adorned in couture + Giveaway!

Shopping in Pakistan is a fun experience. Seeing all the small shops on the street, the choodiyan (bangles) lined up so perfectly, the khussay (traditional Pakistani/Indian shoes) in a variety of colors, all the laces and fabrics you can chose from, the shopkeeper begging you to stop and look at his stuff. He shouts at the little kid who works with him to get us chai or a bottle of pepsi. It’s wonderful. My mother is currently in Pakistan and I am extremely jealous. She says shopping in Pakistan isn’t the same anymore. You’re constantly in fear someone will rob you. More shops over time, which means more people who will rip you off. I mean, that always happens right, but that’s when your bargaining skills come in handy. Sigh, I miss that, I really do, but it is also very overwhelming. If you have never shopped the local bazaars or once they know you’re from outside of the country, it’s a wrap, they jack up the prices even MORE. Nonetheless I enjoy it, it’s a great experience and everyone should do it once in their life.

If going to the motherland isn’t a simple task but you still want amazing eastern wear, that is where my amazing friend Ruma’s boutique comes in, a La Couture. She carries designer wear from Pakistan and India. She even does replicas, custom Bridal, and also carries designer summer lawn and winter wear pieces. Shopping has never been so effortless. The service is fantastic, uncomplicated and exceptionally trustworthy, and she is SO efficient. There are times I mention in passing, oh I love this suit or jewelry especially, and it will be at my doorstep in three to four days! Her incredible jewelry line just keeps growing! From timeless antique styles, to gorgeous gemstones! I can not rave enough about her jewelry line! Tons of designer inspired pieces!

In this post, I am going share some of the gorgeous jewelry she carries and outfits I have purchased through her! If you guys haven’t checked out her stuff, I urge you to go give it a like! She now has a website! Go like her Facebook page and instagram!

For Garments: https://www.facebook.com/alacouturebyruma

Jewels by a La Couture: https://www.facebook.com/jewelsbyalacouture

For more information, check out her website: http://alacouture.com/

Instagram: alacouturebyruma

Andddd we have a Giveaway!!! She sent me the most lovely earrings and teeka for anyone who wants to participate! You all know how much I love headpieces/teekas ! So we wanted to incorporate both of our favorite things! To enter is SUPER easy! There will be three winners! All you need to do is make sure you are following me (fatimabutt926) and a La Couture (alacouturebyruma) on Instagram! Tag three people on one of our Giveaway pictures and get them to follow us or repost using the hashtags #alacouturebyruma #fatimabutt you have three weeks 🙂 Enjoyyyyy and good luck !

all outfits, earrings, & teeka courtesy of a La Couture

these traditional bali’s are my favorite! with blue stones and pearls hanging towards the bottom with an antique finish! I have had these for three years, and they look brand new! Paired with My favorite white lace outfit 🙂

emerald green is one of my favorite colors! when Ruma got this outfit in, I wanted it so bad, I ordered it immediately! the jeweled neckline, the red embroidery, this outfit is everything! She recently sent me these gorgeous emerald earrings that I wore at my cousins wedding and got SO many compliments- PLUS factor- they’re not even heavy!

This is a replica Ruma made me for my cousins wedding, sent her a picture and with some modifications- came out prettier than I could have EVER imagined! These pictures also do no justice to the teeka and my Jodha Akbar styled earrings!

Every summer Ruma carries designer Lawn! I absolutely loved the Faraz Manan collection this year and bought a couple of outfits! She also does Designer Linen for the winter 🙂

and shoutout to my personal photographer, my adorable baby brother ❤

January 11, 2015 0

uh huh honey.

Haven’t done a beauty post in a while, and winter weather calls for special attention, especially for our skin. If you have dry skin, this scrub will be great for that as well. For all my matte lipstick wearing friends, this is for you! I have tried manyyyy lip scrubs – emphasis on MANY. The one I found to be amazing next to my homemade one, is the lip scrub by e.l.f. and it’s only three dollars, so definitely something to check out! Nothing beats organic products though. My go to lip scrub is extremely simple and quick to whip up, and guys this is for you too, NO one wants dry, flakey lips.

All you need is sugar, olive oil, and honey. I got a little container to mix and store the ingredients in. For two spoons of honey, I use two spoons of sugar and then one spoon of olive oil. If I feel my skin is being extra flakey, I will add another spoon of sugar, and the days I need more hydration I add more honey and/or olive oil. Mix it until you find the consistency that works for you. Ever since I have started using this scrub, which has been a solid year, my lips NEVER flake or peel. I love matte lipsticks, and matte lipsticks are so incredibly drying and you can see every single line – not very attractive. But enter lip scrub. After scrubbing I take a wet warm wash cloth and rub the excess off and apply my favorite lip balm, and you’re done. Your lips will seriously thank you and you’re bound to fall in love, bound to fall in love, uh huh honey.

this is what your end result should look like:

this was right after scrubbing, no edits, no filters, not wearing any makeup, so you can really see the lip color and the smoothness of it all.

after a couple of hours, no edits, no filters, and no makeup, no lip balm- and my lips are still hydrated.

