Spilling a Secret: The Magic of a Flawless Face

By Sheila Arkee

One thing you might not know about me is that I am a photographer. It’s one of my great passions!  My work as a makeup artist has been a huge blessing to my work behind the camera as it has given me an added perspective of angles and lighting.

Over the weekend, I met up with one the greatest makeup artists I’ve ever met who also happens to be one of the best friends I will ever have in this lifetime. I first met Sparkle Tafao when we worked together at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills many years ago.

Sparkle has worked with celebrities and you’ve seen her work on the cover of magazines and on television screens (rhymes with “Mung and the Bestless“). Having taken the last couple of years off to dedicate herself to her family, Sparkle’s ready to get back to what she loves the most and does the best – painting people’s faces.

When two creative minds collaborate, something incredible is bound to happen. We planned a special photo shoot for weeks and the results were phenomenal. So incredible, I can’t even bring myself to look at all of the photos yet lest I be completely blown away.She may have been away from the game for a second, but Sparkle’s touch is as magic as ever.

I didn’t do any kind of photoshop work on the face - none was needed! The trick to acheiving this perfect, glowing face has to do with a Prescriptive’s Magic Powder. Sparkle has used it for years and it is truly amazing, creating an optical illusion very similar to the effect I get with Smashbox’s Photo Op Under Eye Brightener.

There were a few more items available in the Magic line, but ufortunately the demise of Prescriptives in department stores also brought along the demise of most of those products. You can still go online to purchase the Magic powder in the loose, translucent form, which is a universal color. It’s packed with water and feels incredibly cool when applied on the skin.

For the dramatic look in the blue dress, Sparkle said she was going for hot pinks, deep purples, and strong yellow shadows with matte under the brows. She added bright pink cheeks and complimented the face with soft pink lips mixed with bright pink and nude lip liner.

For the rest of the face, Sparkle used:

• YSL Touche Eclat Number 3 for concealer, under brows, and above the brows
• MAC ProLongwear Foundation in a mix of NW35 and NC30
• Prescriptives Magic Powder
• Bobbi Brown Peony Blush
• YSL Bronzer in Medium 
• MAC Bamboom Paint
• MAC Sketch, Stila Oasis, and shadows from a discontinued YSL purple palette
• MAC Teddy Kohl on the lower lid
• Lancome Artliner in Noir
• Estee Lauder Doublewear Mascara
• Benefit Brow Zings
• Shu Uemura Feather Lashes
• Chantecaille Camellia Lipstick with Chanel Petunia Lipgloss

Keep checking my photography site and blog for more photos in the coming days! You can find the Prescriptives Magic powder on their website.