Hometown Heroes: Valerie Sarnelle

This make-up artist to showstoppers knows what's hot and not when it comes to your face.



Most kids have an idea of what they want to be when they grow up, but even then it takes them some time to really get on track with it. Not Valerie Sarnelle. At an age when most are just trying to find themselves, Valerie was well on her way to being one of Hollywood 's top make-up artists.

"I was about 18 and my uncle got me a job at CBS doing hair," Sarnelle recalls. "I watched the make-up guys and realized you can do more with make-up than hair. So I started to work, went to school, got a job in Beverly Hills with a make-up artist, started to learn from her, and then kept learning."

From there, Sarnelle went to work at a salon on Rodeo Drive called London West, where she had a make-up counter – a rarity in salons at the time. When one of the regular hairdressers left and offered Sarnelle work, she took it – and wound up doing make-up for Rona Barrett's interviewees before they sat down in front of the camera. 24 years later Sarnelle is still doing make-up for some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Eva Longoria and many more.

Her love of make-up has even afforded her the chance to do her own line, creating and perfecting everything from base to gloss for herself and her clientele.

"We have over 600 kinds of make-up," she says. "New foundations are innovative – the consistencies are like whipped cream, and they have anti oxidants. Most of my stuff is from overseas because I like them better than American products – I haven't found anything as good here."

Sarnelle also custom blends base and keeps the formula on file for reorders, which is an important part of their customer care regimen. Says Sarnelle, "We try to make people feel like they're in our house – they can tell us what bothers them, and we care. You don't get that in big stores. So we keep everyone's formulas on file. People can call and say what they want and we send it. We like to make people's lives easier."

Are there any hot trends in make-up that people should know about?

"Wearing it – period," she recommends. "I've never seen so much make-up in my life than I've seen in the last six months. Full-on make-up, jewelry and glitz. It's like make-up in the 60s! It doesn't matter the style, just wear make-up and lots of it. Shimmer, lashes, I almost think it's too much!"

And after two plus decades, Sarnelle shows no sign of slowing down. In addition to her Beverly Hills store, she's also eyeing Vegas and has plans to start a custom perfume line. But suggest retirement to this self-starter – who counts Heather Locklear as one of her favorite clients – and you'll get a laugh. After all, make-up is her life.

Says Sarnelle, "I knew what I wanted to do my whole life – I love to make people look pretty. When I sell people make-up I'm not thinking about selling, I think about helping – I'm thinking if I can lift this and make her look 10 years younger, I feel good. People call it the Valerie fix. I'm busy all the time. I stand back and see all the phones ringing... it may not be Estee Lauder, but it's mine."

Visit Valerie of Beverly Hills at 460 North Canon Drive in Beverly Hills , (310) 274 7348, or online at www.valeriebeverlyhills.com.