Relationships are never easy, especially in college. You’re juggling a lot – classes, work, friends, extracurricular activities – and adding a significant other into the mix can sometimes make things feel hectic. It can be even more difficult if you feel like your partner is unsupportive, isn’t committed to the relationship, or isn’t treating you with respect all the time.

Even if they’re the perfect SO on paper, you may still find the relationship to be unfulfilling. If this happens, take the following steps to determine if you truly want out before ending your relationship.

Ask yourself *why* you want to break up.

Is there something your SO did that has made you feel unhappy? Have you experienced a major life change, and are now struggling to juggle the transition and your relationship?

Locking down the reason you want to break up will help inform what you’re going to do next. If you’re stressed out and don’t feel like you can handle the responsibility of a relationship right now, consider asking your partner about taking a break instead of ending things completely. But if the issue is something serious, like your partner treating you poorly, you should definitely break up for good.

Write out what you’re feeling.

When considering whether to end a relationship, you’ll probably experience a broad range of confusing, conflicting emotions. Writing a list of all the feelings you’ve experienced and the reasoning behind them will help you better understand exactly what’s bothering you.

“Are you more in love with the memories or the person?” asks Melanie Van Schaick, a junior at Western University. If you find yourself clinging to the memories, it may mean that you’re holding onto a relationship that doesn’t exist anymore. If you are just grasping at straws, it’s time to let go.

Consider keeping track of how often you experience these emotions and the situation in which they occurred. If you think that some thoughts and feelings are more persistent than others, take note of it. If you can pinpoint the exact cause of these emotions, it will be easier for you to find a way to resolve these feelings – either on your own or with your partner.

Related: 6 Ways To Feel Romantically Fulfilled Without An SO

Consider outside influences that may be affecting the situation.

Stress from unrelated situations, like school, fights with friends, or family drama, can wear you out and cause you to withdraw from other parts in your life, including your relationship. Take some time to analyze everything going on in your life and determine if your frustrations in your relationship are actually stemming from the relationship itself, or if they could be a result of other stressors.

 “Picture your life in the next five, ten years. Is your SO still in the picture?” asks Reagan Harvill, a senior at Washington College. If your answer isn’t an absolute “yes”, consider taking a step back from the relationship to focus on yourself.

If you don’t think that breaking up with your SO will actually resolve these issues, then hold off on making this decision until things in your life are feeling more settled.

Talk to a trusted confidant.

It can be hard to make serious decisions about the future of your relationship when overwhelming emotions are clouding your judgment. Talking to someone you trust, like a friend, a counselor, or your RA, can give you a fresh perspective on the situation and the potential choices you can make. 

If possible, talk to someone who knows your SO and would be able to offer an objective viewpoint of the relationship’s problems. Giving a voice to your frustrations and talking them out with an unbiased third party can help clear your mind so you can make a clear, rational decision about whether or not you want to end your relationship.

Think about what your partner wants.

Take a moment to reflect on your relationship, and ask yourself if your partner is truly committed to it.

When you’re with them, are they focused on being in the moment with you, or do they allow themselves to become easily distracted by unimportant things? Do they commit to plans for the future, or are they constantly coming up with excuses as to why they can’t make or deliver on any serious promises? If they’re choosing not to make you a priority, your partner is telling you that they aren’t interested in having a serious relationship.

Alexis Bogen, a grad student at the University of Central Florida, asks, “Are they helping accomplish your goals and dreams?” You can’t expect your partner to focus on you 24/7, but they should be supportive and attentive when with you. If they aren’t focused on your dreams in addition to theirs, maybe it’s time to pursue those dreams on your own.

Talk to your partner.

If you are truly unhappy in the relationship, one of the best things you can do to resolve an issue is just talk directly with your partner. This type of conversation can be difficult, but if your partner cares about you, they will appreciate you opening up to them and work with you to try and find a solution that is best for both of you.

This may mean staying together and working through your problems as a team, or taking a break from the relationship so you can focus on yourself. Openly acknowledging your unhappiness in your relationship and taking steps to address your concerns will help you decide whether or not you should end your relationship. It’s possible they may be going through something they haven’t spoken to you about, and it’s having a negative impact on the relationship.

When considering a breakup, there’s a lot to think about. It can be confusing and overwhelming, and you may find yourself going back and forth on your decision several times. Take the time you need to fully process your feelings before choosing to end your relationship.

To be honest, the amount of beauty products I own is... shocking. I have bins and boxes beneath my bathroom sink, I have some I keep in my closet and yet there they are, overflowing around my sink. I've tried it all. I give them away to friends. I tell myself I'm only going to leave out what I actually need. But then I realize that, well, today I want orange lipstick, not red, or it's a little colder today so I want a different face oil, or what if instead of a seven-step skincare system, I went for eight, or nine? I thought that my problem with skincare was that the possibilities are endless, but, in reality, my problem was simple: organization. Or, rather, disorganization.

I was disorganized, and it was time to put an end to the maddness.

I started researching skincare storage, and it led me into the wild world of beauty organizers. From trays to stands to giant shelves to adorable, woven baskets, the possibilities are endless. I took to Reddit, which had a lot of opinions about cheap plastic organizers, so I learned that if I was going to do plastic, I should do a sturdy plastic. I took to Instagram, where I saw trays upon trays with adorable prints. Too, I took to Google and just saw what popped up.

Then, I came across these two beauties that I'm excited to share with you today. Because yes, I'm this excited about organizing my products.

The first beauty organizer I found love with was the Poise Accessory Organizer, which is $20 from Dormify. 

This one saves me when it comes to my daily skincare routine, as well as some extras. You'll see I have serums at the top, featuring my favorite peel from The Ordinary, my Paula's Choice goodies, and additional oils and lotions, like this shaving set from DeoDoc that makes me not hate my live when I decide to shave.

I also shove lots of scrunchies in this bad boy, and it holds it all without shaking, struggling, or giving me any stress about it one day snapping and my beloved (and expensive) products rolling free.

