Hair Update

Hello Loves,

So the last time you seen my hair it was pretty much a natural hot mess! But, since then I made the decision to relax my hair. Now, the decision was kind of difficult, because I was at a loss. I had spent about 7 months with no chemicals in my hair, and I felt as if I was giving up if I relaxed. On the other hand, if I didn't relax my hair, I felt that I would be trying to live up to others standards of my hair, and would not completely love my hair.

The number one reason I chose to relax my hair was because, every time I blow dried my hair to wear it straight, within a few hours, I would see it starting to POOF! And I hated that. I'm the type of person, that likes to go somewhere looking one way, and staying that way.

So, I relaxed at about the 2nd to last week of April, and I LOVE IT! I've been wearing my hair naturally curly majority of the time, and it definitely feels great. I love just washing my hair and going, instead of dealing with the blow dryer and flat iron. But from time to time, I do straighten my hair. I have yet to follow a strict hair regime, but all will come with time.

xoxo
MissN

Length CHECK!

Hello Beauty Queens,

So as I said in my last post I was going to be documenting my natural hair journey with length checks on the 29th of each month. So, December came and went for all of us and uploaded are a couple pictures of my length for the month of December. In the picture to the left, my hair is wet and I applied Mixed Chicks, Leave in Conditioner. This leave in conditioner isn't good for things like moisture, all it does is define the curl which isn't that great for trying to retain moisture and promote hair growth. The alcohol in this conditioner makes my hair kind of hard like a gel would and dry, but it really does make my curls look great after air drying.

The picture on the right (aside from my messy makeup counter) is my hair when its dry with no Mixed Chicks Leave In Conditioner in it. You can really see the growth of my hair from when I first documented in November.

As far as my hair washing routine, I am between two shampoos, Giovanni's Smooth as Silk Deep Moisture Shampoo and Alikay Natural's Moisture Rich Black Soap Shampoo. I like the Giovanni one better because I think that it cleans my hair better. My hair seems to itch a lot less later in the week when I use this shampoo. I use a Joico conditioner, and then top all that off with Alikay Natural's, Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner. This conditioner smells AMAZING! It works absolutely fabulous at moisturizing the hair an my curls look great when I wash it out. Also, my hair feels silky when every I wash it out. But, it was quite expensive, $14 for 8 oz. Which is kind of steep, so I'll be testing somethings out, I have seen a list on Hairlista.com of top 10 deep conditioners, so soon I will probably make a trip to Sally's and pick up a few things.

Until then, stay beautiful.

xoxoMissN

BIG CHOP!

Hello Lovely Ladies,

So, this is my first attempt to actually update my blog on a regular basis. So in late October early November (I'm not quite sure of the exact date), I performed my BIG CHOP! For those of you who don't know, that means that I cut all of the relaxed ends of my hair off! This was an attempt and commitment to my natural hair journey and to reach bra length with my natural hair. So, since the BC I've been wearing my hair in protective styles underneath self-made wig. I'm really happy with my choice of doing the BC, because now I get to learn the real texture of my hair and my curl pattern.

Since I'm not quite sure of my exact date, I have decided to document length checks of my hair growth on the 29th of each month. So, to the right is my first documented length check on November 29tth, 2010. As you can see, most of the length is on top and around the sides. The back is a little shorter, but I hope through my journey I can improve on this. I have seen some growth since this picture was taken, which is making me very optimistic about my journey. I will be back in a few days to update on my next length check. Until then, stay beautiful.

xoxo
MissN

Pink+Brown+Black Eye

Hello beauty queens.

so, i recently posted a pink, brown, and black makeup tutorial on my youtube channel. and to sound crazy the inspiration for this look was this hot pink clip that i always have in my hair. this look is really easy to recreate, and its great for clubbing. so to achieve this look you'll need:

• coastal scents 88 eyeshadow palette


• elf liquid eye primer


• mark. scandalash mascara in black lash


• mark. on the edge liquid eyeliner in cleo

so if you get a chance check out my youtube channel to see how i applied the colors in the palette. i really wanted this look to be very vibrant and i wanted the pink to really stand out. you can definaely add lashes to the look to give it a more sexxed up appeal. =) ok so here's a picture of the look.

oh and go watch the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esOkTu7VrAE

xoxoMissN

A Date with mark.: Skincare

Hello beauty Queens,

So, if you are one of my YouTube subscribers, you have seen my channel and I talk about how skincare is so important. I have oily skin so I really need a skin regime that tackles that excess oil on my face. At first I was in love with the Neutrogena Rapid Clear line. I loved the foaming cleanser and the sylic acid pads. The padds are still my favorite and kind of serve as makeup remover wipes but the cleanser just was never 100% with me. Recently I have become a mark. rep and I decided to try their skincare products. I absolutely love them, and trust I'm not just saying that because I sell the products. There are three lines to the mark skincare and I use the Oily and Excessive Shine line, but I have tried products from the Dryness and Uneven Tone line. Below I will go over some mark. products in detail so you can get a better idea.

That's Deep: Purifying Cleanser: This cleanser is absolutely IDEAL for oily females. This product does exactly what it says, it PURIFIES the skin. It takes away all the excess oil and dirt that produces on the face. This product is $8 for a 6.7 oz bottle which I think is a great price. When I was using the product it had a sort of cooling sensation on my face which was a really good feeling. Also, when I was using the cleanser it had a hint of menthol, and reminded me of dandruff shampoo. So I check the label for ingredients and some were similar like Menthyl Lactate. This ingredient in particular is used as a replacement for menthol in cosmetic products to reduce some of the irritating side effects that menthol can have. Also, when I use the product are scrub it around my eyes, it gets all my eye makeup like eyeliner and mascara off without having to got through the steps of a makeup remover and all that JUNK! So overall this is a really GREAT product that I love.

