Mermaid Curls

I finally got a new video up! Check it out and don't forget to subscribe!

Messy Waves Tutorial

If you haven't heard, yesterday I launched my new photography website, and along with it, I changed the name of my blog to mariasharowland.blogspot.com, so be sure to note the change! I am so excited to share ANOTHER big announcement! After several requests for tutorials, I decided to start my own youtube channel! I will be sharing tutorials for makeup and hairstyles that I do for my shoots and requests that I get, so if there is anything you want to see let me know!

So without further ado, my first youtube video! Make sure to subscribe so you can keep up with all the new tutorials I post!

I had some requests for a tutorial showing how I did Susan's hair in this shoot. I used a slightly smaller curling iron on her and she has bangs, but other than that, it's the same!

I'm Back!!!

Hello Everyone!!! I am so glad to be back after a 3 month hiatus! I'm sorry I didn't give any notice before just disappearing from the blogosphere, but I had some personal things to sort out and decided I needed to spend some time focusing on myself. But more about that later! I have a few new photos to show you guys! The lovely Susan from Chevron and Lace came down to visit today and we decided to head up to Mueller Park to take some photos! Quinn had his birthday recently and has since gotten an entirely new fall wardrobe so I thought it was about time I took some pictures of him again:) So here you go! Thanks to Susan for taking the pictures of the two of us!

Hope you all are having a great week and I'll be back friday! Au revoir!

Mariasha

Patriotic

Check out the nails I did for the 4th of July! Love them! And all done with just 2 nail polishes and a nail art pen!

What do you think?! I thought they were super fun! Definitely going to try some more styles! Hope everyone had a good monday!

Mariasha

No Such Thing as Fat or Skinny

Senior year- 18 yrs 

Senior Year-18 yrs

Hair School Graduation- 19 yrs

Jr. High-15 yrs

Christmas 2009- 20 yrs
(At my skinniest I weighed 130 lbs. I was very underweight but I wanted to be extra thin for my wedding so I was under eating)

Now-22 yrs

I came across a really fantastic article today while surfing the web. The subject was something that really hit home with me. Now normally when I read articles online I tend to avoid the comments because they can get really nasty especially with more controversial topics. But this one was different. It seemed to be something I could never imagine people arguing about so I took a peek at the first few comments expecting to read heartfelt words coming from everyone. I was sorely disappointed to find that people can find rude inconsiderate things to say about anything. What is happening to this world and the people in it. How has humanity stooped so low that they could make negative comments about an article promoting positive body image in women?! Yes, you read that right. POSITIVE body image. This article was about how we should raise our girls to know that they are beautiful no matter their shape and size, and how we can teach them this through example. How in the world could that EVER be a bad thing?! And the worst part was that almost all of these comments were from men. Men telling women they are lazy and if they just worked out and didn't' eat fatty food they would look like Angelina Jolie. And that it's not. that .hard. Some of the comments I read made me so angry I thought about leaving a comment back to pick a fight. But what good would that do? So here I am on my little old blog speaking out. My whole life I have struggled with body image issues. I may not have shown it, but everyday I had to constantly fight with those thoughts in my head telling me that if I wasn't the flat-chested, boy-straight, size 0 that was so popular at that time, then I wasn't beautiful. Well let me tell you a little about myself. I am 5"8" and I weigh 135 lbs with a BMI of 17.8. Now looking at those numbers you're probably thinking "what does she know about body issues?". Based off those numbers I seem underweight. Now let me give you another set of numbers. I wear a size 9/11 in pants, my cup size is a DDD (sorry for the TMI), and my measurements are 41, 32, 41. Not so small now am I? The reason I shared these numbers with you is because that's exactly what they are. A number. A size 9/11 pant doesn't mean your fat and a BMI of 17.8 doesn't automatically make you skinny. In fact, I would be classified as curvy or plus size by most fashion magazines because of my clothing size and figure, yet when I go to the doctor he tells me I am underweight and need to gain a few pounds. So what am I trying to say? WHY are we using classifications like FAT and SKINNY when I have just proven that doesn't work! There is no such thing as fat and skinny. We should instead be focusing on HEALTHY and UNHEALTHY. Because of the expectations placed on women by media and society, I grew up thinking I was fat because I had curves. And when I wasn't feeling self conscious around all the stick figure jr high girls, I was being objectified by all the horny 14 year old boys because I had a large chest and a small waist. In jr. high I started skipping lunch saying I was on a "diet". In high school I decided it was okay to skip breakfast too. But then I was so starving by the end of the day I would binge eat on junk that wasn't good for me. I may not have had a full blown eating disorder, but I definitely had a distorted body image. Because the world told me that having a very womanly figure at a young age was ugly and the only way I knew to become "pretty" was to "diet". Maybe this is just my opinion, but no girl that young, should EVER have to know what a diet is or think that that's how you become beautiful. Even now at the age of 22, I still look in the mirror and struggle with not thinking that what I see is beautiful. When I try on clothes at the store, I leave empty handed because all I see when I try them on is fat, fat, fat. Swimming suits make me feel self conscious. Pictures of me look like whales. I don't want to feel like that. I know I'm not fat. I've had a freaking baby for goodness sake! But this is what society has done to me. To women in general. Is this really what we want to teach our young girls?! They need to know that they are beautiful NO MATTER WHAT! So to that stupid superficial guy who said it isn't that hard to look like Brad or Angelina and that the people who write these articles are just trying to make themselves feel better because they're fat and lazy.... Shame.On.You.