I keep my foundations and concealers on the second shelf. The simple fact that this has two shelves helped distinguish it from other organizers for me. It's nice that it has multiple areas of storage, but it doesn't have specific slots your products have to fit into like a lot of other ones I came across.

My tiny Flesh Thicksticks and larger perfumes sit comfortably along my tiny Almay makeup wipes, and I like to roll in some lipsticks and balms wherever I find additional space.

I really like the gold color of this. It feels elevated, and it hasn't chipped or peeled despite me aggressively shoving prooobably too many products in it on a regular basis. 

The second one I fell in love with is the Clear Clarity Vanity Mirror, also $20, and also from Dormify.

I chose to use this one for my bedside table because yes, I have products I like to appy directly before bed. It perfectly holds all of my balms and creams, like my French Girl nightcream and my wide variety of lip balms. It is a gem when it comes to my jade roller, which, if ever broken, would cause me to cry a thousand tears.

This does have lots of handy holders, but I like it because they are kind of large squares, so they give me flexibility for my products. I can either stand everything up, as I do when I'm being organized, or I can just shove everything in there when I'm being lazy and just want to roll on some peppermint oil (buh-bye headaches) and head to bed.

Oh, and did I mention that it has a mirror? I looove this mirror. It's large enough to fit my kind of giant face, and it has a sort of edgeless, modern feel, making it feel super minimalist and definitely not wasting any space at all that I could be using to pluck my brows or press in a face oil with extra decor.

It's a mirror, and it holds my things, and it keeps it simple.

Get more beauty & skincare tips from Her Campus Beauty, our always-on, dope skincare hang. 

Follow Rachel on Instagram.

Opening up about her health journey, Game of Thrones actress Emilia Clarke revealed that she suffered two nearly fatal brain aneurysms during the early filming of the popular HBO series.

In a deeply personal essay entitled “A Battle for My Life” published on The New Yorker’s website Thursday, Clarke opened up about the medical condition that she has kept private over the past eight years.

After filming the first season of Game of Thrones, the British actress, who was 24-years-old at the time, explained that she worked out with a personal trainer to relieve the stress from filming the season, E! News reports.

As she was preparing for her workout, she started to “feel a bad headache coming on,” and added that she could barely power through the first few exercises with her trainer.

Telling her trainer she needed to take a break, Clarke wrote, “Somehow, almost crawling, I made it to the locker room. I reached the toilet, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ill. Meanwhile, the pain—shooting, stabbing, constricting pain—was getting worse. At some level, I knew what was happening: my brain was damaged.”

Clarke was taken from the London gym to a local hospital, where an MRI revealed the actress had a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), “a life-threatening type of stroke” that about a third of patients die immediately from or soon thereafter.

After being diagnosed, Clarke was transported to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London where should would undergo brain surgery, The Huffington Post reports.

Her surgery was successful, but she struggled to communicate initially after the surgery, unable to recall her own name. Clarke was suffering from a condition called aphasia, which often occurs after suffering a stroke or a head injury, HuffPost reports.

“In my worst moments, I wanted to pull the plug. I asked the medical staff to let me die,” she confessed. “My job—my entire dream of what my life would be—centered on language, on communication. Without that, I was lost.”

The aphasia passed, and Clarke rebounded, going on to film the second season of Game of Thrones, which she described as her “worst,” as she lived in constant fear of death.

Clarke notified her Game of Thrones bosses of her condition, but vowed to continue filming as planned.

“If I am truly being honest, every minute of every day I thought I was going to die,” the actress says of filming the second season.

After completing the third season of the series in 2013, Clarke divulged that a brain scan showed that the smaller aneurysm she had “on the other side of my brain had doubled in size” and she needed to have surgery.

When she woke up from surgery, she was “screaming in pain.”

“The procedure had failed,” Clarke wrote. “I had a massive bleed and the doctors made it plain that my chances of surviving were precarious if they didn't operate again. This time they needed to access my brain in the old-fashioned way—through my skull. And the operation had to happen immediately.”

According to Clarke, the recovery from the second surgery was “even more painful,” and she spent the next month in a hospital “convinced that I wasn’t going to live.”

But in the years since her surgery, Clarke said she has “healed beyond my most unreasonable hopes,” and has worked to develop the charity Same You, which provides treatment to people recovering from brain injuries and strokes.

“But now, after keeping quiet all these years, I’m telling you the truth in full. Please believe me: I know that I am hardly unique, hardly alone,” Clarke wrote. “Countless people have suffered far worse, and with nothing like the care I was so lucky to receive.”

White House senior adviser and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner has reportedly relied on encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to conduct official White House business.

The information came to light in a December 19th meeting between Reps. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Trey Gowdy (R-SC), and Kushner’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, which was made public for the first time on Thursday, Politico reports.

Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, wrote in a letter to White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Thursday that the committee received information from Lowell that Kushner “continues to use” the messaging service for government work, and demanded documents related to White House officials’ use of private email for government work, The Hill reports.

According to Cummings, Lowell told the committee Kushner sent screenshots of messages from WhatsApp to his official White House email or the National Security Council, and said Kushner was in compliance with the law, ABC News reports. Under the Presidential Records Act, White House officials are prohibited from using non-official email accounts or messaging applications without forwarding those messages to their official accounts within 20 days.

Lowell did not say whether Kushner used the messaging service to discuss classified information.

“That’s above my pay grade,” Lowell told the lawmakers, per Cummings’ letter.

Kushner, who oversees the White House’s policies in the Middle East, has reportedly communicated with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman via WhatsApp.

Lowell disputed some of Cummings’ remarks in his letter to the White House about their conversation, suggesting that he told Cummings and Gowdy that he was not the authority on Kushner’s use of WhatsApp and that those questions should be directed to the White House counsel’s office.

“I specifically said that ‘If there was a question about Jared’s use of WhatsApp, that is a question for White House counsel, not me,’” Lowell wrote in his response letter.

“I did convey that Mr. Kushner follows the protocols (including the handling of classified information) as he has been instructed to do,” he added.

