Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2020

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale starts early today for all cardmembers and on August 18th for everyone else and ends on August 30th. The sale is accessible online and in stores for U.S. and in stores only for Canada.

Here are some of my faves from the sale preview of the U.S. website! 

• Beautyblender Electric Feels Set
• MAC Haute Gossip Mini Lipstick Kit 
• MAC Love Me Lip Kit
• L’Occitane Hand Cream Duo Set
• Kiehl’s Jumbo Ultra Facial Cleanser
• T3 Midnight Blue Cura Professional Digital Ionic Hair Dryer
• Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum Set
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Bae-sics Kit
• Hermès Terre d'Hermès - Pure perfume gift set
• Mario Badescu The Essentials Set
• Luxie Rose Gold Eye Brush Set 
• Kate Spade mini initial pendant necklace 
• Quay Australia Jezabell 53mm Glitter Aviator Blue Light Blocking Glasses
• Jessica Simpson Witrey Pointed Toe Sandal 
• Ted Baker London Laiiney Quilted Wallet on a Chain
• Versus Versace Moscova Leather Strap Watch, 38mm
• Coach Foldover Leather Card Case 
• Saint Laurent 57mm Round Sunglasses
• The Marc Jacobs Vertical Zippy Leather Wallet
• Tom Ford Georgina 57mm Gradient Lens Square Sunglasses
• Kate Spade large florence leather shoulder bag
• The Marc Jacobs The Croc Embossed Leather Crossbody Bag
• UGG Whistler Throw Blanket 
• Nordstrom At Home Sheared Stripe Faux Fur Throw 
• DKNY Modern Slub Velvet Set of 2 Window Panels
• Voluspa Vermeil Set of 5 Mini Tin Candles
• RIKI Skinny Lighted Mirror
• DKNY PURE Comfy White Duvet Cover
• S’well Smokey Quartz 17-Ounce Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle 
• Vadham The India Tea Carnival Set of 6 Loose Leaf Teas

Ramadan Vlog 2020

Happy Friday! I've been wanting to post this Ramadan prep vlog since the beginning but I got so busy during Ramadan and finally finished editing it today! I'm still shocked that there are less than 10 days left! It passed by so fast! 

If you're still looking to donate, I would recommend checking out Penny Appeal! They donate 100% of your zakat to those in need.

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Recipes

• Chapli Kababs - Click here for the website where I got the recipe from but here are the ingredients I ended up using:
• 1 kg ground beef
• 2 large tomatoes, 1 onion, 7 green chillies and 2 handful of coriander leaves
• 6 tbsp gram flour
• 4 tbsp crushed coriander
• 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp pink himalayan salt
• 2 tbsp desi ghee
• 1 egg 
• 1 tbsp garlic paste

• Chocolate covered Energy balls - Click here for the website where I got the recipe from but made few changes. I covered them with dark chocolate and cocunut. Here are the ingredients used for the energy balls:
• 1 cup dates
• ⅓ cup almond sliced 
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• ⅔ cups oats 
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 Tbs water

• Date and Almond Butter Energy Balls - Click here for the website where I got the recipe from but slightly changed it a bit. I ended up covering them with some shredded coconut. Here are the ingredients I used:
• 1 cup dates
• 1 Tbsp flax seeds
• 3 Tbsp all-natural almond-hazelnut butter 
• 2/3 cup oats
• 2 tsp cocoa

• Stuffed Dates - I washed the dates, took out the seeds, stuffed them with nuts and sprinkled some coconut. I absolutely love these!!

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Gift Bags

We sent out some gift bags to some of our family and friends featuring the following items:

• Energy Balls and Stuffed Dates featured in this post

• Chapli Kababs
• Saleha Art  Islamic Instant Print - Barakah: I printed it on sticker paper that they can stick or frame. You can use my referral code ARZAN217 to get 10% off your order.

And for those who had kids, I added the following items:

• Kids' activity books: I designed these and they're still available on sale on my Etsy store.
• Eid Money Envelopes: I designed these and used Cricut Maker to cut them out.

 I also used the Cricut Maker to cut out this design and gifted this onesie to my nephew!

Sephora Spring Sale 2020

Sephora Spring Sale starts today for VIB Rouge! Click here to shop using code SPRINGSAVE. 

• VIB Rouge: 20% off  from April 17th to May 1st 2020 
• VIB: 15% off from April 21st to April 29th 2020
• Beauty Insiders: 10% off from April 23rd to April 27th 2020

Looking for ideas on what to get for the sale? Check out my video for my recommendations for the Holiday 2019 sale.

