Ikat Nail Tutorial

I love ikat. I want to wear it on everything... it is so fresh and summery! I have had shellac manicures for the past few months now and decided to save some money and paint my nails myself. I thought I would give the ikat pattern manicure a try and it turned out quite nicely. Its a nice manicure to try because you don't need the steadiest of hands... the pattern looks complicated but it really is not! You can make the strokes choppy and still achieve the desired effect. Here is how I did this: 

Materials Used

Essie Nail Polish First Base Base Coat

Essie Nail Polish in Avenue Maintain (blue)

Essie Nail Polish in Tart Deco (coral)

Kiss Nail Art Paint in Black 

Kiss Nail Art Paint in White

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

After buffing my nails and trying to even them out from months of shellac manicures, I used the base coat and painted my nails. I then applied two coats of Essie Avenue Maintain. I am the sloppiest nail painter so you can see in these pictures some of the polish extended to the sides of my nails. I am also impatient and hate waiting for polish to fully dry (a whole 20 minutes!) in between coats. This turned out very nicely and I love this color! It is very summery and I would totally sport this alone... this is perfect for the pool or beach! But let's continue....

 Once my blue coats were dry, I used the Kiss Nail Art polish in white. I roughly painted on a diamond shape on my nails, some nails containing only half of a diamond. The edges were very rough; you can see each stroke. I thought this added to the graphic effect of the ikat print.

I bought the Kiss Nail Art polish at my local Walgreens because the sales person said the polish has a very thin applicator brush -- this was exactly what I wanted for this design! And this polish came with the black shown above, a silver glitter polish AND stencils for your nails. All for about $7.99. Pretty good! These polishes smelled pretty strongly but really had a lot of pigment for a mid-line product. I am pretty impressed overall!

Next, I took my Essie Tart Deco color and dotted a bit of coral into the center of the "diamonds." This was also roughly done and not perfect. As you can see, some of the shapes are more circular, while others are more oblong. Again, this does not have to be perfect as it adds to the graphic effect of the pattern. 

Next, I outlined the diamonds in short, choppy strokes with the Kiss Nail Art polish in black. This was the scariest part of deciding to do this manicure to me because I am so sloppy when I paint. However, this turned out to be the easier part! It is almost as if you can't mess up; it just adds to the pattern's effect! I filled in the lines on the boarder of the white "diamonds" and overlapped a little bit of the black over the white. I added a bit of black to the center of the coral because it was looking too empty without it. 

Lastly, I finished off with a top coat of Seche Vite once I was sure all of my polish was dry and cleaned up the edges with a bit of nail polish remover and a Q-tip because I have such an unsteady hand. Surprisingly, my right hand (my dominant hand) looked fantastic too -- this manicure seems to be foolproof! I am looking forward to teaching tomorrow and seeing my student's reactions (they have gotten extremely excited about nail art less intricate than this in the past). I will definitely be doing this again all summer. 

Good luck and happy painting :) 

Love, Erica

Ginger/Erica's Introduction

Jen and I decided that we should post some surveys so you can get to know us, our beauty routines, and a quick snapshot of products we love. Usually my cleansing routine is pretty standard and does not change often. I like to experiment more with makeup though. Here are my current favorites. Enjoy!

-Erica

1. How many times do you wash your face daily?

I wash my face in the morning and at night before bed. Sometimes I will wash it again if I was very active and feel grimy.
37. Name a makeup crime(s) that you hate.
41. Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

2. What skin type do you have? Dry, oily, or combination skin?
My skin is usually pretty oily. Sometimes I have dry spots on my cheeks or forehead which look dry in the wintertime... but by the end of the night they also are oily. How can skin be dry and oily at the same time? 

3. What is your current facial wash?
I use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Its the best facial wash I've ever used (and I've used many!) You do not even need water if you are in a pinch! 

4. Do you exfoliate? How often?
I exfoliate occasionally as needed. If my skin is particularly dry I will exfoliate.

5. What product do you use to exfoliate?
Aveeno Clear Complexion Cream Cleanser 

6. What moisturizer do you use?

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer in SPF15 during the day and Ponds Dry Skin Cream at night

7. Do you have freckles/sun spots?
I am a ginger, so yes to the freckles. 

10. Do you use eye cream?
Not at the moment, but I make sure to moisturize around my eyes.

11. Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

I have had the worst acne prone skin! I have tried everything under the sun for my acne (post coming soon...) and even considered going on Acutane but decided against it. I still suffer from cystic acne breakouts particularly around my period or if I am stressed. However, the "white head" acne seems to have stopped and my breakouts seem to be in certain areas of my face, rather than all over.

