Renowned for her love of makeup and drive to help people, Tanika
is fast emerging as one of the most well thought of new artists in the industry.
For more than a decade her ambition and abilities have quickly led her all
over the world with a satisfied and reputable client list that continues to
grow.
Her story begins in her hometown of Eugene, Oregon where early on she showed
a desire to experiment with makeup and fashion. Innocently and without knowing
the implications of a future career, she would recruit her younger sister
as a model and put on elaborate fashion shows in her parents living room complete
with full makeup and wardrobe. This enthusiasm led to her first job at Nordstoms
behind the counter for M.A.C. just as the company was beginning to take hold
of the industry and before it’s acquisition by Estee Lauder. There she excelled
at the basic tools of the trade as well as learning many key points of the
business which ultimately led to her becoming a manager there. Instinctively
though, she knew she wanted more and soon found herself packing her belongings
and transferring out to California where without delay started working with
noted photographers and modeling agencies.
Initially, she settled in Huntington Beach, California most notable
for it’s surf industry. There she found herself becoming quite knowledgeable
working on many photoshoots and also quite in demand for her clean and natural
beauty looks desired by the surf companies. “It was great for me to start
with the whole surf industry thing.” Explains Tanika. “They really want the
natural beauty and that was right up my alley coming from the Oregon scene
and all. It also brought me up to speed with the fashion side of things.”
It wouldn’t be long before Hollywood came calling. While Tanika continued
to build her portfolio and client list in the surf industry, she landed a
job on Tyra Banks’ hit show America’s Next Top Model where she was able to
showcase her more glamorous and edgier makeup style. “That was such an extremely
different situation. They really pushed me to go over the top with the makeup.
I feel from that experience I developed my signature look…”clean glamour”.
Today Tanika finds herself living in Los Angeles busier and happier
than ever. Whether she’s traveling with a client like Oakley to Bali, Indonesia
or driving down the road to work on The Jay Leno Show she’s sure of one thing….
She loves what she does. “I do love it! I love all of it…. the traveling,
the relationships, the chance to express myself and see a clients vision come
to life. Most of all though I love painting a transformation of beauty. That’s
my favorite part.”
