feeling happy and the need to celebrate the new year, I have a weird unwelcoming feeling. Specially when I think of the last year's new years. I swear it feels like it was last week, last year on January,01,2010 at 12:00 I was at the airport in Dubai waiting in line to get my passport checked. I was excited to start the New year in a different country, this year I will be at work. I just feel sad when I think of how fast it went by and quite honestly I am scared of how fast it will keep going. its scary, I dont want my life to rush by. I mean people are always complaining "AH CAN SUNDAY COME ANY FASTER, CAN THIS HOUR GO BY ANY FASTER" and before you know it a whole year goes by. then two, three, four suddenly your whole life just passed by without you even noticing or feeling it.
I wish for my time to go as slow as possible, I want to feel every second of my living years to come.

all I remember is being at the airport in Dubai, random people in line saying "HAPPY NEW YEARS " to me, my mom hugging me and screaming happy new years..........................

12 months

52 weeks

365 days 

8,765 hours

525948 minutes

32556926 seconds LATER 

Im sitting in my bed blogging about how fast that year went by. 

where did all that time go? I dont know about you, but I see NO reason to celebrate. 

but I will anyways, not for the sake of the new year but just because I love celebrations :P

Blogging!

I'd like to say that I am extremly flattered each time I click under the "stats" button and I get to see the diffrent viewers from all the diffrent countries! it is great! and by the way the flag counter thing is wrong it has less views and countries than it should have! dont be upset if you dont see your flag there hehe :) anyways I just want to say that love blogging,I started this blog about a month ago. But I hardly posted anything and I just started posting and actually blogging 5 days ago (dec.25) and already its going spectacular!

  I love the amount of readers I am attracting and I want to thank each and every single one of you guys! I PROMISE to make  my posts the best they could be. keep comming back for more! and again thank you thank you thank you and THANK YOU!!!! 

much love and stay safe. 

PS- I am making a new years resolution list! I want to challenge you all to make one as well, even if you could only come up with one new years resolution :) anddd I will be posting my list soon, come back and see if we have some goals in common! 

mwah mwah mwah <3 

XOXO-S.L


oh oh oh, I forgot to say something thank you all for the votes it means so much each time I view my blog and there are more vote! YOU ARE GREAT. :)

Eyebrow threading, Indian eyebrow threading.

first of all I'd like to thank the Indian women that invented threading! (I dont think she is still alive) but, YOU ARE A GENIUS THANK YOU.

I cam across threading a few years ago while shopping at the mall. today, almost every good mall I go to (in america) has an eyebrow threading place. it is a technique that removes unwanted facial hair, it is less painful than any other technique out there, and its also great for sensitive skin and the hair does not grow any thicker! I LOVE IT. 

whats even better is its easy and simple and about any one can do it themselves, and remember practice makes perfect :) 

(all the pictures below were taken by me unless stated otherwise, you may not use any of my photos with out permission. thank you)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED.... 

100% Cotton thread

 Scissors

 && your hands hehe :P

 Cut a piece of thread about that long, or about 20cm

 Tie the two ends of the thread. you will be left with a giant circle

 Put your hands in between the thread

 Twist one of your hands of about 7 times.

 The twisting will result in a couple of knots in the middle of the thread.

 You will be using it to act like scissors, as one hand opens the other should close moving the knots in one direction. as the knots move they will grab the hairs out.

 For little hairs, please use tweezers. you do not want to mess up your eyebrows :)

This can be used for eyebrows, lips chin or any facial area with unwanted hair :) P R A C T I C E

(THE PICTURE BELLOW WAS TAKEN FROM latahairstylist.com)

Moroccan Caftan. Caftan maghreby. القفطان المغربي

Hello beautiful ladies! okay so today I want to share with you some of my photos of the moroccan caftan. I love all types of caftans, they make the women look so beautiful and graceful! A caftan is a traditional arabic dress that can be worn in special events such as weedings, parties or if you are like me, I like to just wear them at home and feel beautiful :) every country has their own style of caftans. I will now share with you some of mine and my family's caftans. 

ALL PICTURES ARE OF ME AND MY FAMILY MEMBERS, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE ANY OF MY PICTURES WITHOUT ASKING FOR PERMISSION. THANK YOU!

 

My aunt here is wearing a summer caftan, in light blue. it is very soft and great for the hot weather. 

 My cousin is wearing a dark blue and black caftan, with the brown belts that acts as a pop of color. I absolutely love the big sleeves!

   My cousin here is wearing a yellowish grayish caftan, that is very shiny it looks wonderful on her skin tone. one side of the caftan actually goes up into the belt to reveal the pants. this is a new style for the moroccan caftan

My aunt here is wearing a floral caftan. floral patterns were really big this summer. everywhere you looked everyone had a floral dress, so it made scene for me to see floral caftans when I went to morocco.