My top 5 favorite Rosy/Mauve Nude Lipsticks

Here are lip swatches of my 5 top favorite rosy/mauve nude lipsticks. For shade reference, I'm in NC40 in MAC.

• Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncuffed - rosy mauve 
• Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick 86 English Rose
• Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Pay Day - rosy mauve (cool toned)
• MAC Matte Lipstick in Soar - deep mauvish plum 
• Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipstick - 109 Praline

Arm swatches of all 5 shades

Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color in Uncuffed

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick 86 English Rose

Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Pay Day

MAC Matte Lipstick in Soar

Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipstick - 109 Praline

Valentine's Day Makeup Tutorial ft Huda Beauty Nude Palette

Here's a a makeup look for valentine's day that I created using Huda Beauty Nude Palette. The makeup tutorial is in urdu but I listed all the products in the video. I'm featured 2 nude lip options. Which lip option do you prefer?

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Products Mentioned

• Farsali Skintune Blur Perfecting Primer Serum - Mini
• Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation 228 Soft Tan
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade - Dark Brown
• Benefit Cosmetics 24-Hr Brow Setter Shaping & Setting Gel
• MAC Studio Finish Concealer NC40 
• NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer - Ginger
• Huda Beauty The New Nude Eyeshadow Palette
• Huda Beauty Life Liner Double Ended Eyeliner Liquid & Pencil
• Benefit BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara
  
• Huda Beauty Classic False Lashes Samantha #7
• Huda Beauty The Overachiever High Coverage Concealer - Granola
• Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Match Stix Matte Skinstick - Truffle
• Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder Translucent
• KKW Beauty Powder Contour & Highlight - Medium
• Becca Cosmetics Pop Goes the Glow Champagne Pop Face & Eye Palette
• Shiseido Minimalist Whipped Powder Blush - Sonoya
• MAC Whirl Lip Pencil
• Make Up For Ever Artist Liquid Matte Lipstick - 109 Praline
• Huda Beauty Liquid Lipstick Bombshell - subtle pinkish nude
• Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Pay Day - rosy mauve (cool toned)

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Brushes Mentioned

• Sigma F80 - Flat Top Kabuki
• Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge 100 
• Sigma E75 - Angled Brow
• Sigma E54 - Medium Sweeper
• Sigma E35 - Tapered Blending
• Morphe M332 - Fluffy Crease
• Sigma E55 - Eye Shading
• Sigma E40 - Tapered Blending
• Sigma F35 - Tapered Highlighter
• Sigma F05 - Contour Brush
• MAKE UP FOR EVER 120 Medium Powder Fan Brush
• e.l.f. Small Tapered Brush
• Morphe M149 - Small Round Contour

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation retails for $64 CAD ($49 USD) and it's claimed to be a buildable, full-coverage foundation with up to 16 hours of lightweight, natural, fade-resistant wear. It's available in 34 shades and I got the shade Barcelona.

Here's my review of the foundation. I did a demo, 8-hour wear test and comparison with NARS Sheer Glow Foundation.

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation comes in a glass bottle and contains 1 oz (30 mL) of product. I'm glad it comes with a pump unlike NARS Sheer Glow Foundation. 

Coverage: Full
Finish: Natural
Shades: Available in 34 Shades
Application: NARS recommends to apply on clean, moisturized skin without primer. I would recommend using less product because if you use a lot, it can easily end up looking cakey.

I did a 8-hour wear test and I love how the foundation held up during the day. I have combination skin and I get oily on T-zone area and I love the fact that my skin barely looked oily by the end of the day. I definitely think this is a longwearing foundation!  

Overall, I do think it's a good foundation! I like the fact that it's longwearing and provides a full coverage without using too much product. I would recommend using less product as you can because otherwise, it can easily end up looking cakey and the shade might look a little off. 

Left: Photo taken after one hour of application
Right: Photo taken after 8 hours of application
Photos taken with flash

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation retails for $63 CAD ($47 USD), which is slightly less than NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation for the same amount of product but you get a pump with this new foundation.

NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation (Left)NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (right)

I have the shade Barcelona in both and I haven't really noticed a difference in the shades. The only thing is NARS Natural Radiant Foundation isn't as natural looking as NARS Sheer Glow Foundation and I noticed that if you do end up using a lot of product, the shade of the new foundation might end up looking a little off. 

While NARS Natural Radiant Foundation does provide a better coverage and is more longwearing, I still prefer NARS Natural Radiant Foundation because it's more natural looking, lightweight and photographs better in my opinion. 

For shade reference, I'm in NC40 in MAC.