Ramadan is officially over and Eid al-Fitr is here (or maybe you’re still fasting one more day, but you’re so close!). We’re celebrating with the iconic Aysha Harun (she/her), beauty + lifestyle creator, who’s giving us tips on how to dress more modestly, sharing how to ignore the haters, and getting us hyped up about her upcoming beauty collab!

Eid Mubarak! How has this Ramadan been for you?
This Ramadan has been beautiful so far. It’s my husband and I’s second Ramadan together and it’s been nice building our own traditions, decorating our home, and cooking and praying together. I’ve been daily vlogging on YouTube for my sixth annual series, The Ramadan Daily, so it’s been a bit busy content-wise, but I love being able to share the blessed month with my online community. It’s extremely rewarding to be able to share my faith with the world while also using my platform to raise money each year for charities I care about. This year, I’m supporting the For Mama Campaign who’s raising money for urgent maternal care around the globe, as well as humanitarian and medical aid in Gaza.

As a hijabi, you dress modestly (and fashionably) all the time. What are your biggest tips for those who might want to explore dressing modestly while staying true to their style?
1. Find your sense of style—do you like to dress more feminine or girly? Maybe you like streetwear style? Edgy? Whatever it is, narrow down what style suits you best because that will be your guiding factor when styling a modest outfit.

2. Modest dressing normally includes looser-fitting styles, so opt for items that have a more relaxed fit, or size up in items like dresses and skirts that have a more form-fitting appearance.

3. Layering will be your best friend when it comes to modest style. If you’re working with what you’ve already got in your wardrobe, layering a third piece on any outfit will always help it look more modest. For example, taking a simple pair of jeans and white tee outfit and throwing over an oversized button-up top or oversized blazer will give it a more relaxed, modest look.

4. Building a solid base of basics like bodysuits, long sleeve and mock neck tops, and slip skirts/dresses will allow you to layer those pieces underneath items that may have a slit or opening without having to alter the clothing items. There have been many times where I’ve found the perfect dress, but it has a large open back or deep v-neck. A simple skin-tone colored bodysuit will fix that issue easily without having to take it to the tailor! My favorites are SKIMS or Pumiey.

It can be harder to dress modestly when you’re curvy, as many modest fashion sites tailor to thin women. How do you find clothes that work for your body type while maintaining the level of coverage you’re comfortable with?
This is a constant struggle for me. The majority of modest fashion sites only go up to a size XXL and oftentimes those sizes fit more like a large. One of my favorite places to shop for modest and curvy-friendly outfits is ASOS because they have an entire plus-size section and have tons of modest options. When searching for options online, the filter is a must. I will filter to show options with long sleeves, maxi length, and extended sizing so I have the option to size up if I want a more relaxed fit. My hope in what I do is to bring awareness to this issue in the modest fashion scene and create the change we desperately need.

Being a Black Muslim woman on social media can be tough. How do you deal with bullying?
Tell me about it! Being a woman in general comes with its challenges, but as a Black woman that wears the hijab, it’s like an extra bright red target. There was a period of time a few years ago where online bullying would eat at my self-confidence a lot. I would read pages and pages of forums and mean comments about me and start to believe the words they were saying. It took therapy and my amazing husband and family to remind me who I am. But honestly, I just don’t deal with the bullying and mean comments anymore. I filter specific words in my social media accounts and block anyone that tries to make me feel bad about myself and move on. It’s been extremely liberating not allowing randoms online to dictate how I feel about myself!

We love it! Speaking of things we love, you’re having a big year of successes… What’s next for you?
Ahhh, there’s so much going on this year that I genuinely cannot wait to share! I’m releasing my first ever beauty collab with my literal dream brand and I think it’s going to be a really big, monumental moment in my career. It’ll be releasing this fall, so more on that soon! Aside from the collaboration, I’m focusing on building out my merch line Happy Looks Good on You and coming out with fresh new collections there. I’m also dipping my toes into more custom fashion as my husband is a fashion designer, so there may or may not be some exciting things in the works there, too!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I just hit half a million followers on Instagram, which is an exciting milestone as there are not many Black hijabi women that have reached that milestone yet. I’m excited to continue breaking barriers for us and opening up new doors to success. A lot of that growth has come from me dabbling into the world of food and cooking content, and so I’ll be sharing more of my love for that to continue the momentum.