Woman wearing a normal niqaab and gloves in the state of ihraam

Q: I am a woman who has always performed Umrah wearing a hat and covering my face. Recently, when I was about to perform Umrah, my sister-in-law insisted that I could wear my niqab directly without the hat, as I would only be wearing it for a few hours, and damm would not be waajib upon me. However, I disagreed with her because I felt that this would compromise the essence of Umrah. 

I believe wearing the niqaab in such a manner involves intentional contact of cloth with the face, which contradicts the principles of ihraam. The allowance for unintentional contact exists, but wearing the niqaab directly seems to me like a deliberate act, done only to avoid the inconvenience of using a hat. 

Please clarify my doubt: 

1. Can I intentionally wear the niqaab directly without a hat and perform Umrah? 

2. Can I wear gloves during Umrah as many Saudi women point out during Umrah that it's haraam?

Continuing a marriage if the mahr (dowry) has not been paid

Q: Is it permissible to continue a marriage if the mahr (dowry) has not been paid? 

I am currently married, but my husband has not yet paid the agreed-upon mahr (dowry). I would like to know if my marriage is still valid in Islam without the payment of mahr. What steps should be taken in such a situation? Is the marriage still considered valid, and what are the Islamic guidelines regarding mahr payments? Should I take any specific actions to address this issue?

Husband sending text messages to his wife: "Go, I release you" and "I have no claim on you; you can live your own life."

Q: My husband said to me in a text message: "Go, I release you" and "I have no claim on you; you can live your own life." 

Does this count as a valid divorce (talaaq) according to Islamic law? I want to know if these words constitute a clear divorce or not.