Last night Black Girls Rock! aired on BET, honoring a cadre of women who have excelled in careers ranging from film to activism. Among them was Tatyana Ali-all grown up and absolutely stunning. Celebrity makeup artist, Lucky Smyler, explains how to get the look he created for Ali on this special night.
Skin – Flawless and supple. The first step was to hydrate Tatyana’s skin with Josie Maran Argan Oil. A trick to achieving the perfect amount of hydration is to blot off the excess product with a two-ply tissue, then follow up with Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Once her skin was primed, I used Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in “Tan”, and set with YSL semi-loose powder in “Toffee”. For the luminous glow, Cargo “Dark” bronzer was applied on the apples of the cheeks and temples.
Eyes – Smoldering and perfectly defined. I used the Dior 5 Color Iridescent Eyeshadow compact in “Earth Reflection”.
- Sweep the darkest shade on the lid and blend outward to create a very sultry almond shape.
- Place the iridescent gold shade right under the brow bone to create a highlight and a strategically placed spotlight effect.
- Rim the inside of the upper and lower eyelids (coating the waterline) with Guerlain Terracotta Khol Kajal eyeliner in Black Frida.
- Finally, apply four coats of Dior Show Blackout mascara.
Tip: A good way to avoid unsightly clumps is to carefully separate each eyelash with a straight pin between coats of mascara (it takes a few minutes, but the results are surely worth it).
Lips – Timeless and bold. My concern was to make sure that her lip color was waterproof, smudge proof, and had long lasting staying power. To achieve this, I applied a generous coat of Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in “Orange” as a lip color base, followed with three coats of Dior Addict lipstick in “Miami” (while lightly dusting with translucent powder between each coat of lipstick) By the time I was done, those lips were stamped, sealed, set and ready for their close-up.
And ready she was! Ali provided one of the most touching moments of the show when she read a letter that she wrote to her younger self.
“Dear Tatyana,
Don’t be afraid of who you are. You’ll have to stand up for yourself and you’ll have to hold your ground. Put your relationship with God first and everything else will fall into place. Cherish your sisters, your family and true friends. You’ll know who they are because they will only speak truth to you. Love never needs to be rushed. When you truly love and honor yourself, real love will find you. I want you to know how capable you are. You can do anything. All you need to carry is your courage.”
Beautiful inside and out, Tatyana Ali definitely rocks! For a full recap of Black Girls Rock! click here. To view Lucky Smyler’s portfolio click, here.