12. Did you ever have to use pro-activ?

I have not tried pro-activ. I have had several dermatologists say mediocre things about it. They said people use proactive because it has a very weak concentration of the active ingredients to fight acne. People stop using store brands because their concentration is higher (think Oxy pads and the like) which dries out and irritates skin. People stop using the products because their skin is irritated, thus the acne continues. My dermatologists say people stick with pro-activ because it causes less irritation so people continue to use the medicine. I don't mind pro-activ, but I would save my money and try other products (Aveeno has a really nice skin line now that is very gentle) or consult a dermatologist before trying to combat acne. If you acne is mild to moderate, sometimes seeing a dermatologist is the best route -- you get results faster and do not play any guessing games. 

13. What foundation do you use?
Currently I am using Bare Minerals in Fairly Light. I am considering using a liquid foundation

14. How about concealer?
As needed I used Benefit's erase paste 

15. Do you know your undertone color?

I have a neutral-blue undertone. While I have fair skin, it doesn't fall under being "pink" or "neutral" but somewhere in between.

16. What do you think of fake eyelashes?
Yes. Always yes.

17. Did you know that you’re supposed to change mascara every 3 months?

Yup!

18. What brand of mascara do you use?

I use Maybelline One By One Volum Express in Blackish-Brown.

19. Sephora or Mac?

Do I have to decide? I usually use Sephora products

20. Do you have a Mac pro card?

Nope

21. What makeup tools do you use in makeup application?

I use Urban Decay, Stila, and Bare minerals brushes

22. Do you use makeup base or primer for your eyes?
Occasionally. I forget a lot of the time when I quickly get ready to go to school and teach at 5:30am... 

23. For the face?

Again, I usually forget. If I have time to do my makeup, then yes!

24. What is your favorite eyeshadow shade?

I am slightly afraid of color on me. My current favorite is the Naked2 palette from Urban Decay

25. Do you use pencil or liquid liner?

Both! I like this golden brown shade from the Sephora line (my label has rubbed off..) or blackish-brown liquid liner

26. How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
I'm a professional...

27. What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

I like them. I do not usually wear them because I quickly apply makeup for my every day routine and skimp on primer. I find these tend to crease a bit more easily -- or at least the crease is more noticeable because of the high concentration of pigment.

28. Do you use mineral makeup?
Yes! I actually got turned on to mineral makeup (and expensive makeup in general) through my battle with acne. I found that more high end products use less "fillers" and are more gentle on my skin. Mineral makeup particularly being gentle.

29. What is your favorite “go-to” lipstick? Why?

NARS Dulce Vita. Its just the right amount of color for everything! Teaching, going out, etc.

30. How about lip gloss? Why?

I really do not like lip gloss... I hardly wear it. It always feels like its sticky or sliding off of my lips and onto my face or my hair is getting caught in it.

31. What is your favorite blush to use and why?

Currently I am using Lancome's A Plum blush. I also like NARS Orgasm multiple stick and Benefit's Bella Bamba.

32. Do you buy your makeup on ebay/ebay.ph?
No, but I am not opposed to trying new places.

33. Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yes! I happen to use a lot of designer makeup, but I love drugstore mascara. It works sometimes better than the high end lines and is way more cost effective because you have to replace them so frequently!

34. Do you go to cosmetic company outlets?

No, but I am willing to try anything!

35. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes?

Every day of my life.

36. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

Nope! Unless there has been wine involved. 

Application of eyeliner. I have run into so many people that believe you should only put eyeliner on the bottom lash line (not even the water line). It makes eyes look droopy and sunken. I have converted many a person to applying on the top lash line, or both top and bottom. People also tend to use a heavy hand when they apply only  on the bottom line. I also hate when people do not know how to match foundation or blend it in.

38. Do you like colorful shades of makeup or neutral ones?

I always want to wear color but I am afraid in my teaching profession. I always had a stigma that red heads could not wear colors (or ladies with blue eyes) so I have been a little scared to try colors. I do enjoy neutrals and opt for more of a classic look. I love Audrey Hepburn's winged liner a la Breakfast at Tiffany's!

39. Which celebrity always has great makeup?

Audrey Hepburn, Leighton Meester, Cate Blanchet, Marion Cotillard.. I can name many celebrity makeup and fashion girl crushes!

40. If you could leave the house using just one makeup item, what would you use?

Mascara. While my eyelashes are naturally long, they are auburn. Without mascara I look like I am dead!

I have and do it frequently. Mostly when I am lazy and am quickly running to the store on the weekend. It is easier to leave my house now that I am student teaching and not living on the University of Illinois campus... less college aged people to impress!

42. In your opinion, what is the best makeup line?

I can't really choose. Can I say all of them? I am really loving Lancome at the moment. I also love the Naked and Naked 2 palette from Urban Decay. NARS, Too Faced, and Benefit are up there in my top favorites.

43. What do you think of makeup?
This is a dumb question. Obviously I like it if I have created a blog about my unhealthy obsession. 

44. What is your favorite “quote” related to makeup?
“The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.” 
― Yves Saint-Laurent

45. If you were a makeup tool/product, what would you be and why?

I think I would be lipstick... It brightens your smile and smiles brighten people's days! :)