White House spokesman Steven Groves acknowledged receiving Cummings’ letter, saying, “The White House has received Chairman Cummings’ letter of March 21st. As with all properly authorized oversight requests, the White House will review the letter and will provide a reasonable response in due course.”

The committee chairman is investigating possible violations of federal record-keeping laws by Kushner, senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump and other current and former White House officials, ABC News reports. Cummings has asked for lists of White House officials that have used personal email accounts and messaging services to conduct official business, as well as the archiving process for electronic communications at the White House.

Cummings, who has blasted the White House for failing to provide documents that have been repeatedly requested, has given the White House until April 4th to cooperate with the Oversight Committee’s investigation voluntarily, The Hill reports.

“The White House’s failure to provide documents and information is obstructing the Committee’s investigation into allegations of violations of federal records laws by White House officials,” Cummings wrote. “In fact, as you know, the White House has not produced a single piece of paper to the Committee in the 116th Congress — in this or any other investigation.”

Good morning, Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.

But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)

Joe Biden Considers Naming Stacey Abrams As Running Mate

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s advisers are reportedly considering naming former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as his running mate should he plan to launch a presidential bid.

Axios reported Thursday that Biden’s aides think that pairing him with Abrams, a rising Democratic star who gave the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s 2019 State of the Union and fought a tough gubernatorial campaign in Georgia, would help to show that he is not “just another old white guy.”

The speculation comes after Biden and Abrams had a private sit-down earlier this month, according to theAtlanta Journal-Constitution. And, it was reported last week that Biden is considering an early vice presidential selection and has discussed the possibility with his advisers and top party officials.

Sources close to Biden have told Fox News that he is likely to announce his presidential bid next month. Over the past two weeks, Biden has strongly hinted that he would be running for president.

Adding Abrams to the ticket could add diversity to the ticket and add excitement to the campaign. But there could also be downsides as well. According to Axios, Biden’s advisers expressed concern that announcing Abrams as his running mate could be seen as a “gimmick” and open Biden up to criticism that he overlooked his fellow Democratic candidates as potential running mates.

Abrams, however, has been pondering her own political career, saying earlier this month that she had previously considered 2028 to be the earliest that she would run for president, but now says that 2020 is “definitely on the table.”

New Zealand Proposes New Gun Laws

Just six days after the horrific mosque shootings in Christchurch that killed 50 people, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that the country will ban military-style semi-automatic weapons.

“Today I am announcing that New Zealand will ban all military-style semi-automatic weapons. We will also ban all assault rifles. We will also ban all high capacity magazines,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a news conference Thursday. “We will ban all parts with the ability to convert semi-automatic or any other type of firearm into a military style semi-automatic weapon.”

Ardern said sellers should halt sales of banned weapons immediately and warned sellers to return their stockpiles to suppliers, ABC News reports.

“Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on Friday will be banned,” Ardern said. A gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, Friday, killing 50 and injuring dozens more. According to Ardern, the gunman used two legally purchased semi-automatic rifles that were modified with high-capacity magazines, “turning them into military-style semi-automatic weapons.” The gunman, a white supremacist, has since been arrested.

The exceptions to the ban, however, would include semi-automatic .22-caliber firearms, as well as semi-automatic shotguns with magazines holding a maximum of five rounds, which Ardern said are both commonly used for hunting and pest control.

According to The Huffington Post, parliament will also be creating a buy-back scheme, in which gun owners would be compensated for surrendering their weapons. The program could cost between $100 million to $200 million, “a price that we must pay for the safety of our community,” Ardern said.

Under the new laws, residents that are caught with the banned guns will face penalties, including fines of up to $4,000 and/or three years in prison, but Ardern said these penalties could increase.  

Police Minister Stuart Nash said Thursday that “owning a firearm is a privilege and not a right in New Zealand.”

The ban is also being supported by the opposition party in New Zealand.

The prime minister said she expects the new gun laws to be passed by the end of a “two-week sitting session” that ends on April 11th, ABC News reports.

Ardern added that her Cabinet will meet Monday to consider more changes to gun laws, including licensing, registration and storage.

Facebook Employees Had Access to Millions of Unprotected Passwords

In a blog post Thursday entitled “Keeping Passwords Secure,” Facebook announced that it had stored “hundreds of millions” of users’ passwords in plain text accessible by its employees.

The social media giant told Krebs on Security, which first reported the data breach, that an internal investigation did not find any evidence of employees abusing access to the data.

“There is nothing more important to us than protecting people’s information, and we will continue making improvements as part of our ongoing security efforts at Facebook,” Pedro Canahuati, Facebook’s vice president for engineering security and privacy, wrote in the blog post.

The company did not specify how many users were affected by the data exposure, but did say it would be notifying the “hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users, tens of millions of other Facebook users, and tens of thousands of Instagram users.”

The internal investigation revealed that anywhere between 200 million and 600 million users had their passwords exposed in a database accessible to more than 20,000 Facebook employees, and that some passwords had been stored in plain text since 2012, BuzzFeed News reports.

The latest security mishap comes as the company has grappled with continuous criticism surrounding its privacy breaches and scandals. Facebook recently announced it would rebrand with a “privacy focused” vision, and would work on encrypted private messaging, The Hillreports.  

What to look out for…

Today is National Goof Off Day! 

This article has been syndicated from 

Krystin Tysire , an InfluenceHer Collective Member. Read the full post here.

With the winter weather slowly disappearing and Spring coming in strong (finally) comes travel plans a plenty. There’s a lot to think about when it comes to traveling and it can honeslty feel pretty stressful. That’s why I wanted to share some of my travel beauty bag essentials I’m loving for the upcoming spring season.

Since I usually travel carry-on (and try to pack light for quick weekend getaways), I’m all about travel-sized products. Here are a few of my fave minis that I always keep by my side when I'm jetsetting during the season.

Spring has officially sprung, and the change in season means that it’s time to change up your wardrobe. Now that warmer weather is finally starting to set in, you can finally break out your favorite sunshine-ready outfits, but not before you pick up a few new trends along the way!

