Sunnah Style : My HONEST review..




Assalamualaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatu!! So, I recently wrote (well not so recently but recent enough) an honest review of my Tansim collections abayas and my experience with them. Overall, the experience was pleasant, but there was definitely room for improvement. I decided to review my niqabs from Sunnah Style because, well, why not? I know I have written quite a few posts before about my experience with wearing the niqab. I want to let my readers know that I am no longer a full-time niqabi because I live with my parents and I am not brave enough to cause harm to myself and let myself be kicked out and live homeless on the streets because I want to exercise something that, in my opinion, is not obligatory. I do not open any room for debates about this topic because there are differences of opinions on this matter; just because one sister sees it as obligatory, another may not and there are ample proofs to support both sides. So to those who take the opinion that niqab is fard, you do you, imma do me. 
Allah is the ultimate and final judge, you ain't aight? Aight. 

Now that that is out of the way, let's commence this long overdue review.

Now, I attend a halaqa every Sunday (the sisters who know me from the masjid and read this review, know exactly what I am about to write about lol) and that is the only time I wear my niqab (and whenever I go to the masjid or whenever there is a congregation of random Muslim men flocking in groups for some unknown reason where I deem uncomfortable. For some reason, Muslim men seeing my face makes me more vulnerable and violated than if some next non-Muslim man. Call me weird, but that's just how I roll. 

Sunnah Style has been my occasional go-to place for niqabs and abayas. I won a giveaway from them a few years back and I chose a khimar (which I reviewed here ) and a niqab. This was a while ago and since I moved back to Toronto, I purchased another abaya which I gave away because it was too see-through to my standards and the material snagged and I purchased two new niqabs (the purple (I had another purple one in the US from my giveaway purchase but I gave that way) and dark blue one - blue one not seen in this picture because I was too lazy to take four pics of me in a niqab and edit them.) The blue niqab and the purple (narrow no-pinch) one were on sale and that is basically why I bought them. I don't think I will be able to bring myself to pay full price for these niqabs anymore (unless they cater to women with small nose bridges and small faces.) 

So the pink and the beige coloured niqabs I purchased them online when I lived in the US. I purchased the no-pinch ones because I have glasses and the description (which you can find on their website https://sunnahstyle.com/36-no-pinch-niqabs) said it would be suitable for those with glasses. Let me just do a pros & cons list so I can save you from reading my boring review (because who bothers to read long reviews, right? I don't..anyway)

PROS:
-a wonderful collection of beautiful colours
- material is breathable
- the forehead part is nice and wide so it doesn't show your brow hairs (which to me is basically like showing your hair - and eyebrows showing looks so funny lol)
- I like how long the niqab is (down to your chest - and that is regular length)
- long tieback which I like
- the narrow no-pinch one is good if you have a higher nose bridge and wider face 
- great customer service, replaced my old beige niqab (which came in the mail snagged) with another beige niqab (the one worn in this post - which snagged again, unfortunately) without charging me

CONS:
 - pills easily
- I only wore the purple one twice (didn't even wash it) and it is already starting to pill (is that why it is on sale? lol...)
- I really dislike how uncomfortable the no-pinch niqabs are, I have to constantly fiddle and fix it while I am in my halaqa and it is a big distraction.
- If I don't tuck the no-pinch niqab under my glasses, basically you can see half my face (nose included lol)
- the (second) beige one snagged (again) and I can't wear it at all anymore! :(
- snags easily, very easily (if you are like me who have dry skin around your fingernails because of the harsh Canadian weather, you better watch out, your niqab will get caught on your dry skin and basically it will turn into a roll of thread)
- these niqabs are basically not made for anyone who is East Asian or anyone with a small nose bridge or a small face
- the narrow no-pinch one is slightly better but already starting to pill.
- quite pricey for the quality ($ 12 (sale) - $28)

OVERALL: 

Honestly, I really don't enjoy wearing these. Good thing I only wear them once a week, cuz if I wore them full-time, I think I would stop wearing the niqab just because of how uncomfortable these are. BUT, the one amazing thing is the long tieback and the long front part which covers the eyebrows but other than that, they snag and pill easily and they are far too wide for my face. If I tie it tighter, they pinch my eyes and I look like I have been crying all day because they make my eyes puffy. I will not be repurchasing unless they reformat these for sisters with smaller faces and smaller nose bridges. Until then, does anyone have any recommendations where I can find niqabs for small faces/small nose bridges? Without having to travel all the way to Malaysia? lol....
But guys, maybe I just don't know how to wear a niqab properly, though lol.. I wouldn't be completely close to the idea of trying Sunnah Style's basic niqab (not the no-pinch ones) but again, I don't want to risk paying for it and then it turns out even worse!

