The Essentials: The eyebrows honey

The next part to the essentials is the eyebrows honey. Not until recently did I start filling my eyebrows I started because I went a little overboard with my tweezers and when I looked back in the mirror I barely had anything left...bummer. So I needed to fix the problem. I was in my college dorm room with no use of transportation which lead me to resort to Amazon. I was determined to find the cheapest jet black eyebrow liner and I did. I purchased NYC's Kohl Brow/Eyeliner pencil and let me tell you it definitely does the job and I have been filling them in ever since!

When I fill in my eyebrows I try to achieve thickness but have them still look somewhat natural at the same time by following these steps:
1. The first step is to brush out my eyebrows so that all the hairs are in place.

2. Next you begin outlining the top of your eyebrow as well as the bottom...and with this step a lot of people choose to make their eyebrow wider by drawing a much higher line but I choose to outline just a little above my eyebrow to the point where its barely even noticeable.

3. Then start lining the front half of your eyebrow...mmm this part is hard to explain. The picture I inserted below for this step should hopefully completely visualize it for you.

4. Now I'm betting your probably saying this looks so obviously drawn on and it does so the next step is to use a finger I use my index finger to pat down my eyebrow this step allows the eyebrow to look natural but still thick.

5. Finally its time to clean it up! This is when concealer becomes my best friend! The concealer palette I use is called The Professional 15 Color Concealer Camouflage Makeup Palette.

I use the first color in the fifth column to clean up underneath my eye and the second color in the fifth
column to clean up above my eyebrow. I use two different colors simply because I like it to look a little lighter under my eyebrows so that they can look freshly waxed, plucked, threaded, etc. And I use a color closer to my skin tone above my brow so that I wont have a harsh line right above my brow.

*Optional step: Sometimes I will apply Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara in very black to my eyebrows to set my brows in place but most days I forget. It doesn't make much of a difference.

Now add some eyeshadow to compliment those big bold eyebrows and your ready to go!

This is the first step: No makeup

This is the second step: Outline the top and bottom of eyebrow

This is the third step: Where you fill in front half of eyebrow

This the fourth step: Simply pat down the eyebrow to make it look more natural

This is the fifth step: Add your concealer

Put some eyeshadow on and your ready to GO!

Thanks for reading and talk to y'all soon.
* Sorry for the camera quality just getting the hang of it.

NAIL TIP...perk your ears up

Ok guys this is an important tip that I just had to share with y'all. Have you ever done your nails...perfect and everything but they haven't completely dried yet? Then unfortunately nick your nails on the bedpost, door, or whatever furniture seems to get in your way when you have freshly painted nails? I was watching a clip of something on TV and they had solved the problem and its not Sally Hansen's Quick Nail Dry polish because we all know that polish tends to leave unflattering bubbles. Anyway, the solution: Cooking Spray! Can you believe it? Any brand works fine I've tried Pam as well as Walmart's Great Value brand. You are going to want to wait about two minutes after putting your clear top coat on and then just lightly spray over your nails. Instantly they are dry and I don't know exactly what happens during this process but I've narrowed it down to possibly magic...:)! But seriously try it out see for yourself, just make sure you wash your hands afterwards and voila!!!

And as always thank you for reading!

Skin Care: Product of the week

This week's product that deserves some great recognition is Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque. I absolutely love this product for many reasons:

1. Reduces dark spots...I'm currently trying to reduce the dark spots on my face that have accumulated over the years from my acne and I didn't want to use bleaching creams or any other harsh chemicals to achieve this. So after weeks of using this product daily I saw a big change in my dark spots from week one to week four. Which is a lot better then waiting for an affordable bleaching cream to take effect after months of using it!

2. Achieve smoother skin...with this mask the longer you leave it on the better your skin feels and looks. One night I accidentally left this mask on my face and I usually don't do this because my skin is extremely sensitive and I tend to breakout. But to my surprise my skin turned out smoother than its ever been...all smiles. I believe the longer you leave the mask on the more time it has to really take effect but I guess that is with a lot of things.

3. Lastly but certainly not least is the price and the availability. This face mask is practically everywhere and affordable too. I found the best price at Walmart but it is also on Amazon, Ebay, Target, Walgreens...you name it! I can't say enough how much I love great products for a fair price...its like having your cake and eating it too!

If you haven't tried Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque I advise you to give it a try see if you like it hopefully you will have great reviews to say about it like me!

Thanks for checking out my blog and talk to you soon!!!

The Essentials- Primer and Foundation

Ok so let's talk makeup and it only seems fit to start in order on how I apply my makeup...the first is PRIMER!!! When I first started wearing makeup I didnt realize how important primer was especially for someone like me with combination/ oily skin. Without primer my makeup would wear off within the next two hours and that was if it wasn't an extremely hot day outside. I didn't put two and two together until I did my research...on youtube looking at tutorials and seeing the affect primer has. So literally the next day I went out to ULTA and bought myself a primer. The first primer I bought and I still use to this day is Benefit's the POREfessional primer ( this is great for anyone with large pores...me!). The primer feels so silky against your skin and it smells pretty good, which is always a plus. It definitely does what it says by minimizing your pores and trust me mine could use some minimizing. I also use Smashbox's Photo Finish primer. This by far is my favorite primer. It is so lightweight and fresh feeling. It blends so well into your skin leaving the perfect base for your foundation!

Speaking of foundation...let's talk about which foundations I use. Yes, I did say foundations. I do use more than one foundation. I'm some sort of a perfectionist so I don't think just one foundation will ever satisfy me even if it matched my skin tone. I just feel like more than one ups my chances on achieving that flawless face that well all strive for! So the first foundation I use is Revlon's Colorstay Normal/ Dry Skin in the color Cappuccino #410. It can't be said enough how much I love this foundation. In the winter time I use this foundation but in Combination/Oily skin. I switch it up when spring and summer come because the Normal/Dry Skin foundation is a lot more lightweight where the Combination/Oily skin is a lot heavier and in the summer time in Charleston, SC the last thing I'm going to want is a thick melting made up face (whatever that means...just having a lot on your face). I love this product because it gives you so much coverage with just a little dab and coverage I like! The next foundation I use is Loreal's True Match in the color Cappuccino #n8. Now this foundation is a little tricky when I mix the two I make sure that I use less of this foundation because it is pretty light in color and if I use to much I'll look like a ghost and that's not the move so I have to be extra particular and careful. But when these two are together they are a PERFECT match! And yes both these foundations are drugstore..which means affordable and I love jumping on that bandwagon. There's no need to beat around the bush makeup is expensive so where I can cut down the costs I will!!!

I guess that sums up the first of several parts of the Essentials to makeup. Thanks for reading and talk to you soon!

Just call me NeeCee

Hey everybody welcome to my blog...In A Nutshell, where I basically talk about all the fun stuff like makeup, fashion, nails, hair, etc. I consider myself a girly girl and have always loved getting dolled up. I love sharing tips with people and decided to start a blog! I'm going to be summing everything I know and like about all these things and putting them...In A Nutshell!!!

Now to tell you a little bit about myself my name is Janiece but you can call me NeeCee. I am 20 years old. I was born and raised in Charleston, SC and am currently a rising junior majoring in Mathematics/Pre-Med at the illustrious Spelman College. I love relaxing, spending time with friends and family, and of course getting dolled up!

I am excited to be starting a blog and promise to stay committed to updating my blog regularly...I guess easier said then done...

Thanks for reading and welccooommmeeee!!!