Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Hello, NYC!

Hey guys! Wow! It's been so long since I posted, but I hope you can understand. See, I just moved to New York a week ago and I've been settling in to my new surroundings. Seriously, I haven't gotten a break! There's so much to see and do! I've been around the block, back to school, across the bridge, working nonstop... and let me tell you, it feels so darn good to be here! In a way I feel accomplished. Sure, there's plenty I need to still do like get my degree going and working in the business, etc. but moving to NY has always been one of my life goals so finally getting to do so makes me feel like I can do anything. I mean, if thousands of people do it daily, why can't I, right? I just wanted to share with you guys a few pictures and a quick round up of what I've been up to. Most of these pictures are from my phone because since I've been running quite a few errands, I'm not carrying my Canon around that much just to be more swift.


Anyways, I've only been able to see just a tiny bit of the city. I moved to Astoria, Queens so I'll be commuting to my Parsons everyday by train which is in Manhattan. As for my new neighborhood, I'm absolutely in love. I have so many things nearby and it's so tranquil and friendly. 


Little by little I've been getting my things set. I've been sleeping on an air mattress so I'm so stoked I'll be getting my mattress here tomorrow. I'm excited to get my room ready too. It was painted that strange purple color and since I can't afford to change it right now, I'll just stick to it and work with what I've got! Got some storage units put in and everything's fitting in perfectly. 


Yup, that's it! I finally made it! All of my classes will be in the now famous David Schwartz center. I was touristing around Times Square last Wednesday and I decided to go to campus and check out my classrooms. The guard didn't let me pass because this section of the uni closes during the summertime for yes, you guessed it... Project Runway. So I decided to walk out and linger around the benches up front to catch my breath and rest after hours and hours of walking (no wonder people in NY stay fit!) and all of a sudden...


NINA GARCÍA! Yes, she is beautiful! I was so starstruck that I immediately called out her name and when she looked at me, the only thing that came out of my mouth was "You're gorgeous!". She said hi and thanked me for the compliment. She was impeccably dressed and styled. What a way to start off my New York adventure!


Of course, Times Square is just a block away from my campus so I had to do the tourist thing and check it out since I couldn't go last time I came to NYC.


Can you spot me? I'm the one with the Monster Black Banane Taipei


The Fashion District! Recognize the Oldenburg?


One of the first stops I HAD to to once I arrived in NY was Inglot. For this, I saved up a few extra dollars. After years and years of wanting to experience the freedom system first hand, I finally got to make my own little palette. Once I test them out a bit more I might do a review on them but for now, I'm pretty much sold on these!


I got 5 eyeshadows and a concealer. Love the magnetic casing. Very nifty and handy!


Also, most of my subway stops have been to Union Square. Loved seeing all the fresh produce and colors at the Farmer's Market! How many radishes and carrots do you think are pilled in there? Wow!


Today was my school's open house so afterwards, I decided to take a stroll and of course, I had walked by tons of times by Lush but never really saw it until today when the sign was turned on. I immediately ran around the block and dashed into the store! I've had Lush products before but I had never been to a shop so it was like a candy shop to me! First thing I did was go in for an Emotional Brilliance reading! Basically, you relax and as soon as the wheel of colors stops spinning, you choose the three colors that call out to you the most. The sales associate will then flip over the tabs and read the significance behind each color's name. What he or she will tell you will be basically something that describes your personality or something that others see in you, admire from you or envy of you. I think my choices are very fitting due to the circumstances I've been in lately and I loved my choices!


I got "Feeling Secure", "Decisive" and "Control". I think these are more than fitting, they're dead on. I didn't purchase any of these because at $22.95 a pop, well... I've seen better quality products for less and they weren't something I really needed so I passed. I did get some other really cool goodies for less than one of these. It was fun to try it out, nonetheless!


The girls at Lush were so amazing, they even threw in two soap samples with my purchase! In the Box I got a Butterball Bath Bomb and a Honey I Washed the Kids Soap. I also got an Eau Roma Water to refresh my face during the day. So stoked to try these out!


Oh yeah! And my roommate took me to The Studio at Webster Hall for a fantastic show. We saw the Denzels! LOVED their music! I had a blast!

Anyways, that's just a quick round up of what's been going on on my first week here in NY. I still have SO MUCH TO SEE! I've been meeting up with friends from around the city, catching up, touristing and visiting my local food joints. The food here is insane. I mean, seriously... woah! I'll be meeting some new acquaintances as well and grabbing some very much needed materials over at Mood soon! Yay! My mom's also sending me my sewing machine soon so I'm so ready for it to arrive here before classes start. Orientation is just next week! 

So all in all, if you're interested in switching backgrounds and moving to NY I suggest you do. I'm in love with this place. I feel like I'm definitely going to test my potential here but I'm ready for that and I have been for a very long time. There's so much to see, hear, taste, feel, do, and experience that I promise you will never be bored. Any of you ever been to NY and never wanted to leave? 

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Skitch-I-Y: Ombré Nails!


Hi guys! What a week! I've been working on some freelance illustration plus my day job and I promised I'd post as soon as I finished working on that but I'm going to be quite a bit more on it so I decided I'd take a break and post about my first attempt at ombré nails. I am extremely happy with the results and I can't say enough good things about my color choice. LOVE IT! How more cheerful can you get? I've been working on some personal aspects in my life and they're taking quite a good spin so I thought these colors would reflect my positivity. Let's get started!

You'll need: 



  • At least two nail varnish colors of your choice.
  • Base coat
  • Top coat
  • Beauty sponge
  • Q-tips
  • Nail Polish remover
  • water 






Step 1: Prep and apply a base coat to your nails. I've been using Bettina's Stick It Base Coat for a while now and I am loving how good it is! I've had my ombré for about three almost four days and not a single bit of chipping so far. NOTHING. Usually I would already be re-touching since my nails are so brittle. And the price was another clincher for me. Under $5! 




Step 2: After your base coat dries, apply two coats of your first color of choice. I went for my new polish obsession: Bettina's Green Apple. I've already used it in three consecutive manis, including a splatter nail, or how I like to call it, a "Jackson Pollock nail". You can see it here. Let me know if you'd like a tutorial on that!  The only downside is that it's a potent color. Pretty much changes any other color layered over it as you may see on this tutorial.








Step 3: After your base color has dried, take your sponge and dip it in water. Wring out the excess water. It should be moist but not too dry or else the color won't transfer smoothly. Practice makes perfect here. Take your sponge and dip it in your other color or brush some polish onto the sponge. I prefer swiping the brush on the sponge to prevent the polish from drying. 











Step 4: Start dabbing your colored sponge over the area you want to ombré little by little. You might need to be patient to achieve your desired tone as the sponge might absorb the color. Work it gradually until you've got no visible lines and your color is even. If necessary, clean off your edges with some nail polish remover and a q-tip.







After it dries, apply a good coat or two or top coat and you're done! Instead of a glossy coat, I decided to go matte to give this bright, summer nail an extra umph! I used NYC's Matte Me Crazy. I like it! No chipping so far. A little inner cracking but it's to be expected at this point and it only cost me $2.19. Yes!


If you try out the ombré nail, show me! Experiment with colors, textures and tones. You can link me in the comments below, post on my Facebook page or tag me on Instagram! I'm LilaLane. See you soon with a few more DIY's, beauty and fashion posts I've got lined up. Hopefully I can get them all done before I move to NY! 

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