 I apologize if my review is brutally honest, but I do see how a lot of sisters enjoy these niqabs because they probably fit better on their faces. But for me, they don't and they snag and pill easily which is really sad because these niqabs are not cheap. I really do appreciate Sunnah Style and their mission and the modesty they are trying to provide for sisters. But modesty should not come at such a big price tag.  A lot of sisters can't afford half the items on their website and though I understand their quality is 'good' to some extent and they are trying to make a living as well, they should really consider making the BLUE line a little more affordable. The BLUE line is supposed to be more affordable but an abaya priced at $45 plus shipping is still expensive for someone who is a single mother of 3 and trying to make ends meet. I won't even go into the regular-priced abayas. Again, I apologize for being honest, but I hope that my honesty will help them improve and reconsider a few things. I have attached some pictures below of the niqab and the pilling & snagging in which I am talking about.






oh' snag! Can't wear this anymore :(

oh' snag!

can you see the pilling? 

more pilling..

May Allah forgive me if I said anything wrong or offensive and forgive me my many shortcomings. Ameen.

 (Disclaimer: ALL things stated here are my opinion. If you don't agree then that is not my problem. I don't write to please others and I don't write to lie to myself or others. My opinions expressed in this post are solely for the sake of Sunnah Style trying to improve and cater to sisters of all shapes and sizes and for the working, struggling class sisters who can't afford decent-quality, modest clothing. If we are not honest with ourselves or with others, then how can I or we improve?) 

9 comments

  1. walaikum asalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, I definitely agree with the point you made about the cost, many sisters have issues with affording modest clothing which is an essential for muslim women. I also have had similar experience with the quality, the gloves i have, I have had to repair at least 2o times and the khimar and abayas i have had have all gotten runs in them which just makes them seem cheap after that happens. I do like their flap niqab and regular niqab but i would definitely appreciate if they took into account the types of customers they have. Many sisters including myself save up in order to buy islamic clothing so it is very disappointing when it doesn't last. Jazakillah khayran. I pray that your post is beneficial. Ameen

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  2. Wa alaikum salaaaam. I love sunnah style niqaabs. In Australia there aren't really any options besides what i can find online. I tried the wide eye ones and they were definitely not suited to my face. The narrow ones are definitely more comfortable. I think that is what makes their business so great is that they do have many options for different styles,face shapes and colours. I usually only purchase black and have never had an issue with pilling. The shipping is pricey and the niqabs are also but as i said i have no options here in Australia. They have lasted me years and years alhamdulillaah.

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    1. That's awesome! Nice to hear from you in Australia!

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  3. Wa alaikumassalaam wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuhu!! I completely agree with your review!! The quality of their products at the moment is not worth the price! The sisters in their customers service dept are amazing and really kind Masha’Allah and don’t hesitate to replace a product or accept a return, but the cost and quality is just not worth it. Ive bought two niqabs in the past from them, the purple no pinch and a extra long two layer niqab, the purple was waaaay too wide and pilled pretty quick, i had the same issue of it slipping down unless something was holding the eye hole up.
    The second niqab was actually amazing and is still as soft and in a good condition as it was when i bought it.
    But the few abayas i have bought from them, thats a whole different story, the materials horrendous, the sizing is all over the place, and while i like the designs, its soo overpirced its not even funny. A regular muslimah has to save up for ages before being able to afford Sunnah Styles products! Ive actually completely abandoned buying from them and have used ebay for my last few abaya purchases and they were half the price, brand new and 10 times better quality than Sunnah Style. Sunnah style does have its positives but for me, its got anough negatives that i dont think i will buy from them again. Ebay all the way!! 💕😁
    Umm Isa xx


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    1. omg alhamdulillah !!!! I'm glad you know exactly what I am talking about lol....Maybe it is just the purple and pink ones that pill? as it clearly seems those who buy the black one doesn't have this problem?!! but the only reason i want to buy niqabs from sunnah style is bc of their colour selection.. i can get a black one anywhere!!

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  4. Walaykum as salaam. JazakAllahu khairan for this review! It's great that you're bringing attention to the fact that niqab isn't one size fits all. I know they already offer different styles, but insha Allah Sunnah Style will make some adjustments to their design so that they can offer a niqab that comfortably fits sisters with features similar to yours.

    I am shocked that the material is pilling! I have browsed the Sunnah Style website many times, but it's always my budget that holds me back from placing an order. However, I always assumed that their materials would be high quality because of the price of their garments. I would have been extremely disappointed to pay so much money for clothing and to have that issue of pilling! Insha Allah they see this review and change their fabrics. Why pay a premium for an inferior product when there are places like East Essence that have way lower prices?

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  5. part 1

    Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. I've been a Sunnah Style customer since early 2016. To date I have spent $600+ with the company. I am writing this comment as a response to the above reviews and I will try to remain as objective as possible and just state the facts.