Women are beautiful. Period. There is no such thing as fat or skinny.

You can check out the original article here.

Mariasha

Here's some more of my purchases from Memorial Day weekend! P.S. I am seriously in love with maxis. I bought 3. 

Random fact about me- My eyes change colors every day. That's why you will notice that in some photos my eyes are gray, in some bright turquoise blue, and in others (like today) they turn a grayish blue with an amazing fiery hazel ring around my pupils. These days are my favorite and I wish they came more often!

Shirt- Walmart (in store only)

Skirt- Charlotte Russe

Jewelry- Forever 21 (Necklace)(Bracelet and Earrings in store only)

Bag- JustFab

Shoes- Charlotte Russe (in black only)

Mariasha

Memorial Day= Shopping

For us shopaholics, there really is nothing like Memorial weekend! There are so many amazing sales and I look forward to it every year!I decided to start off my shopping a little early this year and bought some things yesterday! I was able to add a few pieces I had been wanting to my closet. Here's a few of the things I got!

Skirt- Love Culture(similar)

Shirt- Target

Shoes- JustFab

Earrings- Target (in store only)

Blazer- ?

Mariasha

Picture Picture

Susan and I found an awesome place to take pictures near my husbands work today! It was so much fun and I love her outfit! Plus check out her new CAMERA!!! Yay! Love DSLR's!

I also got a spray tan this week from my friend Taylor! I love how fast and easy it was! Plus I'm tan now!!!

Sorry not the best before picture.

You can call her to schedule an appointment for a spray tan at 801-696-6555!

Mariasha

DIY Bronzer Tutorial and JustFab review

You guys are so lucky! You get a two in one post today! I was just going to do a post on some homemade bronzer I tried out, but I got a package early today!!! And what package might that be? Just Fab SHOES!!!! Now there is a long story behind why I bought these shoes, but just to keep it short and sweet, basically if you sign up for JustFab and order something, make sure you go online and select to skip the month if you don't want to buy more! Otherwise you will get a charge for $39 on the 6th of the month! But what's done is done, so I might as well be happy I got two new pairs of shoes:)

The shoes arrived in these pretty black and pink shoe boxes and were packaged nice and safe so there was no damage to the shoes.

The first pair of shoes I selected was Teresa.

The shoe was in perfect condition when I got it, and I was actually very surprised to find that they were made really well! Definitely not cheap. Now I'm not new to high heels (obviously) but let me tell you these babies are HIGH! The double stacked platform puts these shoes at a 6 1/2" heel! Making me 6'1 1/2"!!! Luckily because of the platform, they are not any more uncomfortable than any other shoes I own. Not super hard to walk in, but definitely not for a beginner! Good quality, cute, and they are pretty true to size... maybe 1/2 size small.

The second shoe I ordered was La Brea.

These shoes were also in perfect condition and made really well. I love the bright color of the yellow with the rope wedge... perfect for summer! These ones are only a 5" heel so definitely more manageable if you're not used to heels. These shoes are SOOO comfy! A lot of people commented in the reviews that it was too tight around the toes but I have narrow feet so it actually fit me really well. These shoes are definitely true to size. I think between the two I would definitely say these are my favorite!

Now as for JustFab, would I buy from them again? Yes. The shoes are great quality and not a bad price. I'll just have to remember to skip the month if I don't want shoes so I don't get charged! Also just an FYI, they have free shipping, and it only took me 4 days to get my shoes! AWESOME!

Moving on! I found an awesome pin on pinterest for DIY bronzer. I've already tried out a homemade mineral veil pin that I loved, so I figured I would try this one out too. To make it you will need...

Homemade Bronzer

• corn starch
• cocoa powder
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• small jar

There isn't exact measurements for the ingredients, but I did the most of the corn starch, and then added the other ingredients till it was the color I wanted. I recommend not adding very much nutmeg because it smells STRONG!

Next mix everything together really well until the color is even throughout, and then pour into a small jar or container.

And you're done! I tried it out to see how I liked it...

I love the way it turned out! I didn't want it to be very dark because I just wanted a sun kissed look, but you can add more cocoa and cinnamon to make yours darker if you want. And the best part is when you get a good tan over the summer, you can just make it darker to match your skin! No more buying new makeup all the time! Plus it doesn't contain any gross chemicals or additives! Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think! Here's the finished look... 

If you would like to purchase some shoes from JustFab, use this link so I can get some rewards points for referring you! ;)

Mariasha