There are so many to try this season, so let me take some of the stress off of you by telling you which new trend to try in the best way I know how: your astrological sign. I’m an astrological aficionado who did some serious chart-reading to get these results and would never make all of this up based on my personal experiences with these signs. Never!

It's the height of spring break season, which means it's time to crack down and collect all of the essentials you'll need for vacation, whether you're sticking around campus or jetting off into sunnier days. Luckily, I know that you're on a budget, so I've compiled nine essentials for your vacay that you can get from Her Campus's very own hcxo.shop, all under $20. 

Happy spring, collegiettes! The season of spring break, warmer weather and longer days are upon us. The end of the semester is approaching, which means finals are coming up, but also - SUMMER! As an ode to the season of April showers, May flowers and the precedent to the season every college kid waits for, here's a playlist to celebrate the bright and sunny warmth that comes with spring. Check out the mix, filled with throwback gems, fresh finds, and deep cuts from today's popular artists (PRO-TIP: Listen on shuffle!):

After 22 months of investigations, Special Counsel Robert Mueller officially submitted his report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, The New York Times reports. While the special investigation into Russian involvement has ended, the results haven’t been released to the public yet and no one knows what will happen next after it has been reviewed by the Justice Department. 

In May of 2017, Mueller was appointed the head of the special counsel investigation by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein gave Mueller permission to investigation “the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election,” and on “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” This included “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.” For nearly two years, speculation on Mueller’s findings has been a regular topic of discussion. In particular, Democrats and Republicans are curious as to whether or not the investigation would reveal any connections between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian officials to influence the 2016 presidential elections. Trump has frequently denied any collusion between him and the Russian government, Huffington Post reports. 

Attorney General William Barr wrote in a letter to Congressional leaders on Friday, per Fox News, that he has received the Mueller report, and said that he “may be in a position to advise you of the Special Counsel’s principal conclusions as soon as this weekend. Barr also wrote that this may include any “prosecution or declination decisions” Mueller has made. 

It’s unclear what will happen next, including whether or not Barr will release the report to Congress or the public. Barr holds the power as to how much is actually revealed from the special counsel’s report. 

But the legislative and judicial branches will have a role in the report’s reveal too. 

According to The Washington Post, the attorney general is required by law to show his own briefing on the special counsel’s discoveries to the heads of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees—specifically to Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham and Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.  Both will be able to decide how much or if any of Barr’s briefing on the report will be released to the public. No one knows exactly what they will do.

Of course, Barr could decide to release the report in its entirety, which would let everyone know what Mueller concluded in his report, and what actions he did or didn’t recommend to take. 

In the letter to Congressional leaders, Barr said he would speak with Mueller and Rosenstein to discuss “what other information from the report can be released and the public consistent with the law,” and that he’s “committed to as much transparency as possible.” The report could not be release in full. 

If it is not, Congress could subpoena for the entire report. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has said that his committee “will take it to court if necessary,” including to subpoena the final report.

One thing is clear: this is far from being over.

Let us raise a pint to Ruth Bader Ginsburg!

Boston-based brewing company Samuel Adams is releasing a new Belgian Brut IPA dedicated to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

According to CNBC, the new brew is called “When There Are Nine” as an ode to an iconic RBG quote. In an interview with the 10th Circuit Bench & Bar Conference at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Ginsburg said: “So now the perception is, yes, women are here to stay. And when I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there’s been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.”

It’s part of the company’s annual event with the Pink Boots Society, a non-profit that supports women in the brewing industry, Today.com reports. The collab is in honor of International Women’s Day, which was earlier this month. 

If you’re dying to sip this feminist creation, you can do so if you are in the Boston area. It will be officially unveiled at a celebration hosted by the Pink Boots Society in Samuel Adams taproom on March 29, according to the Eventbrite page. Tickets cost $20, and the event page says “$5 from every ticket and $1 from every When There Are Nine sold to the Pink Boots Society, which fosters advancement and education for women in the beer industry.” According to The Boston Globe, the event will also host a plank contest to support ACLU’s Women’s Right Project, which Ginsburg co-founded. 

Ballet flats are officially back. [Teen Vogue]

Stanford was involved in an even bigger scandal 30 years ago. [San Francisco Chronicle]

A second Parkland student has committed suicide. [The New York Times]

Georgia fraternity suspended after racist video. [USA Today]

The reason this politician voted against supplying free menstrual products to prisoners is insane. [Glamour]

Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes had the weirdest diet. [Women's Health]

The important of your older sister is seriously underrated. [Elite Daily]

2019 is going to be Taylor Swift's year. [BuzzFeed]

All the "It" girls are doing this earrings trend. [PureWow]

The cast of Clueless reunited and it was amazing. [Today]

In celebration of Muslim Women's Day, I've rounded up some of my absolute FAVE Muslim beauty bloggers and MUAs. From a banging smokey eye to a snatched contour, there are some ultra-talented Muslim makeup bloggers and artists that we should be supporting all day every day.

These Muslim beauty sensations are helping to break down stereotypes and redefine the faces of beauty. Although we're super happy that the beauty world has been taking small steps to better inclusion, there's still so much more to be done — we love that these lovely ladies are diversifying the beauty landscape (although it is not and should never have been their responsibility).

Nura Afia

This beauty blogger and Youtuber was named an ambassador for CoverGirl's So Lashy! BlastPro Mascara campaign and became the first woman to appear wearing a hijab in one of their campaigns. Nura Afia told Refinery29, "I hope [this campaign] will show Muslim women that brands care about us as consumers and we're important, especially hijabis. [We] can be featured on TV, [we] can be featured on billboards in Times Square. [We] can be represented." We sure hope so too!

Tamanna Roashan

Want to step up your contour game? Tamanna is your gal. Known as Dress Your Face, this beauty educator has tutorials and makeup classes on contouring, smokey eyes and more.