    My first order with them was for $168. I was disappointed to learn that the essential full zip abayas I ordered were made of a heavy and unbreathable polyester. This was not stated online nor was it that their niqabs were made of polyester. I only discovered this when I received the items and the tags stated that. I advised them that they need to update their website to correctly state what materials are used as I wouldn't have purchased these and that if we as people conceal what the actual material is (and it's that of inferior quality or the name is deceiving, than we are not better than the kufar). None the less, I ended up keeping the niqabs and sending back one of the abayas because the color was much darker than shown online. I believe they did pay for the return shipping due to the inconvenience/misleading info. To this day, I have three of their essentials full zip abayas and I do really like them. They are convenient in that they are full zip with zippered pockets. HOWEVER, they do not breathe AT ALL and I can only wear them in a cool fall and winter. I have mistakenly worn them in the late spring when it was warm and it was a nightmare. That being said, $59.99 + shipping is too much for an abaya that you are only able to wear 1-2 seasons.

    Since then I have ordered numerous niqabs from them and I have to agree with the above reviews- they pill and snag instantaneously. In fact, many of the niqabs I have my husband says I look like Scar Face because they usually snag right in the front, deeming them unwearable. They really do have a beautiful array of colors which is usually why I continued to just keep ordering.

    However, I came to realize Sunnah Style provides good customer service as long as you love their products and never speak up about any issues. For my wedding two years ago, I ordered three white niqabs in differing styles, a white underscarf, and a matching size large white shayla. I let them know beforehand that I would be only keeping one of the niqabs and returning the other two but I just needed to try it on with my jilbab. I chose the one I wanted and noticed one of the niqabs they sent me had no tag on it. Now I got married alhamdulillah, moved out of state, and being that my husband placed the order in a new account he didnt remember the password and by the time I recovered the password and account info about 2 months had passed. I contacted them and they showed no remorse or leniency with my situation or the fact that they sent me a niqab without tags so I was just stuck with that one. Keep in mind, I have already spent lots of money with them.

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  6. Part 2

    Since then I purchased more niqabs and gloves and when one didnt work out as intended I shipped it back instead of just keeping it like I had been and just tossing it in a drawer or giving it to friends. Shipping cost me $15 to send it to them and I am only in Chicago. The next order I placed a few months later, I thought that they had sent me the wrong color because it looked much darker in the package yet I didn't want to open it because I didn't know if this wasn't going to have a tag on it and then they were going to say I had to keep it as I experienced before. So I contacted Sunnah Style and asked for a prepaid shipping label to send it back as I could not keep affording to pay $15 to ship one niqab. The email I received back was one where I was spoken to condescendingly and almost berated for asking for a prepaid label and why don't I just open the package and I will see it is the color I ordered. I was surprised, especially since I had spent $600 with this company so far and I felt if they really valued my business and appreciated me as a loyal customer they would not have treated me this way. I emailed them saying I would take my business elsewhere and I would not be purchasing from them anymore.

    Fast forward to last night: after many "bickerings" between my husband and I over the past 6 months about me wearing lighter colored niqabs when we go to certain gentrified areas of town. I have no problem wearing lighter colors but the only company I know that has decent light colored niqabs is Sunnah Style that is relatively close and I didn't want to spend our hard earned money on people who expect you to just take what they give you and be happy no matter what the quality or customer service is. Anyway, I bit the bullet and got a $40 order together despite my personal feelings and when I went to pay and have it shipped, I received a message saying there were no carriers to go to that address. I tried another address, same notice. So i logged out of my account, feeling that there was something fishy going on, as I live in Chicago and they have delivered to me many times. I created a new account to place the order and when it came to the order screen and where to ship- there was no issue with the exact same two addresses I entered to ship it to. So- I believe I was blocked from ordering from them under my account that is associated with my email. I emailed them in regards to it and as of yet am still awaiting a response and to see what they will say.

    All in all, I have come to the conclusion that there is something not right with this company. Yes they have beautiful niqabs in great colors, (albeit they are expensive to not be long lasting) but I would rather stick with the same old trusty niqabs I have and wear them until they're hanging by threads than deal with such a petty company that just wants your money and will only offer you good customer service as long as you agree with everything they say and give you. I spent too much money with them to receive snarky responses on more than one occasion dealing with them. Don't be fooled by the constant giveaways and the word "Sunnah" in the name.

    Unfortunately this is my honest review. Anything good I've said is from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'aala and anything bad or incorrect I've said is from myself and Shaytaun. Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

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Assalamualaikum, please be mindful about what you are about to write. Think about it before writing and make sure it is something positive and beneficial, otherwise it will be deleted and ignored. JazakiAllah kheyr ! Sisters ONLY! xo