Dream Of An Artist – Elegant Woman On Stage And In Life
TATYANA HARKOFF: “I came to this world absolutely accidentally”. She graduated from Engineering and Construction Institute and was changing her jobs every 6 months. Being creator and perfectionist by nature, she was working days and nights while her interest was high...
Have you heard that story about a man who has sued his wife after seeing her for the first time without makeup? “He was shocked when he woke up the next morning and found that his wife looked "so different, that he could not recognize her". A humorous story with a strong message - it is all about the power of makeup art. With this in mind, the power can only be portrayed by the talented artists, like Tatyana Harkoff - Ukrainian make-up artist who shared her story and dreams with ODIVO.
Tatyana has made a long way up in the world of make-up art and reached stunning peaks in her career. She had Interview Magazine, Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar Ukraine, SYN, Schon, Institute Magazine as her editorial clients; Urban Zen, Michaelle Waugh, Avon, Western Union, Coca-Cola and others as commercial clients. Bruno Aveillan, Martin Campbell, Nick Gordon, Grayson Thava and Marc Raymond Wilkins were her directors. But it is always interesting to know what the start was, and what brought her to the world of make-up art.
“I came to this world absolutely accidentally”,
Tatyana said. She graduated from Engineering and Construction Institute and was changing her jobs every 6 months. Being creator and perfectionist by nature, she was working days and nights while her interest was high. As soon as the target was reached and routine was exhausted, Tatyana was turning her way off the beaten track looking for something new and novel. One day she has found herself in a beauty salon, met Svetlana Rymakovaby fortune and become a makeup artist. It was back in 1996.
And some years after, Yulia Timoshenko, Ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine became one of her regular clients. Many times Yulia Timoshenko was ranked as one of the most beautiful women and style icon according to most influential publishing houses of Ukraine and other countries. One can only imagine this mind-blowing sensation to realize that main part of the job to reach such success was done by you!
“I never thought this way, I am always searching for the ways for improvement in future. Notwithstanding, it was a big pleasure to work with her as she is a persona with great energy and knowledge and, at the same time, very delicate and caring.”
It is easy to work with Tatyana as she puts herself in your shoes. It is very important for her that the client stays in familiar ambiance and feels comfortable.
“It is hard to engraft new vision within one hour of the make-up session. It is a lengthy and painstaking process that requires personality change in make-up and dressing style”.
Though, Tatyana has her own signature. Such is related to eyebrows – whether putting all the emphasis or simply making them invisible.
“Eyebrows are the only lines on your face, therefore their shape is significant. To tell you the truth, I am tired of wide geometric eyebrows that have been in fashion for the last decade.
Unfortunately, stylists and designers always ask for wide or super wide shape and I cannot do much about it. To my big regret, the magnificent shape of the 1940s is out of fashion now. To have such eyebrows shape, the model must look differently. She cannot be 16 years old nymphet with naturally wide eyebrows, walking on the runway inexpensive dress as in school uniform. She is a teenager and cannot radiate chic and elegance that she lacks. It must be a young elegant woman. And keywords are – elegant and woman. Eyebrows shape will change when the woman’s image changes. For the time being, the accepted image is nymphet type, and it is getting even younger.
“How are your works related to your internal world? Can we read on faces of your models your feelings and emotions, your messages to the world?” To this question, Tatyana replied,
“I can express my ‘internal world’ by doing my editorial projects. And my creativity is appreciated by
such publications as Beauty Story, Vogue Ukraine, Schon Magazine and SYN Magazine.”
With such success already in the bag, this is definitely not a final stop for Tatyana Harkoff.
photo by courtesy Tatyana Harkoff
