Thoughtful Thursday

Happy Thursday!

Workout Wednesday: Pulsing Lunge

I did a bunch of these at the gym last night and I'm really feeling it today, so i thought it would be a great move to share. The burn from these are definitely worth it as it makes a standard lunge more challenging and with great results. Let me know how you feel after you try them!

Wedding Weekend Part 1

Dress: Adrianna Papell via Nordstrom // Hijab: Nordstrom // Sleeves: H&M

I can't believe the weekend flew by so quickly and another one of my best friends is married mA! The first night of festivities was the Mendhi which involved, music, dancing and of course food! I was able to stop and get some quick shots of my outfit before the party started and I got a few shots with my lovely Zainab who always looks so beautiful, I was loving her kaftan!

I immediately fell in love with this dress I called my 'Gatsby' dress because it reminded me of the dresses from the movie and I began my hunt on hijabi-fying it immediately. I loved the open back and cap sleeves and I wanted to make sure I showed off these details in my final look. In my previous post on Hijabi Formal Wear here, I explained the routine I stick by for Hijabi Formal Wear. I didn't want to cover up the details of the dress by wearing a cardigan on top, so I wore a long sleeve shirt underneath to place focus on the beauty of the design of the dress. It wasn't an easy task to find the right color for my sleeves and hijab, but after a few long trips to the mall, I found the perfect items! Alh.

Stay tuned for Wedding Weekend part two!

Hijabi Formal Wear

Wedding season is in full blast right now, and I have been MIA as I look for the perfect dresses for one of my best friends wedding this coming weekend. Finding the perfect look for one night is hard enough, but having to find two dresses for two nights of wedding bliss has been a real fiasco! This inspired this post on hijabi formal wear. This is the motto I have always lived by:

1. When wearing a dress with any type of sleeves, I usually wear a long sleeve turtle neck shirt underneath and wear my hijab tied back. You can also wear the dress with a normal long sleeve shirt and your hijab down, but the key point here is wearing a shirt underneath to show the straps of the dress. This creates a fluid look because the sleeves flow with the straps and it looks like a one piece dress.

2.When wearing a sleeveless dress, I wear a cardigan on top with my hijab worn down as usual. The reason I don't wear long sleeves under a strapless dress is because I feel like it makes the outfit look choppy since you can see exactly where the dress ends and the long sleeve shirt begins. Wearing a cardigan on top creates an illusion allowing the outfit to flow better.

I have always stuck to this routine and I think that it always gives an elegant end result. I can't wait to share my final looks after this weekends events!

Hijabi Formal Wear by hanihulu featuring a red strapless gown

OOTD: Peach & Bows

Top: F21 // Skirt: Zara // Belt: H&M

This is one of my favorite belts because it's big and chunky and you can tie it a few different ways. Sometimes I tie it as a bow and sometimes I tie it in a knot and let it fall. I also love it because it can change up a whole outfit- for example, this is the same beaded Zara skirt i wore in this previous post, but you wouldn't even be able to tell since the belt covered the beads!

Aquila Style Feature

In case you missed it- make sure to check out Aquila Style's feature on me here!

OOTD: Hearts and Stripes

Blazer: Zara // Shirt: F21 // Pants: H&M // Shoes: Sperry's // Purse: Aldo

This is a great new area in Philly called the Oval. They have different activities every day! We stopped by for a quick round of ping pong haha.

OOTD: Eid

Pants + Shirt + Necklace: Zara // Heels: Bakers

I hope you all had a wonderful Eid! We did the usual- Eid Prayer and then FOOD! We went to this new halal place in Philly called iMunch. They have very good sandwiches if you're ever in the area I highly recommend it!!

Workout Wednesday: Polar Watch

I recently purchased a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor watch which is one of the more basic watches that Polar carries. I initially wanted the watch to get more accurate numbers for calories burned when I was running outside or doing other workouts that didn't have a calorie count on the machine, what can I say, I'm an accountant it's all about the numbers to me! But after I started using it I don't really look at the calories burned but rather my heart rate itself. It motivates me to push harder to keep my heart rate in a high range which in return causes more fat burned. Once I'm done with the workout the watch gives me stats like how long I was in my goal heart rate zone and the highs and lows as well as total calories burned. If you want a more fancy watch you should check out their other models that will also tell you how much fat you burned and other great options. I kept it basic because I'm focusing more on my heart rate more than anything when I work out. Does anyone else use a polar watch, maybe a different model? I'd love to hear others feedback!

Here are some of my recent eats!

Whey Protein Smoothie post workout.  

 Egg whites with black beans, cashews and plain yogurt on the side.

 Mixed fruit- my FAVORITE!

 Hard boiled egg whites with tomatoes, pickles and yogurt on the side.

1 Egg and egg whites mixed with cottage cheese and turkey meatballs.

(Not pictured, two meatballs I already ate haha)

Mixed spinach salad with tomatoes, black beans, avocado, cucumbers, feta and tuna.

Flea Market Finds

 

Sunday I spent the day at the Brooklyn Flea Market in Philly. It was my first time going and it was probably the best flea market I've been to. They had such a wide variety of antique booths, clothing, toys, art etc. After that I had to stop by South Street to pick up a Blueberry Buttermilk Pancake Cupcake from Undercover Cupcake. I tortured myself by smelling the cupcake frosting for about 5 minutes because it smells just like a blueberry pancake with maple syrup frosting! If you're ever in the area I suggest you check it out- they also come in cute jars which I love.