(Love, Bonito x Signature Market) 10 Raya Beauty & Fashion Tips

Staying at home during the festive season can feel monotonous. So we’ve compiled 10 couple of fashion and beauty hacks to get you through this stay home staycation time!

1. Get a new haircut.



It has been almost 2 months since the MCO was imposed so your hair may have grown quite a bit during this time. If you’re looking to grow out hair for Raya, great! Just remember to go for frequent trims. Yes, it sounds contradictory but trimming off the ends actually prevents split ends, which are the core reason for hair breakage. Simply twirl strands of hair around your fingers and snip off the bits that are sticking out. Voila! A fresh bed of hair.

However, if you are looking to spruce up your entire appearance by getting a new haircut, you first need to know which haircut suits your face shape. You can refer to the guide above to know more about this. Once you’ve identified your new haircut, hit up YouTube for a variety of in-depth tutorials on how to achieve it! A rule of thumb we always recommend is to tie your hair around the desired length you want to cut, and cut below the hair tie. This gives you room to make any adjustments if you do make any mistakes.

2. Have a fresh coat of colour.



Colouring your hair is one of the easiest ways to spice up your entire appearance. It lets your creativity run wild and can complement your skin tone well if you choose the right colour. We’ve included a chart to help you easily decide your new hair colour that perfectly suits your skin tone best based on your undertone! However, if you’re one of those people who love going crazy with hair colour, we definitely recommend going to a professional hair stylist to get it done so they can input some of their expertise too.

If you can’t make your way to a hair salon during this MCO period, fret not! We’re here to teach you an easy and natural way to lighten your hair by a couple of shades. The great thing about doing this is that it gives your hair that extra oomph without going out of your comfort zone. All you need for this is to mix ⅓ lemon juice with ⅔ water in a spray bottle and spritz it throughout your hair. Then have a nice sunbathe out in the sun for a while because you are going to use the power of sunlight to activate the lightening effects of the citric acid in the lemon. The results are quite subtle but it can get lighter over time, so remember to condition your hair well and spritz the lemon mixture again for a couple more times to get to the shade you like!

3. Treat your skin.



With all this extra time on your hands, why not take the time to give back to your skin. Pamper it and give it the love and care it needs. You may not know where to start with the extensive selection of skincare products in stores these days. But beauticians and dermatologists have recommended a simple 3-step skincare routine to maintain healthy skin: Cleanse, Tone and Moisturize. We can’t directly recommend products for you to use because it depends entirely on your skin type. Here’s a simple guide to identifying your specific skin type so be sure to choose products that are produced specifically for your skin, and your skin will definitely thank you for that.

Another important step in skincare that most people tend to neglect is actually sunscreen! In a country as hot and humid like Malaysia, sunscreen offers the obvious protection against harmful UV rays that can cause skin cancer. However, sunscreen also acts as a primer before your makeup and as such forms a barrier between pollutants and your skin. This leads to protecting your skin from unnecessary discoloration, dark spots and wrinkles hence giving you youthful-looking skin! Remember to apply sunscreen even when you're at home, because any form of daylight that may filter into your house through the windows will also transmit harmful UV rays.

4. Go for a no-makeup makeup look.



We know what you’re thinking. How is that possible? Believe it or not, it’s actually incredibly easy to achieve the no-makeup makeup look! This makeup technique focuses on your skin so it’s best to pamper your skin beforehand so you can get that natural glow from within. The key to this look is to go light on coverage, which works perfectly for this Raya since you’ll be spending the majority of your time indoors. We recommend to skip out on foundation and only use concealer on problem areas like under-eye circles and acne.

Replace your powder products with cream-based ones because creams generally make everything just blend and sink right in therefore looking more natural and skin-like. To fake a natural flushed look, cream blush works perfectly for this. Remember to not just let it sit on the apples of your cheeks but blend it towards your temples for a more natural look. Finish off the look with a lip stain close to your natural lip colour and you’re good to go!

5. Stock up on neutral coloured inner wear.



If you are looking for creative yet modest ways to spice up your wardrobe, then a great tip would be to stock up on neutral-toned inner wear such as white and nude. These inner wear should definitely be long sleeved, high-neck and made of a light material. By having these in your wardrobe, it will be easier to put outfits together without worrying about any V-necks or cutouts that may show your skin in between!

6. How you can still make use of V-neck tops.

You may usually tend to swap out or even get rid of V-neck tops in your wardrobe but a great hack to still wear it in a stylish yet modest way would be to wear them backwards! These tops would usually have a higher back so by putting that in the front, actually gives you a higher neckline. You can then put on a cardigan or blazer to ensure that you’re securely covered in the front and back.

7. Accessorize your hijab.

If you’re a hijabi, you may be wondering how exactly you could accessorize your hijab. You might think that accessorizing is only limited to necklaces and rings but that’s where you’re wrong! There are actually endless ways of incorporating headwear accessories into your hijab. If you’re not a hijabi, these can easily be adapted as hair accessories too! For instance, headbands are an easy way to add personality into your outfit. You can dress it up or dress it down depending on the occasion too. We love a beaded headband for Raya! Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something a little toned down, hijab pins are a great alternative! It also adds a little sparkle to your outfit.

8. Get your hands on a statement piece essential.



This is a great hack to help you save money whilst still looking absolutely stunning! Whether it is a glitter top, studded blazer or a satin skirt, having at least 1 statement piece essential in your wardrobe is key. You can play around with the colours, material or even embellishments. Just be sure it is something eye-catching that can truly take you out of your comfort zone.

From there, you can easily balance it out by pairing your statement piece with something of neutral coloured tones. The key to making it work is to understand the colour palette and work with colours within the same circle. For example, pairing a brick red satin skirt with a dusty pink blouse and light beige hijab would work perfect as a more casual outfit. Meanwhile, you can always reuse the statement piece for your Raya outfit by pairing the brick red satin skirt with a black balloon sleeve top and cream coloured hijab to make the red pop out more. The choices are truly endless and you can dress it up or dress it down depending on your preference.

9. Colour blocking your hijab and outfit.

If you did not have any time to get your baju raya altered by the tailor, mixing and matching current pieces in your wardrobe would be your go-to this Raya. Colour blocking is a great technique to try during this time! This isn’t exactly a hack but it’s more to letting you explore your own individuality and style. Colour blocking allows you to combine colour blocks from the opposite side of the colour chart to create bold outfits!

If you’re not that experimentative just yet, try monochromatic looks instead! All you have to do is to choose one colour and layer different shades and tones of that particular colour. For example, you could pair a pink hijab to a purple top and a patterned red flowy trousers to add some extra oomph!

10. Floral patterns are back in trend.

Floral patterned pieces are such feminine and delicate ways to bring your style to the next level. Lucky for us, it has made a comeback this year! If you find floral patterns daunting or challenging to put a whole outfit together, worry not! Just pair it with more neutral tones and you’re good to go. You could also pair your floral piece with something else of a colour that can be found within the floral piece of clothing item. For example, if your floral blouse has sunflowers, you can pair it with a different tone of yellow for your skirt or trousers! In a tropical country like Malaysia, you can never go wrong with florals so if you’re feeling bold, try mixing different floral patterns together to give yourself a gorgeous, psychedelic look!



We have partnered with our friends from Love, Bonito for this year’s Raya to give you the chance to shop their site for beautiful styles that can definitely bring out your personality! We’re giving away a RM150 worth of Gift Card to 2 lucky winners who can put together your Raya OOTD using the tips and tricks from our blog!

Stay tuned to our Instagram and Facebook for directions to join this giveaway. All the best!