Skitch-I-Y: Sailor Moon Nails!

A few days ago, one of my readers linked me an idea for Sailor Moon nails. Sailor Moon is very dear to my heart, being as that is the first cartoon/anime I mastered drawing when I was 7 years old.  I instantly knew that this was a mani I had to try out. So, we're straying a bit from fashion today but I know that deep down some of you are true Sailor Scouts at heart! Because after all, we do it all in the name of love and justice! This one's for my girls over at Ouna's Closet.

You'll need:

Base coat

Nude nail polish

White nail polish

Blue nail polish

Red nail polish

Yellow/gold nail polish

Black thin brush nail polish

Top coat

(This is for the Sailor Moon nail. Change colors accordingly depending on the scout of your choice)

Step 1: Prep and prime your nails with a base coat. After your nails are dry, apply an even coat of a nude nail color. I used Jessica's Nail Gone Bare. 

Step 2: Draw two large triangles from one upper corner of the nail to the other. This will be the scout's sailor collar. I used Gosh's 006 Attitude.

Step 3: Take your white nail polish and wipe off all of the excess off the brush onto the bottle mouth. Use the border of the brush and draw two lines towards the center about a quarter of an inch away from the blue borders of the scout's neckline. You can do one or two. It will be easier to make the line/s if you have a thin brush polish or a thin polish brush. I just used me Sinful Colors Snow Me White polish for that.

Step 4: Take your white polish and paint over the bottom half to represent the scout's torso after all of the blue polish has dried completely. 

Step 5: Once the white has dried, take your red polish and draw two small isosceles triangles. I used a mix of red polishes since the one I own is a bit dark but any bright red will do.
















Step 6: Draw two overlapping larger triangles over the smaller ones to complete the bow shape.

















Step 7: Take your black thin brush polish and draw two lines along the center of both larger triangles to simulate the folds of the bow.
















Step 8: Once the bow has dried, paint a yellow/gold circle in the center of the bow. It should cover the entirety of the center. I used Bettina's Sunrise and Glamourous for this because I wanted it to shine a bit more.










After it is dry, apply a top coat and you're done! I use Seche Vite for a rapid drying coat that will last me a very long time. If you like, you can paint each nail accordingly to a different Sailor Scout and you can get something like this:

Instagram: LilaLane

Since I loved the navy blue Gosh polish, I decided to change my other nails and do a gold gradient on them. Give them a shot!

Remember to "Like" The Fashion Skitch on Facebook and follow on Tumblr and Instagram. I'm LilaLane! See you guys on my next post!

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! 

Skitch-I-Y: Naturally lighten your hair!

I know I've hopped on the beauty bandwagon quite a bit lately but I'm a sucker for all things personal care. I'll get back to fashion in a bit. In the meantime...

Quite a while back I stumbled upon a DIY video by Andrea's Choice on You Tube on how to lighten your hair with natural, household ingredients. I've been meaning to change up my hair for quite some time now but since my hair grows so slowly (it took me two years to grow out the last color change I did to it!), I've been quite afraid of doing anything drastic. Also, it's cheap! For under $10 you can get similar results to what a $50+ appointment would be at the salon. I mean, this was a trip to my kitchen and back! Sure, the process takes a bit more than a trip to the beauty salon would, but if you're like me and would prefer to see a gradual process and have the option of stopping then here's what you'll need to do:

The MVP of this process is honey. As Andrea explains, it has small traces of peroxide (yes, that thing your mom and aunt used to lighten her hair with when she was your age) that will gradually lighten your hair unlike the harsh effects of bleaching. So do keep in mind that this will take some time. I have quite greasy hair so I tend to wash my hair every other day. Whenever I'd wash my hair, I'd slather on the honey mask a while before getting in the shower. I did the conditioner and honey mask (1 part honey, 2 parts conditioner). You can also do it with honey, olive oil and maybe half of a banana but I found it was easier to do the honey/conditioner treatment and I didn't want to add more oil to my already grease-prone hair.  I'd slather it on, wrap my hair in a plastic bag, let it process for about 30-40 minutes, wash off and dry.

Now, Andrea explains that you'll start noticing your hair lighten right about at the fourth or fifth try, but I started seeing changes immediately. I was shocked when I rinsed my hair after the first try. It wasn't much, but there was definitely some change! I just finished my fourth mask and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys because this stuff really works. The more you do it, the more it will lighten up so I think it works really nice for the upcoming summertime. It's nothing too extreme but just the right amount of change. Heck, I think this might even work for girls that are still into subtle, ombré tips.