&& this is my caftan. one thing we all know is to NEVER wear white to a weeding, its kind of inappropriate and disrespectful to the bride since she should be the only one wearing white. but if you know me, you already know I like to take chances, and since white is my favorite summer color than why NOT! 

My caftan is white with different flower patterns on it, concentrating on purple, underneath was a purple one with no sleeves of course. and I matched my hijab with it (white and purple scarves)

Aicha's caftan is one of the best! its packed with details and is made with the finest of material. it took months for her caftans to be made, but it was defiantly worth it!

this is one of my favorite caftans! it also has two pieces. and as you can see I just decided to sit home and wear it :) no event needed! and thanks to my cousin for taking the photo! 


IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BUYING A MOROCCAN CAFTAN OR HAVING A MOROCCAN CAFTAN MADE FOR YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME HERE OR SEND ME AN EMAIL TO:  MOROCCAN.QUEEN1@HOTMAIL.COM

Moroccan ghassoul; "An ancient beauty of face and body care"

Hello loveliesssss!!!! okay so today I will talk to you about ghasoul! there isnt a PURE Moroccan women that hasnt used ghasoul! and there isnt a single "Hamam maghribi" that doesnt sell it. I must admit, I used to HATE when my mother would put skin ghasoul on me when i was little, ah and the hair ghasoul nonono!

Ghasoul is also known as Moroccan lava clay.

Here im using this kind, I purchased this from Dubai. (ironically) let me know if you live in UAE and is interested in purchasing, I will give you the exact address of the place. 

It looks like a powder 

Here I will use a small amount since im going to demonstrate on my hands. 

Use more if you want to apply to your face, and even more if you want to apply to your body.

 Mix with warm (not hot) water

 Stir, until you have smooth mud

 Rub the mud on your skin (face, body, skin etc.)

 Leave mud for 10 to 15 min. it should feel dry and hard, almost like henna when it dries!

 Wash off with warm water, remove completly and towel dry. your skin should feel A LOT more cleaner, tighter and even look lighter. apply at LEAST once a week :) enjoy

Pour le soins du corp et du visage: 

Melanger le ghassoul avec de leau tiede afin dobtenir une pate. appliquer celle-ci sur peau humide laisser secher entre 10 et 15 minutes, puis rincer!

للعناية بالجسم و بشرة الوجه

اخلطي ١٠٠ غرام من طين الغسول مع الماء او ماء الورد حتى تحصلي على مزيج خاثر ثم ضعيه على جميع جسمك و بشرة الوجه كقناع ويترك لمدة ١٥ دقيقة ثم يغسل بالماء الفاتر

Arabian bakhoor

Bakhoor is used by most arabs. it is like perfume for the home! only, its all natural :)
today my family and I used some bakhoor, which we bought from UAE, Dubai.

All of these pictures were taking by me. you do not have the right to copy any of my photos, unless you ask. thank you.

How to grow long nails!

Okay so I've gotten A LOT of questions about my nails. 
the most common is "are those your real nails?" which usually follows with "How did your nails to be that long? mine NEVER grow that long" 
the answer is YES! they are my real nails. 

The story to growing my nails.....
When I was in Morocco this summer I decided I wanted a little length to my nails since I always cut them off. but one thing I hated was having dirty nails. so everytime I washed my hands I used an old toothbrush to keep them clean. I would scrub the toothbrush in a soab bar and that scrub my nails!
what I didnt know was there is a chemical in toothpast that actually helps your nails grow faster and longer, and yes I have used that toothbrush so im sure it contained some of the toothpast left.
and before I knew it, not only were they clean but my nails started to gradually get longer.


how to grow healthy long nails......

• SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB!!!! - yes! this is a fact scrub and wash your hands every change possible. you can use a nail brush or an old toothbrush.

• DO NOT bite your nails! please dont do it, not only is it dissgusting but you nails look like crap! 

• Once they started to grow, to avoid breaking file them. you may be tempted to get them longer  but trust me, if you dont file them down they will break. filing your nails helps them grow stronger.

• Watch your overall health. the healthier you are the better your skin will look, the longer and healthier your nails and hair will grow! 

• Little things like this DO matter to the overall beauty :) 

My nails......

Tis the season!