November 20, 2014 2

the importance of being earnest.

I always say this: showing emotion doesn’t make you weak. If anything, it makes us courageous, makes us strong. That we’re able to convey things most people have a hard time even realizing. For as long as I can remember, I have NEVER been able to hide my emotions. My face tells ALL – and when I say ALL, I literally mean all. There’s a running joke in my house, if my forehead is scrunched and my eyebrows are low, everyone in my house is thinking “stay clear from Fatima,” not much of a joke actually. My mother instantly knows when I am I am not feeling well. My sister knows when I am in deep thought. My brother always knows when I don’t like something, because he claims my “stank face” is on 85 percent of the time.

My point is, I’m an open book. People always tell me it’s not a good thing and perhaps that’s true. Over the years though, I realize more and more how it is extremely important to be honest – especially to yourself. I get it, there are times we don’t want to think about certain aspects of our lives because it becomes too real, but that’s exactly it, its OUR life, it is REAL. Face your demons, face your thoughts. You don’t need to live your life pretending things will go away if we don’t face it. Spend less time running away from your problems and trying to rid yourself of them, instead spend time accepting the problems as an inevitable, natural part of life. Bottling up your emotions is never the answer.

Be honest to yourself and to the world. Stop being fake. It is one the of ugliest traits you can have. It is SO liberating, when you tell someone no without having to explain yourself, it is SO liberating when someone asks how you feel about something and you answer honestly. It is SO liberating to say how you feel, with tact of course – because rudeness and cruelty is ALSO an ugly trait.

Be genuine. Be real. Be honest. Be yourself. Stop pleasing the world. How can anyone give others happiness when they can’t even be honest with themselves? How can someone genuinely care for your emotions when they can’t even face their own?

Take ownership of your words, your thoughts, your emotions. Only then you can live a fulfilling life.

I have been liberated.

November 4, 2014 0

new birthday beginnings.

My birthday this year was amazing. Initially when my birthday month started, I was extremely sad about it, not going to lie. Every year my birthday is simple. I only want to spend it with family and my best friend. It always consisted of work/school and then a dinner… with my best friend. The past eight birthdays went that way. This year was different, my “best friend” isn’t in my life anymore, and that has been hard in itself to cope with. My birthday felt weird, how was I going to spend this day? Plus, I turned 27, how do you celebrate that? Jokes aside, I just didn’t want anything or to do anything. I wanted to have a little family dinner, where Rubes cooked my favorite food. Of course though, my lovely sister and amazing friend Mary, wanted to do something special for me, considering how I felt. My family and her threw me a surprise birthday party a week before my actual birthday and boy was I surprised. A room full of incredible people. Can’t thank my family and friends for constantly making me feel so loved. As I walked in, my adorable baby brother goes, are you surprised? I managed to get a yes out and held back the tears. I said why? and he quickly responded, you do so much for others, you deserve this. It was the sweetest thing ever, he makes my heart melt. My sister and Mary went above and beyond for the cutest party! I am blessed with amazing siblings. To top off all the amazingness, on my actual birthday, my awesome cousins surprised me from New York! Drove all night to get here one day before, just for me. Blessed doesn’t even begin to to cover how I feel. I have the most amazing people in my life, and they just happen to be my family.

“Don’t grieve, anything you lose comes around in another form” -Rumi

I might not have known what I was doing for my birthday, but I knew exactly what I was going to wear. Confessions of a shopholic, clearly. I went into forever21 and went a little crazy on jumpsuits. I found two that I absolutely adored. As my birthday approached, I knew I wanted to keep it minimal and sophisticated. I opted for the black jumper with my whisper pink blazer. I added the headpiece – had to be a little fancy, it was my birthday after all 🙂 My favorite thing I wore, was my father’s watch. I’ve had my eye on this watch every since I was a little girl. It was in my mothers jewelry box and I would just stare at it, hoping one day it will be mine. It was the watch he wore on his wedding day. Just a year ago my mother took it out and gave it to my brother. I literally cried and was bitter for months, I actually still am. It just happened that my brother gave it to me to get the battery changed. I took this as an opportunity to wear it at least once. My father got married when he was 27, and the fact I got to wear it on my 27th birthday, made up for the fact that Bilal got the watch. Hey, the connection works for me, let me have it.

Jumper: f21 | blazer: h&m | headpiece: A La Couture | shoes: Steve Madden | purse: Versona

October 14, 2014 4

the real sacrifice.

