How to get glowing iridescent skin the easy way!

This technique is really very easy, but people tend to get the concept of this look wrong. I know that I personally need fairly good coverage, so buying a water-based foundation or mixing some illuminating crème with my regular foundation never worked.

The trick is the place highlighter in the right places. If you leave your face unpowdered it won’t look dewy; it will look oily. So here are the steps you need to follow to get that youthful glowing look.

First apply your foundation as you normally would. Leave it unpowdered for now as we will be adding more cream products.

Then apply your favourite highlighter onto your outer cheekbones (do NOT bring it further in than the pupil of your eye), on your cupids bow which is the dip in your upper lip, a very thin line on the bridge of your nose and on the inner tear-ducts of your eyes.

If you are wearing a dress or top that shows some cleavage, you can also add some onto your collar bones and a little bit on your breasts just before they meet the top of your dress/top. This will make your chest appear bigger and your shoulders skinnier!

I would suggest layering a lightly shimmered powder over the areas you have just highlighted to make it last all day. You want to make sure the shimmer in this is very fine, leaving a glowing effect rather than chunks of glitter on your face. Lastly, apply a loose powder to the rest of your face making sure to blend the shimmered powder so there are no harsh lines.

And that’s it! There’s no hidden secret or product, it’s all about knowing where to highlight and where to shadow. These are the professional, long-lasting tricks of the trade. Placement and layering is everything when it comes to make-up, so get highlighting those cheekbones missies!

Iridescent cheekbones and lustrous busts,

Aila Maritz xox

I'm not one of "them"...

I’ve been looking through some popular blogs lately to muster up some inspiration for my dwindling blog; mainly local girls who have become successful through the niche of fashion and makeup blogging. I have notices these girls are very witty, using metaphors, imagery and onomatopoeia to create a discerning vision to both intrigue and allure readers into following and sharing their ever growing oeuvre.

Well, I don’t do that. I am in my final year of studying English, so of course I could string together a few words to make myself appear apt and astute, but why? Who will that relate to? I’m a real person. I may not be the same as everyone else, and I may not be very interesting, but I’m real. I have no illusions of myself, I have no amazing contacts to set me aside, I’m not the cool girl who dresses indie, smokes cigarettes and drinks wine while cleverly enticing the elite crowd surrounding her nightly. I am but a variation of you. Right now I am sitting on my couch in my jammies with my hair tied in a messy bun thinking if I get more creative with my language people might like my blog more. I’m flat broke, insecure and the furthest thing from conventionally pretty you will find.

But who says it has to be a certain way? Maybe someday I will be able to string a few sentences together and make the perfect blog post. Maybe I will become more cut-throat and demand what I want from people and give no favours if I receive nothing in return.

For right now though, I will remain as I always have. I'm not a clone; I'm weird, random, quirky and slightly boring with many spelling mistakes due to my over-reliance on spell-check (which doesn’t always get the job done to perfection). I won’t overthink my blog to self-indulge in narcissistic success, or try to fit in with the cool blogging crowd that remains just out of my reach. This is my blog, an expression of me in all my randomnicity. I have no niche, no schedule, no weekly theme to draw my readers in. However, I am happy to say that some few people do still read my blog. Some commenting, some just leaving their footprint on my stats, meaning so much to me that someone bothered to pay attention to what little old unimaginative me has written next.

I’m not the perfect blogger and will probably never gain recognition for my "hard-core" blogging, but era sure, what can ya do?

Quick and easy Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

I do believe it’s time for another recipe!

In the cookbook this is a recipe for “Chocolate Butterfly Cakes”, but in my recipe I added a chocolate icing instead of cream and they tasted trés magnifique. I wish I cud say the cake was the best part but icing was divoon. These are quick and easy and a perfect little touch for Valentine’s Day, be it with your lover or just friends!

You will need:

25g/1oz plain chocolate

125g/4½oz butter

85g/4oz caster sugar

150g/5½oz self-raising flour

2 eggs

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Icing cugar

White Chocolate

So here’s the recipe:

§ Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F/ Gas mark 4. Line a 12 hole bun tin with paper cases. Preparation is key my lovelies!

§ Melt Chocolate on a double boiler pan or in the microwave, but make sure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.

§ Beat together butter, sugar, flour, eggs and cocoa in a large bowl until just smooth. Beat the melted chocolate into the mixture.

§ For this I sneakily defied the instructions of the cookbook (teehee) and added in a square of chocolate into each cake. I half-filled the paper case, place a piece of chocolate in the middle and poured the rest of the batter over the top. Some sank to the bottom but they tasted absolutely gorgeous!

§ Spoon into the cases (about ¾ full) and bake in the oven for 15minutes or until springy to the touch. Allow to cool completely.

For the Icing:

§ Melt some white chocolate and add in an equal amount of icing sugar or confectionary sugar. The amount will vary on how thick or how much you want on each cupcake. Gently mix together until it thickens to a paste, you know yourself what icing looks like!

§ Spread onto the cupcakes and there you have it! Beautiful cupcakes!

So there you have it, a quick and simple recipe for any special occasion sure to make any mouth water.

Happy licking of spoons,

Aila Maritz xox

Mental Health Week

Just a very short post today, but I'd just like to address the fact that it's Mental Health Week.

Most of us have had some form of depression in our lives, the fact that there is a week dedicated to it proves that it's nothing rare or to be ashamed of.

"Depression isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign that you have been too strong for too long".

I want to reassure everyone that you're not weak and you're not crazy. It's not your fault and it's hard to overcome, anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. However, you need to realize that you create your own destiny; if you think your life isn't worth while then you will accept this fact and do nothing to change it.

It's ok to cry, it's ok to curl up with a blanket sometimes and let it all out. But don't let it overcome you, don't let it define your life. Life is happening right now, don't miss it because your in crying about how you're missing it!

One night a while back I was feeling really down and couldn't sleep, so at sunset I took my dog for a short walk. We watched the sunset (my dog knew what was going on, obviously) and it was so peaceful and beautiful. It made me see the beauty of the world, and the fact that every slight noise in the dead silence made my dog have near heart-failure made me laugh so much I forgot about my woes.

It's the little things that help, realizing life is all around you and if you open your eyes you might be amazed.

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Never accept anyone's definition of you; define yourself."

Listen to your favourite happy music and flick through this website http://weheartit.com/. You never know, it might inspire you to smile!

Don't take life too seriously lads, we'll never get out alive.

Aila Maritz xox

How to love yourself

1. Pick out five things you hate about yourself.

2. Pick out five things you don’t hate, but you wouldn’t mind altering a bit.

3. Pick out five things you love about yourself.

Which was easiest? Could you pick five things easily?

Bet it was really easy to pick the things you hate, and fairly easy to find the things you wouldn’t mind tweaking. But the things you love about yourself?

How many times a day do you look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re amazing? And how many times do you think how fat you are, how big your nose is, how you hate your eyes, how your ears are a weird shape, how you would be pretty if you could just change that one major flaw?

Everyone should look at themselves and think I’m not perfect, but I’m better than everyone else. I know everyone wants me, they’re just too shy to do anything about it. Don’t mistake this for vanity for self-praise is no praise.

But how can you give yourself completely to another, mind and body, perfections and flaws, if you don’t love yourself enough to accept these flaws yourself?

Don’t talk down to yourself, don’t treat yourself how you wouldn’t want to treat your mother, or sister, or best friend. If you think you’re beautiful, you’re right. If you think you’re ugly, you’re right. By this I mean embracing your beauty will make you shine; don’t ever frown as you don’t know who could be falling in love with your smile.

You were born an original, don’t die a copy.

Aila Maritz xox