AHHH, its that time of the year again :) 

you know, snow outside the window, warm fussy sweaters, hot chocolate & marshmallows, family relaxing in front of the fireplace, peppermint ice cream, candy-canes, apple pie, busy busy BUSY malls, the whole city decorated in beautiful colorful lights, Christmas music :) 

    welll I think you get the point! Im not Christian, but I love love Christmas time! not so much the Christmas itself, but the feeling that warm homey lovely christmasy feeling. it is a fact that when you give a gift or receive a gift a chemical in your brain is releases that automatically bonds people together and brings happiness. Not only is the person giving or the person receiving experiences this feeling but also simply a person that just sits and witness people giving and receiving gifts feels the same :).......ohhhhhh soo thats why everyone is super duper happy and nice during this season?!? YUP! 

anyhow here are some of my favorite christmas music :) enjoyyyyyy 

hello

OKAY, its been a WHILE since I posted :( I feel extremely guilty.

any how,

• Im finished with my third semester of uni :) it was definitely the toughest year! very stressful, I found myself having to drop a chemistry course,which each time I think of I feel like a failure :( 

• The new year is right around the corner, and boy am I ready for a C H A N G E. 

• About every year I do something Ive never done before, something crazy. and now I am ready for that change again :) usually I get a new haircut/style, but since im growing my hair and I wear hijab I wont do that! 

• but I really need something new, something fresh, something to make me look AND feel GOOD!! 

in the coming posts I will be typing away my new years resolution :)

I AM READY FOR A CHANGE.

The dangers of black henna

Hi lovelies, so as you can see In my henna posts I have a pic of my self with black henna design.
I wanted to warn everyone out there about black henna,

First off let me clear out that I got my black henna in Jama3 el fena, (or how Americans like to call it Djamaa el fena)
and the chemical that makes black-henna dangerous and deadly is PROHIBITED AND ILLEGAL in Jama3 el Fena! yes, Police officer and make sure that the black henna is completly SAFE, if the chemical is found the designer is in big trouble with the law! and would face time behind bars!
this is the ONLY reason I trust having Black henna done.

 This is a henna designer in jama3 el fena square (I got this photo from google)

Havent you heard the news? 

• if you are an arab women, you probably have heard of people having extreme health problems after applying black henna, and some even die! 

• recently, a bride in UAE has died from this black henna

• thousands of women and men have died from it

why is so dangerous about it? 

• MOST of black henna contain a chemical called PPD (para-Phenylendiamine)
• PPD is a dye that is used to make the henna past jet black, it also helps the henna stick to the skin more 
• unlike natural henna that just sticks to the dead skin cells, PPD absorbes INTO your skin which  than goes into your blood, and off it goes to important places such as the kidneys. 
• once PPD enters your body it will never leave, it there forever 
• since everyone is diffrent, some people dont see any side effects while others have many complications 
• although you may not have any side effects now, studies have shown that this chemical builds up with in time and MIGHT haunt you in the future 
• I did have black henna before, and I am not sure if it contained PPD but I didnt have any side effect YET, but after knowing all this I wish someone would have warned me before. 
• even though I didnt have any side effects, no one wants to know that they have this deadly chemical swiming in their blood stream right?! and neither do I want to have any side effects when Im older! 
• soooo having said all this I thinks it is EXTREMELY, important to let all the sisters and brothers out there not to use this so called "black henna" even if the designers says "its safe", for all we know they just care about the money ;)

Moroccan Henna. Khaleeji Henna. Indian Henna.

okay, so like most arab girls, I am a sucker for henna!
I love love love henna!!! especially this last year or so ive been really into it!

 Here are some of my henna pictures from this summer (in Morocco)

and here are some henna designs I got from the internet: 

More Moroccan designs :)

• Moroccan designs seem to contain flowers and leaves and the stuff like that
• usually they do one finger (usually the Index finger) and work their way down to the hand
• doesn't really contain that much details, really simple
• usually ends at a little bit after the palm, but i like to tell them to make it a little longer
• older women, usually get the whole hand done, full of designs
• Also, as you can see in some of my photos above, the henna designers in morocco use REAL needles, they are sold at any herpes shop. you put the henna past and would have to hold the needle the certain way to get it out! which is quite difficult to do. and no! they dont hurt of anything, in fact the needle doesn't touch your hands :)

  khaleeji designs :)

• I LOVE Khaleeji designs! the details are absolutely gorgeous
• they seem to have more shapes and details than moroccan designs 
• khaleeji henna have either clean and little bit of henna applied or a whole lot 
• most khalleji designs do go further up in the arm, and during weddings it is traditional to have a lot of henna up to the elbow!

 Indian designs :)

• Indian henna consists of a lot of details and work! 
• usually the whole hand is decorated and it also does go above the hand and more into the arm
• you can also see that it has a different color than the arabic henna

I hope you enjoyed! thanks for reading 

have a wonderful and safe day/night 

xoxo SL.