Here's my progress. Every time I did a honey mask I took pictures of the result.They were all taken in my bathroom with the same flash, aperture and velocity so you could notice the difference under the same lighting conditions. Sorry if some are a bit blurry but I always forget to charge my camera and I tend to take these pictures a bit rushed.

1st Mask

2nd Mask

3rd Mask

4th Mask

As you can see, the results are quite surprising for something that is as easy as going into your pantry and applying it to your hair. I'm going to keep on working with this until I get to a desired tonality. Maybe I'll even try out the demure ombré tips. Maybe. Also, go check out Andrea's You Tube channel. She's pretty darn awesome!

Skitch-I-Y: Prabal Gurung s/s 2012

Photo via MAC Cosmetics.

With winter gracefully fading away, spring is here and it's time to pull out some color here and there. I'm more of a winter gal because I can't get enough of chunky fabrics and wrapped up looks, so when it's time for spring and summer I usually show off with makeup and accessories instead of my clothes. My wardrobe pretty much stays the same hues all year long but my makeup gets experimental. I absolutely loved Prabal's s/s 2012 collection (and don''t get me started on pre-fall!!!). It's strange that I was so intrigued by such a colorful collection but it's really pretty fantastic. The color schemes are well... delicious. And the makeup doesn't fall behind either. 

The inspiration for this season's makeup was flowers beginning to wilt and bursting orchids. MAC's Charlotte Tillbury was in charge of this look. The focus was on the lips. She opted for ombré colored lips in fuschia and burgundy and kept the face clean with just a sweep of silver on the eyelids. Since they used MAC Pro products and these are limited only to professional makeup artists, I'll show you guys how to recreate this look with other similar products and dupes. Let's get started!

Avon Intense Lip Color Conditioner

Nyx Matte Lipstick in Sweet Pink

 I used:

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
in NC30

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish
Highlighter in Soft and Gentle

Clinique High Impact Mascara
in Black

MAC Satin Lipstick in Cyber

Sephora Mineral Loose Powder
Foundation in Light

Makeup Forever HD Powder

MAC Eyeshadow in Phloof!

Nars Bronzer in Casino

Backstage at Prabal, Tillbury used MAC Pro Process Magenta Chromographic Pencil with a blunt tip to draw in the pink lip with a soft border and then mixed MAC Pro Lipmix in Black, Burgundy and Fuschia to achieve the dark ombre color. Being as those are Pro colors, only professional makeup artists have access to those. 

I found that NYX's Matte Lipstick in Sweet Pink and MAC's Cyber are dead on dupes. They both have a satin finish (regardless NYX's says matte) and easier to find. Cyber is part of MAC's permanent collection and NYX is found at any Walmart or at your local drugstore. Plus, it goes around $6 so that's way cheaper too.

Step 1: Prep and prime your face. Remember the look should be dewy and soft. I have really dry skin so it's difficult for me sometimes to get that result. I like to spritz som MAC Fix + Before and after applying my foundation. Since I'm using a loose powder mineral foundation, I like to put on my concealer first where I need it and then apply the powder foundation. After that I sweep some MUFE HD translucent powder on my t-zone which usually turns into a shine fest.

Step 2: Prime your lids. With a soft, fluffy brush gently sweep some Phloof! eyeshadow all over the lid. Take it a bit above your crease so the color shows when your eyes are open. Don't overdo it. Just put on enough to give a little shine when the light hits.

Step 3: Apply just one layer of mascara. The lashes need to look almost bare but still noticeable. If necessary, take a lash groomer and brush though your lashes to remove any clumps the mascara might add. 

Step 4: Contour and highlight your skin very lightly. Add the highlight to the top of your cheekbones and contour right under them ever so softly. Also, contour under your chin and on your temples if needed to make your face look thinner. 

Step 5: Condition your lips. This will help with the ombré effect and will also keep your lips looking soft. 

Step 6: Take the Cyber lipstick and apply it to the inner part of your lips. Take it about 1/3 of the way down. Smack your lips together a couple of times so it'll fade out nicely.

Step 7: Take NYX's Sweet Pink and using the pointed tip along your outer lip line, sweep it across your lips while blending it with the Cyber. If necessary, take a lip brush and touch up the borders. Smack your lips again a few times and the colors will blend themselves out. No need for messy fingertips! 

And you're done! A simple and easy look that will definitely cause heads to turn and will welcome the spring season nicely! Here's the finished look: