Zeinab  Al-`Alawani, Instructor of Fiqh and Islamic Studies, Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences, states the following: The Islamic dress code for women as revealed in Surat An-Nur most likely includes the covering of head, chest, neck, etc. There are different views on the obligation of wearing niqab due to various interpretations, but it appears to me that covering the face is NOT wajib.
I would advise every lady to judge their own case based on the society or the environment they live in. If the environment is diversified in the sense that they accept different styles of dress and women uncovering their faces, then go ahead and do what seems convenient to you.
If, on the other hand, there is no such diversity in the society, and you would be deemed as offending the society’s culture and you might be subject to negative comments, then I would advise you to wear the niqab, not as an obligation but as a way of respecting the culture. But again, Islamically I do not see the niqab as obligatory.”