Amena

Amena is a beauty blogger and YouTuber with a seriously impressive portfolio. Not only is she the founder of Pearl Daisy, a Hijab company, but also a co-founder of Ardere Cosmetics. She was also featured in L’Oréal's True Match campaign. It's safe to say that she is killing it in the beauty scene.

Habiba Da Silva

This 22-year-old beauty vlogger created a collection of hijabs for diverse skin tones and designed for both men and women! Talk about breaking down norms and increasing inclusion. Talking about her Hijab Line, she told BuzzFeed News, “I wanted to do something where everybody was [included] and I wanted to showcase different people together. I wanted to break the barrier of having too many companies who just used lighter-skin models.”

Sabina Hannan

Um, okay her brows are just freaking perfect!! Upgrade your brow game, learn how to get smouldering smokey eyes and more through Sabina's Youtube tutorials.

Dalalid 

Dalalid is a beauty and style blogger and YouTuber who has been in the game since 2012. Her aim? Empowerment. "The goal is to empower women; to provide them with confidence, and to encourage them to become their own stylists and makeup artists,"says Dalalid.

Shahd Batal

Her highlighter game is seriously strong, among other things. Shahd Batal is a beauty vlogger who discusses everything from fashion, to beauty and self-love. 

Rumena Begum

This UK glam beauty has been taking the beauty world by storm. She is a fashion and beauty blogger, the author of Blogging Made Easy, has her own app, and uploads vlogs, reviews and more to YouTube.

Fatimah

Her lip art is seriously mesmerizing and so are her eyes and eyeshadow. If you love admiring lip art, strong eye shadow game or beautiful photography, Fatimah is your girl. 

Aysha Abdul

This 21-year-old Canadian beauty vlogger talks about everything beauty-related on her YouTube channel. But aside from her beauty tutorials and vlogs, Aysha also has travel vlogs and gets real about topics like body image.

Next time you're searching for winged eyeliner hacks or new lipstick recommendations, try checking out what resources these iconic Muslim makeup influencers have. Representation and community support matters, so don't forget to show them a little love by following and supporting their work.

This article was syndicated from Manal Shaikh for Her Campus's celebration of Muslim Women's Day.

As a young Muslim girl, I have undoubtedly struggled immensely when it came to clothing and fashion. It was difficult for me to discover that I could still stay "in fashion" while being properly covered. I remember when I was younger, girls at school would always ask me the daring questions of “Aren’t you hot in those jeans? Why don’t you wear shorts?” For some reason, I always felt quite embarrassed when that happened. I tended to give lame excuses on how I just like wearing jeans, and I never really explained the rules of modesty that I follow in Islam.

As I got older, it became even more difficult. For example, if I wanted to attend a party, all of my friends were buying dresses with no problem, while I was struggling for weeks because I couldn’t find a dress that was stylish and also covered my legs, cleavage, and shoulders — along with not being too tight on my body. If I did find a dress that fit my criteria, I was still clouded with the idea that I might look out of fashion compared to my peers. I grew to hate dresses and skirts solely because of the fact that I could never find anything for me. Even finding a dress for my high school graduation day was so difficult for me, and I remember I was so upset over the fact that I had to spend endless time in finding an appropriate dress just so I could graduate.

What I’ve realized now though, is that those doubts and embarrassing moments I had were all in my head. Nobody else was judging me – it was really just me being afraid to show who I am and what I believe in. I’ve grown to learn that as long as I carry myself in confidence, I will still look stylish, and I have nothing to worry about. Confidence can change one’s perceptions on everything. Similarly, one of my best friends shared with me her struggles from when she began to wear hijab, and how her confidence has grown over time:

“I didn’t grow up with anyone who covered their hair, so it was quite underwhelming and slightly discouraging being the only one. However, once I discovered how stylish hijabi women were on YouTube and social media, it was pretty amazing to see how it opened the doors to fashion,” says Zaynub Siddiqui, a junior at University of Maryland, Baltimore. “Now, being completely covered while staying fashionable is fun since I’m always pondering of ways to wear things and piece them together. The practice of being modestly dressed and knowing that I was covering for God, made it even more rewarding when I started styling my outfits.”

I often see individuals on social media shame Muslim women who don’t wear hijab, or for not being covered enough. I believe it’s so important to stress that whether someone wears hijab or not, whether they wear tight clothing or not, whether they wear revealing clothing or not — it doesn’t make them any less of a Muslim.

Nobody has the right to tell you about how immersed you are in your faith, because that is something personal between you and God. I see this type of judgment happen a great deal to the Muslim women community, and that’s why I feel as if it’s our job to be the powerful women we are and stand together.

At the end of the day, we must all break through stereotypes. Advocate for what we believe in. Show that we do — in fact — have a voice. Because I can assure you, there is nothing more beautiful than that.

Follow Manal on Instagram.

This article has been syndicated by Thamine Nayeem of University of Richmond as part of Her Campus's celebration of Muslim Women's Day

Identity is a notion I have wrestled with for a long time now. At a young age, I remember the struggle of choosing between assimilating to an American culture, preserving my Bengali roots, while also exploring my Islamic faith: Was I supposed to choose individualism over collectivism? Shirts and jeans over salwar kameez? Or even rice over pasta? So it’s not a surprise that I was a seriously confused teenager. Eventually, though, choosing just one somehow felt like I was losing, so I kept wandering.

This process of identity formation was something I was internally experiencing, but it wasn’t until college that I knew how to consciously articulate my experiences in words. I met friends who would stay up until two in the morning with me, deconstructing what it meant to be “normal” in America and who got to decide what that meant. I began taking Sociology classes that later allowed me to learn the terminology and theoretical frameworks that would help me better explain my abstract ponderings. I read Rousseau, Plato and Freud, trying to weave together uncertain answers: The self is an innate entity? The self is constructed through socialization? The self is a combination of the two?

The paradoxes of identity kept growing when I traveled to Rabat, Morocco in my junior year through IES Abroad. After a lifetime of feeling like a minority, I thought, in Morocco, I would at last know what it felt like to be a part of the majority. And truly, for the first time, I was able to walk down a street without the feeling of a million eyes following me. I didn’t have to live every day feeling hyperaware of how different I am just because I was brown or chose to wear a cloth around my head. And I can’t express how freeing that felt.

