abaya shopping

I think if I were heavily made up (like most of the women here) I would look a little less strange in the abaya and hijab...next time I go shopping, I'm breaking out the eyebrow pencil and dark shadow! It really does complete the "look" and make the hijab quite alluring.

I have not purchased an abaya yet, but I've done some shopping around. Of course, my tastes are very expensive--a "couture" abaya can cost thousands of dollars. I'm looking for one nice one in the $150 dollar range--I'll probably have it custom made with blue and turquoise jeweled trim. The range in the looks of abayas (and the thobes that men wear) was one of the many pleasant surprises in Qatar. I'll keep you posted on my hunt for the perfect one...