Calming Effect: Comforting Milk Cleanser: Now, whenever I started as a mark. rep they sent me some free samples and this was one of them. This product in particular is part of the dryness skin line. So, I used this product for about two weeks and I used it until the small sample size bottle was empty. This is a good product and really does hydrate the skin. It has a great smell. This does also like the That's Deep cleanser by getting all the eye makeup off around the eyes. I really enjoyed using this product.

Berry Grand: Super Exfoliating Beads: This is a great exfoliater. This product has dried cranberries and pomergranate, along with grains. You can really smell the oats and fruit. When using this product your supposed to use it along with the cleanser, so it forms a scrub. Sometimes if I really want a deep exfoliation, I just use the exfoliation beads along with some water and work it along the surface of my skin, then add my cleanser on top. This makes my skin SUPER soft. This product also gets rid of my blackheads around my nose. I have so many and for the longest time I couldn't find anything that would get rid of them. I tried the biore strips and that really didn't do too much. But now I have no black heads around my nostril area. This is a great product for $8. The only con is that it has a hollow cave at the bottom., this makes it .80 oz. This is so it can attach to the cleanser kind of like a hook up. That's something I couldn't stand about this product but you don't use that much but I wish there wasn't a hollow spot.

Go with the Grain: Exfoliating Beads: This exfoliater was also a sample size but I really liked it. The grains are alot finer than the berry grand. This is also for dry skin but I liked it and I think that anyone can use it. It smells kind of like rice but not in a bad way. Overall this was a great product for exfoliation.

Matte Chance: Mattifying Lotion: I LOVE THIS MOISTURIZER. Actually it's not a moisturizer. It is a mattifying lotion just like its called. It mattifies the skin, and reduces shine. Even after the entire day, I had very minimal shine. This product smells awsome because of the sugar cane that's added inside. The only thing I have to gripe about it is that its kind of PRICEY. Its $16 for 1.7 oz. Which is crazy but this is really worth the price. It does exactly what it says it will. This is my absolute favorite mark. product ever.

See Things Clearly: Brightening Moisturizer: This moisturizer was also a sample size and is in the the uneven tone line. This moisturizer was okayl. Its made to brighten and illuminate the skin. There are really small glitter flecks inside this moisturizer, which is for illumination. It smells really amazing, because of the lemon, orange, and lotus flower. This is really hydrating so it wasn't really good for my type of skin but I think that it would be good for some one who has less oil.

Mist Oppurtunity: Skin Refresher: This product does the same as Mac's Fix+. It's supposed to refresh the skin after a long day, when shine starts to peek through the skin. This is a good product. I mean it doesn't work as great as Mac but its a good product and you get a lot for what your paying. 6.7 oz for $8 which is great compared to Mac. I would recommend this product to anyone.

Now as far as the Get a Clearance and Need a Shrink? hook-up items, don't buy them. The Get a Clearance spot treatment really sucks and doesn't really stand out to me and I'm mad that I bought it cuz it leaves this flaky peel on your skin. Now I havent really used the Need a Shrink? pore minimizer but I wouldn't buy it just yet. I haven't paid attention enough to see if it does shrink the pores around my nose.

So mark. has some great products that you should definately go and check out. Some of them are steals and you should take advantage of the offers. So check out my boutique and meet mark., he's great.

My e-Boutique link:

http://nicolesmith.mymarkstore.com/

xoxoMissN

Meet mark.

Hello Beautiful Ladies,

I just want to do a short post, just to tell you guys that I started selling mark. If you don't know mark. is a brand that stemmed from Avon with a hot more fresh look. It sells just about everything from makeup to fashion. I was in awe when I saw the store for the first time. So if you don't mind, whenever youre not busy you can take a look at my mark. store and see what you like http://nicolesmith.mymarkstore.com/ .

xoxo
missN

Everyday Foundation Routine

hello lovelies,

so I just put up another video on YouTube and this was an updated foundation routine just kind of another way that i put on my makeup. the products that I used in this video were:

• Revlon ColorStay Foundation (Combination/Oily) in Toast


• MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW35


• ELF High Definition Powder


• MAC Blush in Format

I used all of these products then, I use Fix+ and a brown/black combination of eyeshadow to fill in my brows. I set my eyes with a clear mascara from Bonnebell. For my every day eyeshadow routine, I use almay bright eyes to act as a primer then NYX shadow pencil in milk to act as a base. I then use a combination of neutral shadows from my beloved coastal scents 88 matte eyeshadow palette. I then finish my look off with l'oreal hip color truth creme liner in black and pulse perfection mascara from maybelline. On my lips i used revlon matte lipstick in mauve it over. I love this lipstick because it hydrates y lips and adds color at the same time. the color of this lipstick is close to my lips but acts as a nude lipstick at the same time. I LOVE IT!! if you have a darker skin tone and want to use a nude i suggest this lipstick from revlon, you'll love it.

also, in the video, I briefly touch on my skin care routine. first, i use neutrogena rapid clear foaming cleanser. then i use the fight and fade 2 in 1 toner all over this really tones my face and make the appearance of blemishes diminish. the toner has sylic acid inside which really helps control the oil on my greesy face =D. then i finish with a moisturizing lotion from cetaphil that i rub on my entire face. this acts as a moisturizer for me and primes my face for foundation.

hope you enjoy

xoxoMissN