But it wasn’t that simple — identity never is — because I found myself also realizing I was more American than I had thought. Ironically, on a journey where I thought I would grow closer to Islam — which without a doubt I did — I somehow also found myself growing even closer to my American identity and, at the same time, exploring new facets of identity I had never considered before.

I felt like I was standing at a juncture in the labyrinth that is the medina — a juncture of many different worlds. The more I explored the feel of its walls, the aroma of its spices, and the sounds of its people, the closer I got to making sense of its confounding layout, while never entirely knowing all of it as it shifted from red to blue, day to night. It would always remain to be too complex, too fluid to capture or condense into understanding. And so, after a semester abroad, I came back to the U.S. — still wandering.

As most artists do, I turned to creation to process and share my explorations of identity. Because I had been documenting my experience abroad through video blogs, I had enough footage to make a short film for the IES Abroad Film Festival about the relationship between travel and identity. With the anti-Muslim and immigrant rhetoric that was pervasive in the U.S., I hoped that my decision to be open to the complexities that come with my different Muslim, American and immigrant identities would allow the U.S. to also embrace its differences.

Of course, it would be great if both America and I could one day come to a place of balance and stability. And there have undoubtedly been days where I have found myself at peace. The world, however, is rife in change, and these moments of stability can be very fleeting. So it’s also necessary to accept the reality of complexity and to be open to the growth it has to offer.

With the love and support I have received for my short film, I am more confident than ever in film’s ability to testify to this reality. I feel that I can walk into Trump’s America undefeated because I have art. So for the past couple of months, I have been developing my videography skills with the intention of producing a documentary after graduating and continuing this difficult but necessary conversation about choosing openness.

There are many misconceptions surrounding women in Islam fostered by traditional media and manufactured stereotypes. Seldom do real Muslim women get the opportunity to speak up about these fallacies. In reality, it’s nearly unfathomable to generalize the women of a religion of 1.7 billion — consequently, these generalizations lead to statements and questions that many non-Muslims are begging to vocalize — such as these 19 statements and questions that are explained, so you won’t ever have to say them to a Muslim girl.

1. You’re not *that kind* of Muslim, right?

If by that kind, you mean the kind that doesn’t need to justify or validate her faith based on the actions of an extremist minority is a completely inaccurate representation of my entire religion, then yes — I am that kind.

2. Islam oppresses women

There is literally a Muslim saying that says “paradise lies at her feet,” elevating the importance of women. People misconstrue cultural norms and blend it with religion, when in reality they are two separate entities, do I look oppressed to you?

3. You’re so exotic

While this may come across as a compliment it is actually diminutive to fetishize a certain aspect of someone you find to be different or foreign. Muslim women are more than just their race or religion, and to marginalize us into nothing more than traits such as olive skin or curly hair is demeaning.

4. You can't be a feminist and a Muslim

The two are not mutually exclusive. While many feel as though Muslim women need saving from the prison bars society believes we live behind, the truth is many Muslim women can be and are feminists who just like normal feminists advocate for the advancement of women. We can be both.

5. You probably have really strict parents

And you’re probably making that assumption after meeting one Muslim girl’s parents. Mine let me come home at 3 a.m, travel around the world by myself and get piercings — everyone's different. 

6. You’re lucky you’re in this country because…

Stop. Right. There. Please do not use the struggles of the people of my nationality in an attempt to make me feel better about myself. By saying things like “in your country a lot of girls don’t get to go to school,” or “in your country there are people dying from…” It’s point-blank offensive.

7. I bet you can belly dance

I bet you watched “Arabian Nights” and assumed every Muslim girl can belly dance.

8. You’re not like most Muslim girls

Why? Because I don’t wear a hijab, have an accent and freely speak my mind? These kind of assumptions are so detrimental to perception of Muslim women and Islam. Please don’t generalize the women of a religion of 1.7 billion.

9. Why don’t you wear a hijab (headscarf)?

The hijab is undoubtedly a symbol of Islamic identity for women, but it doesn’t have to be the only one. I represent my faith in many other ways, including my writing — and that’s sufficient enough for me. People practice their religion in different ways, and that’s okay — a Muslim woman who wears a headscarf is not more Muslim than one who doesn’t. That’s not how religion works.

10. So are you more Muslim or American?

Again, the two are not mutually exclusive. I can still hold an American passport, be born and raised in this country and still call myself Muslim. I don’t have to “choose” between one or the other. This is a misconception that derives from the inability to see culture and religion as two separate entities. I follow American culture, but Muslim faith, so I am both Muslim and American.

11. "What do you think of ISIS?"

What everyone thinks of ISIS: they're an evil terrorist organization. If anything Muslims detest ISIS more than any other group in the world. We're constantly being compared to ISIS when in reality ISIS and Islam have nothing to do with each other. 

12. Are you going to get an arranged marriage?

The idea that Muslim women have to get an arranged marriage is not only out-dated but inaccurate. This practice is still common in many Muslim countries, but again, it lies behind the whole idea of separating culture and religion. Many countries that have similar cultures to Muslim countries but are not Muslim practice arranged marriage too -- it's not linked to religion so much as culture.

13. You don’t have an accent at all

Please refer to #10 on the list and then understand that I have been speaking English for almost all of my life, just like many other Muslim girls born in the United States, it would be surprising if I had an accent.

14. You speak English really well

See #13.

15. You’re really *insert adjective here* for a Muslim girl

You’re really *outspoken* for a Muslim girl, you’re really *smart* for a Muslim girl, you’re really *fun* for a Muslim girl -- I’ve gotten all of these and every single time it never fails to catch me off-guard. Please don’t ever tell someone they are really something for someone of their race or religion. It marginalizes the entire religion and while it may be intended as a compliment, these kinds of microaggressions are offensive and should be avoided at all times.