Eid is such an exciting time for me. It consists of my favorite things all in one day, family, food, and getting to dress up. I aways feel different on Eid ul Adha though. There’s consistently something deeper pulling on me, perhaps for what this Eid stands for. Undoubtedly, Eid in it’s glory is amazing, but it is essential to actually reflect on what it all means.

Eid ul Adha or the festival of sacrifice is celebrated in the honor of prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, at God’s command. As prophet Ibrahim struggled with this, when he told his son, Ismail didn’t even hesitate. His answer was simple, if that is what Allah wills. As the day approached, God of course, intervened and provided prophet Ibrahim with a lamb to sacrifice instead, hence the importance of all Muslims to slaughter a lamb.

Allah never intended for Ibrahim to slaughter his son. The idea behind the command, was to slaughter his attachment and to trust what God intends. Sacrifice. It means different things to different people. How many of us really understand the concept of sacrifice? How many of us sacrifice daily?

I see my father sacrifice everyday. His precious time, his precious health, to provide for my siblings and me. My mother, despite being ill, makes sure we are fed before she eats. I see the way my sister is raising her children, without her husband physically being there with them. Sacrifice. We see sacrifice, in its purest form, everyday, in our parents.

Hug them, thank them, and hug them again. For they have sacrificed the most. And for who? For us, to have a comfortable life. For those who are parents, having children really teaches you unconditional love. To love someone, and not want anything in return, is exactly how we should love. Think about what we sacrifice. For God, for your husband/wife, for your children, for those you love… for anyone. To sacrifice means to love.

You can be anything you want in this world, just don’t be ungrateful.

October 4, 2014 3

boho chic.

I swear, I was meant for a different era. My mother calls me a hippie all the time… and sometimes even a gypsy. If I could be in a headband all day, I probably would. I know the cooler temps are getting everyone excited for Fall, but it has been rainy and icky all week in NC. Luckily, the sun decides to come out and play mid-day, so I still get to incorporate some summer looks. I’ll take this post to also talk about my obsession with white. Whether it be eastern wear or tops, I constantly gravitate to white. There is something about a white shirt, especially white shalwar kameez, that makes me weak in the knees. I can’t explain the obsession but to me, everything looks better in white. It’s angelic yes, but it also feels brand new and I love that feeling.

So, here’s a look I put together last week. When it gets cooler, you can throw an oversized cardigan, pleather jacket, or a vest over this kind of top, and it will look great. These over-pieces are three completely different looks to style the outfit. I never go into American Eagle- not that there is anything wrong with AEO, I just feel too old for it, but I went in there to purchase a present earlier in the summer, and got this top for literally four dollars! It was meant to be. You will notice my jeans are AGAIN acid wash. I’m telling you, different era. I kept the look relatively simple, my headband is my focal point, obvi.

top: American Eagle Outfitters | jeans: Crash&Burn for Buckle | shoes: Francesca’s | headband: Tilley’s | purse: Buckle

September 29, 2014 0

orange you glad it’s pleather?

Pleather weather is here, and I couldn’t be more excited! Disclaimer: I had to take off the jacket because it got extremely hot mid day… but nonetheless it’s around the corner right?!

This is my favorite jacket, and there’s a story behind it. When I worked at Buckle last year, we got it in freight and for days we all just stared at the jacket thinking… why? On the hanger it just looked like glam went wrong. I don’t know why but it just looked horrific to me. Before my Cali trip last year I was dying to find the perfect black pleather jacket. My co-worker insisted I try it on. As I was trying it on, it was as if the light was shining on me… okay sorry for the dramatics, but there was something there. I could not believe how amazing and different it looked on! Everyone walking in, my co-workers, and my boss, said, Fatima, you NEED that in your life. Thank God I tried it on. Trying on things are key for me, they just always look different on the hanger, and then on me.

I love that I am able to dress up a simple outfit with this jacket. I’m not crazy about sequence, but the small gold specks over the sleeves grew on to me, it helped that it was a light gold color. And to be quite honest, I feel like a badass in this jacket, and that by itself is a good reason.

jacket: Buckle | dress & purse: h&m | leggings & shoes: Fabulous Finds Boutique | necklace: f21

September 22, 2014 3

reflections.

My birthday is approaching and I can’t help but reflect on this past year. Birthdays are funny; I feel as sometimes it’s like New Years or is that just me? They’re exactly that though, the “new” year in your life. Nothing really is different – just like new years, except you’re one year older and hopefully wiser. As I’m reflecting, I wonder if I am wiser, if we truly learn from all our past mistakes? I’ve often heard that people can’t change, but I believe they can. They just chose not to, because it’s easier to stay the same. Whether you feel the need to change or not, it’s happening. Change is constant – probably the only constant thing in our lives.

