California’s Lovely Nickell

“I want to make a lasting name for myself,� Nickell adds.

[Beauty Of The Day]


Where She’s From: Nickell Lusk was born and raised in Seaside, California.

“The most important thing I have learned from my parent and other relatives is that family is the most important thing in life,” she tells The Black Star News. “Choose your battles wisely because not all of them are worth the fight and stress or energy.”

Nickell graduated from Seaside High School and was in College for a year until she had her little girl. “I launched my career by accident actually,” she says, with a laugh. “I am a paralegal, but one day on myspace.com, a designer contacted me about modeling his line and I said ‘yes’ and it all started from there.”

“I would love to model full time without another job,” she notes. “I want to make it big and model for the top designer and get paid the big bucks. When I make enough to do nothing besides model, I will consider myself successful.”

“I want to make a lasting name for myself,” Nickell adds. “When people think of models they want for their line; I want to be one of the first, if not the face of their line.” Nickell “loves” the industry. “It is truly a passion and when I am not able to be in front of the camera, I will jump behind the lens,” she says.

Where She’s At:

“One of the biggest challenges is to develop a thick skin. You hear the best and the worst about yourself. In this business you will be judged and many people don’t like to be judged,” she explains. “I conquer these challenges by researching, askingquestions, and never stopping or giving up. There are times when I never want to take another picture again, but it is a passion so I just keep moving forward.”
“I am very proud of my commercials with Comcast in Sacramento,” she says when asked to discuss some of her work. “I love runway and the Taylor Andrews Hair and Fashion show which was televised is a big highlight in my career.”

Nickell has been published in six magazines, including Honey Drop, Damn Girl, Top Floor Entertainment Magazine, and Perfect Pose Magazine.

“You can be the most beautiful person in the room, but if you’re dumb as a door knob it takes so much away from your beauty. Beauty is so much more than just a pretty face,” Nickell says. “According to some men, a woman who can think for themselves or an independent woman is beautiful to them for the simple fact that they can take care of themselves and don’t look to men to take care of them.”

So how does this beauty prepare to step outside?

“I love the scent of Tommy Girl because I always get so many compliments when I wear it,” she says. “I use the Body Quench lotion because it really does keep you moisturized all day. I love MAC make-up. I love all kinds of shoes. My biggest thing is comfort. I have to wear so many uncomfortable things for photo shoots, but when I’m not in front of the camera, I like to be as comfortable as possible.”

This beautiful Gemini loves Range Rovers because “they are sleek and sexy” although she also likes the Nissan Maximas.

Nickell’s Words Of Wisdom:

“Attitudes are contagious; is yours worth catching?”

Nickell’s Secrets Of Success:

“Don’t sweat the small stuff and never give up.”

Nickell’s Favorite Three Movies:

“Gladiators, Why did I get Married, and Waiting to Exhale.”

Nickell’s Favorite Three Books:

“The Purpose Driven Life, The Cat In The Hat, and The day I met myself.”

Three Leaders That Have Most Inspired Nickell:

“Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton.”

The First Three Things Nickell Would Do As President:

“Take the troops out of Iraq; make sure every American had health care coverage; and start tearing down prisons and building more schools.”

Nickell’s Favorite Entertainers:

“Brian McKnight; E-40 and Lil Wayne as far as rappers. I love Goapele, and Alicia Keyes is killing them right now.”

Nickell’s Five Favorite Websites:

“Myspace.com, Model Mayhem.com, Yahoo.com, Craigslist.org, and Supermodels.com.”

A Short Nickell Story:

When Nickell was in middle school she fell asleep with gum in her mouth one night and woke up the next morning with it in her full head of hair. Her mom cut all her hair off. The next day next day the campus monitor wouldn’t let her in the girls locker room; everyone thought she was a boy. Only a call to her mom rescued her. “From that day forward, I had to wear earrings and a barrette in my hair until it grew back so people would know I was a girl,” she laughs. “That is my ugly duckling story. Now when people from my past see that I’m modeling, it kind of throws them back.”


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