16. My other Muslim friend doesn’t do that -- why do you?

Because we’re different people and we are free to practice our faith in whatever way we choose to?

17. Does it suck not being able to eat bacon?

Wouldn’t know, don’t care to.

18. Would you ever date a *insert race here*?

Some Muslim girls date people outside of their race and religion, some don’t. It’s not your business who does and who doesn’t.

19. Do you just pretend to be Muslim?

Many are under the impression that Muslim girls who don’t wear headscarves or have assimilated into American culture only “pretend” to be Muslim for the sake of their parents or for appearances. My faith is a relationship between myself and God. I have no interest in faking appearances or showcasing my piety like a trophy. I’m an American-Muslim and proud of it, I don’t need to pretend to be anything I’m not.

This article has been syndicated from Her Campus Agnes Scott as part of Her Campus's celebration of Muslim Women's Day.

Representation is everything. Seeing celebrities that resemble me in a powerful limelight creates the connection that I, too, can be powerful and successful. TBH, the progress that's been made in media representation has been inspiring. There's never been more Black Muslim celebrities, influencers and leaders out there to look up to.

So, I'm here to celebrate them and all their glory. A few specific Black Muslim figures have stood out to me, quickly becoming idols of mine that I'll admire (and fangirl about) forever. Here are four unapologetically strong Black Muslim idols that you need to stan immediately:

Mahershala Ali

This actor has been part of some huge projects that are getting the recognition they deserve. He won the Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) for his roles in Moonlight (2016) and Hidden Figures (2016). During his acceptance speech, he told the story of his conversion to Islam. His family was actively involved in the Christian faith, however, he broke the news to his mother, telling the audience, “We put things to the side, I'm able to see her, she's able to see me, we love each other, the love has grown.” He is part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and continues to empower those that are part of both minorities, Black and Ahmadi.

Ilhan Omar

Ilhan Omar made news when she became the first Somali-American Legislator in the United States during the Elections in 2016 (!!!). She is a politician from Minnesota and earned her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies from North Dakota State University, where she was also a member of the Muslim Student Association. Throughout her career, she has advocated for civil rights, environmental issues, the $15 minimum wage, and education-related issues. Talk about goals.

Akon

While Akon may have seeped out of the limelight, his impact in Africa is something that will continue to light up every day, literally. The Akon Lighting Africa project started in 2014 in efforts to provide electricity to Africans through the use of solar energy. The organization now successfully provides lighting to 14 countries and reportedly employs the future generation so that they can learn how to install solar equipment. Along with this project, Akon established the Konfidence Foundation. According to the foundation's website, their main purpose is to 'improve communities through promoting health, improving education and support impoverished families'.

Yara Shahidi

This young actress is known for her role as Zoey in the show Black-ish. Not only does she portray a beautiful character on a show that addresses many social issues like racism, police brutality, stereotypical narratives, and the LGBTQ+ community. She posted on Instagram about her multiracial and interfaith household that raised her in response to the Muslim Ban. She describes her Iranian-Shia father and Black-Christian mother as a love that showcases “how interconnected we truly are.” Go ahead with your bad self, Yara.

Black magic is real. Muslim magic is real. These four individuals have proven to engage in their social issues and be able to effectively discuss them while sticking to their roots. We stan!

This article was syndicated from Shaikha Chic as part of Her Campus's Muslim Women's Day celebration.

Let's be real — it can sometimes be a tricky road to navigate when it comes to expressing yourself as a hijabi woman. You're left asking yourself questions lik what will society say? What will my friends at the mosque say? What will my dad’s cousin’s wife’s sister in law say? But here’s the thing: indulging in self-expression through beauty or fashion does not equate to not being a good Muslim. News flash, world! You can express yourself and be an exemplary Muslim at the same time!

I wear the hijab, but I love a red lip and a winged eyeliner. I love when my highlight is popping and that perfect setting spray keeps my makeup on throughout the day. I’m a head-scarf wearing, practicing Muslim woman that loves to play around with makeup. Since I see so many young girls and even some older women struggling with self-expression and hiding away, I’ve decided to compile a list of my top pro beauty tips for hijabi women to get the ball rolling and provide inspiration to anyone that may need it.

Setting spray is your BFF

Do yourself a favor and buy that setting spray you've been eyeing. Invest in a good setting spray to ensure your makeup doesn’t transfer to your scarf at any point during the day. Nothing is worse than trying to get foundation off your hijab. My current favorites? MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ and the NYX Dewy Finish Makeup Setting Spray.

No concealer, no problem

Concealer who? It’s all about the hijab! While you may be annoyed that your hijab is covering that perfect contour, remember it’s not all bad. You can use your hijab to your advantage! Have some stubborn, new acne on your cheeks or forehead? No problem, tug at your hijab to cover it! Foundation doesn’t match your neck? NBD, who’s gonna see?

Bust out the bold lip

When in doubt, bring that red lip out. Feeling confused, unsure or doubtful? Nothing a red lip can’t fix! I don’t know about anyone else but any time I put on a red lip, I feel like the baddest, most fierce boss-girl in the world. Not sure if it’ll work for you? Well, there’s only one way to find out!

At the end of the day, you’ve just got to remember to be yourself. Stay true to yourself because once you believe in yourself, so will everyone around you. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to makeup. Just have fun with it and you’ll be fine!

Follow Zainab on Instagram.

Meet Amani Al-Khatahtbeh: the millennial mastermind behind MuslimGirl.com, founder of Muslim Women's Day, and one of the most influential Muslim Americans (totally casual). As a badass trailblazer in the digital media industry, Amani created an entire online space at the age of 17 for women just like her to communicate, collaborate, celebrate and support each other. Today, MuslimGirl is a booming hub for the modern day Muslim woman, from original reporting on key news and policy to dope makeup and style tips for Eid. 

In celebration of Muslim Women's Day, we chatted with Amani to ask her how she started an entirely new narrative in the media industry, the importance of sisterhood and allyship, and her advice to 20-something Muslim women in the digital media space. Get to know Amani and her incredible journey:

Her Campus: How did you get interested or involved in the digital media industry?