Change can be good. We’re often forced to face our demons, even if we’re not ready. Perhaps we’re never ready. Heartbreaks, circumstances, new beginnings, abrupt endings, they push us; push us to our breaking points. But that’s the thing, we don’t break, we’re able to endure much more than we realize. And even when we do break, it changes us… for better or for worse? You decide that.

This year has been full of revelations. That the people you thought would be by your side, end up leaving. Whoever said, it is better to be alone than in bad company was correct. How I could ACTUALLY like children. That being stagnant or complacent in your life isn’t good enough. You should want change, you should want more, and you should constantly strive to do better.

Sure, people make you happy, but they aren’t the only source. I stress this because I see it all too much, people running after people. Expecting them to “change” their lives. You should make yourself happy, you should change your own life. You get to a point where you start defining happiness on your own terms. Let that day be now. Erase what you thought and let today be your new year.

Happy birthday.

September 18, 2014 2

olive Fall.

I’m dreaming about Fall, and I say dreaming considering it’s still pretty warm in North Carolina. I’ve seen many posts about how everyone loves Fall, so I won’t bore you. It’s all the same right? Cooler weather, amazing wardrobe, the changing crunchy leaves, and scary movies! Wait, that’s just me. Also, am I the only one who isn’t crazy about pumpkin spice? I just don’t understand the excessive hype around it, but of course, to each their own. I’m more of a creme brulee girl anyway.

The sole reason I love when the weather changes is because of outerwear! I have a weird obsession with jackets, coats, pleathers – all of it! I have a separate closet for all of my jackets- thanks mom. Seeing that it’s still warm during the day, jackets are an easy transitional piece to the cooler evenings.

This post, I’m sticking to my roots, as much as I love dressing up, it isn’t my everyday look. I wore heels this past weekend and I NEVER wear heels, unless someone is getting married. I don’t know how girls function in heels, I’m definitely jealous at times but I just naturally gravitate to flats. I paired my straight acid wash jeans with a white t-shirt and threw a jacket over it, and kept it even more “Fatima” with my purple converses and a fishtail braid.

September 16, 2014 2

Traveling Diaries: O Canada [edition]

This summer was extremely hectic. With Ramadan and constant traveling – not complaining by the way, I can’t believe summer is technically over! I say technically because you haven’t experienced North Carolina heat. But summer fun has come to an end sadly, and I wanted to share my traveling experience through a series of blog posts, called traveling diaries. This is the Canada Edition.

I went to Canada as a child and my memories of Canada are minimal, perhaps I was just that young. I remember attending a wedding, and some good family friends, but not much else. Oh, and of course Niagara Falls, because if you’re desi, you HAVE to see Niagara Falls. My experience this time was pretty amazing. Nothing trumps quality family time, experiencing a fun new city, and of course… Niagara Falls.

Toronto is pretty fabulous! The food, the diversity, and lets talk fashion! My family and me went to Yorkdale, which is a huge shopping mall in Toronto, we probably shopped WAY too much. I saw so many well dressed people in Toronto, I was honestly impressed. I want to say Toronto is comparable to New York, but I have to give Toronto it’s own credit. It has this vibe and liveliness of its own, and oh, the fashion, SO great.

Nothing compares to quality family time. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw how all my cousins have the most adorable children. Spending time with children is such a humbling experience. They’re remarkably innocent, they ask the most curious questions, and I love how bubbly and high- spirited they are. It makes you admire them and kind of envious at the same time. Here we are, constantly caught up in the stressful part of our lives. How sometimes, we aren’t able to enjoy the little things, and then there’s the zesty children, who get excited over me doing their hair, or who will get to sit by me or my brother in the car. I truly miss them.

Canada is gorgeous. Must be all those tax dollars – or tax canadian money? Canadian dollars, by the way. Did you know that Queen Elizabeth II is on the twenty dollar bill? Yeah, me either. I loved that beside every word they also had the French word for it. I hardly saw any cops on the road! Seriously, not one. I’m guessing Americans are much more rebellious then our neighbor country. And lets talk about the bagged milk. Okay, so for anyone who hasn’t been to Canada, instead of cartons, you get bagged milk. It was quite interesting I must say. My brother and I figured its probably easier to recycle, who knows. If you miss Pakistan- just visit Canada.

Don’t hate me for saying this, but I think Niagara Falls is a little overrated. NOTE, that I said a little, don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely stunning. Definitely a one time thing though, at least I can check it off my list, right? This time when I was there, I got to ride the ferry, which was pleasant and being able to see it THAT close was enjoyable, I got completely drenched – so much for my doing my hair, but the view was breathtaking. It was worth it.

O Canada, as much as I love living in America, I’d consider you 🙂