Amani Al-Khatahtbeh: I think that I noticed from a very early age that the media was impacting, if not defining, my whole life and existence. It always felt like people were talking about me but people who looked like me were never doing the talking. The media was impacting people's perception of myself and my family.

It wasn't until I visited the Middle East when I was 13 that I became aware of the huge contrast between the way that Western media was representing us versus the actual reality of it. Once my eyes were opened to that, I felt a responsibility to use the resources I had around me as an American woman to change that narrative.

HC: What were the biggest challenges you faced in founding and leading your own company?

AA: I feel like MuslimGirl is the most obvious byproduct of the millennial era. It's literally the result of a young millennial girl being pissed off by the lack of space for her voice, then going online to let that out. That's how MuslimGirl organically happened. Lack of resources has always been our biggest obstacle, but very early on, we got past this by using the technology at our fingertips. Using social media and our phones was how we were able to get our voices out there from the get-go.

Another challenge was the lack of space for narratives like ours. When we first started, there weren't many spaces online for Muslim women of our generation — no conversation for the modern woman with a modern lifestyle who also took into account her culture and practices as a Muslim. For us to break through into this space meant paving a new path. Obviously, this freaked people out — we received some commentary from right-wing parties and more conservative members of the Muslim community.

But at the end of the day, it comes down to shaking people's beliefs of how Muslim women should look and sound.

HC: What has been the most surreal moment of your career thus far?

AA: The surreal moments keep one-upping themselves as time goes on. Most recently, the first time Representative Ilhan Omar had made any statement on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement was during an interview on MuslimGirl.com. Her comments were then picked up with countless mainstream outlets and it completely took off. Since we have this platform that’s on our own terms, I can only hope she felt comfortable enough to share that with us because she knew we wouldn’t take things out of context or misconstrue her words. As a result of our conversation with Ilhan Omar, it started to reshape the conversations in Congress about Palestinian human rights.We always envisioned that MuslimGirl would one day help impact policy, reshape public opinion, and open up the space for discourse that we’ve never had before.

Watching that happen in real time was so fulfilling and mindblowing.

HC: What words of wisdom (well-known quotes, an anecdote from a mentor) do you find most valuable?

AA: Leading up to me pursuing this career in media, I didn’t really have any role models. There weren’t many women like me that I could look up to or that I felt I connected to. I will say that once I did break into the industry, there were a number of amazing women that really took me under their wings that helped uplift me or inspire me. One person that does come to mind is Piera Luisa Gelardi, Co-Founder and Executive Creative Director of Refinery29. Refinery29 was always the platform that I really admired and looked up to.

Piera is someone who understands all the bullshit that woman entrepreneurs have to deal with in a male-dominated space and all the pressures that come along with it. She’s been a guiding light for me and I can’t even express how much it’s meant to me.

HC: What makes you feel empowered as a Muslim woman in 2019?

AA: Honestly, I feel so freaking empowered by my sisters. The women I have by my side. My Muslim sisters that I get to work with every single day, our readers, our audience members, and our allies that are in our corner and helping us do the work that we need to do. It’s only through that sisterhood that makes a lot of the adversity that we’re dealing with today survivable. It affirms the sheer power of womanhood and that we can only be emancipated by the allyship.

HC: What advice would you give to a 20-something with aspirations in the digital media industry?

AA: Stay true to your voice. Stay authentic, keep it real, and your audience will come to you. Never try to pander to anyone or any cause because it really takes away from the power of your message. It takes away the whole point of your presence in the space in the first place. Through this, you’ll naturally attract people toward you that genuinely care about what you have to say.

Check out MuslimGirl.com and follow Amani on Instagram and Twitter.

It’s that wonderful point in the semester again where everyone’s preparing themselves for the much-needed season of Spring. This time off can be taken to relax and rejuvenate, catch up on revamping your wardrobe for warmer weather, or if you’re one of the lucky ones, travel somewhere extra warm. TBH, I can't believe it's already Spring. Like, thank god, because I'm cold and over it, but my closet is most definitely not up to speed. 

If you're in need of a quick few items to 'Add To Cart' before the weather really starts to heat up, I've got your back. Here are a few members of Her Campus’s InfluenceHer Collective wearing ten of our warm weather essentials:

1. Off-the-shoulder tops

Let your shoulders breathe in this flirty fit. We are loving this bright look and the tropical vibes it’s giving us.

2. Oversized shades

Cool sunnies are a must for every beachy vacation. When it comes to shades I believe the bigger the better! They stylishly protect your eyes all while hiding any mascara smears that are bound to happen in the heated temps.

3. Distressed white shorts

Stay away from wearing the predictable frayed jean shorts this break and go for a white pair. They will perfectly match every top and shoe combo you own.

4. Straw sun hats

A  sun hat like this is the perfect last-minute accessory to throw on and look beach photoshoot ready. Look for one that has a fun brim to add more shape to your fit.

5. Bamboo bags

Nothing will put you more in a tropical mood than carrying around a purse made of bamboo. It’s a complete statement piece that will have everyone asking, “Where’d you get that?”

6. Polka dot dresses

This is the perfect OOTD inspo for when you're going to brunch with your fam or besties.

7. Hair scarves

Okay, this has to be the cutest hair accessory of 2019! The simple scarf adds a fun pop of color to every look. Check out all the different ways to rock this trend here.

8. Star patterns

Incorporating stars into your look is a guaranteed way to look like the trendiest person on the boardwalk. I’m obsessed with how these lace-up shorts pull off the celestial pattern.  

9. Two-piece sets

Two-piece sets are a must-have for every warm weather vacation! They’re oh so beachy and require minimal effort to look amazing.

10. Denim on denim

I love a denim jacket for every occasion. Pair yours with some cut off jean shorts and look casually cool.  

All looks brought to you by members from Her Campus's InfluenceHer Collective. Are you an aspiring fashion influencer or blogger? Apply to join Her Campus's community of millennial and Gen Z influencers today!