Black-Eyed Beauty Rescued by Duluth Makeup Artist

Freshman Tiffany Adkins spent several months preparing to compete in the Peachtree Ridge High School Pageant. Three days before the pageant, Tiffany was accidentally hit in the eye with a lacrosse stick. "Within minutes, my eye was black and blue, and I had to go to the Emergency Room for stitches," Tiffany said.

The physician who treated Tiffany said she was was very fortunate. Her eye looked much worse than the injury itself. But her shiner was serious enough to give her second thoughts about competing in the upcoming pageant. "I told my mom that I didn't want to do the pageant anymore, and she reminded me that we can't quit just because something gets in the way." In true mother form, Ellen Adkins sent out an SOS distress e-mail asking if anyone had experience with covering a black eye with makeup.  

The e-mail was forwarded to Matt Silva of PDP (Penny Dreadful Productions), who recently set up shop in Historic Downtown Duluth. Matt is an accomplished union makeup artist with several movie, TV, and professional theater projects to his credit. Matt usually transforms beautiful women into creepy creatures in his work. But with Tiffany, he was called upon to restore her beauty by concealing her black-and-blue eye.     

Matt tested the makeup application before the pageant to show Tiffany how well he could cover her black eye to ease her worries. Tiffany and her mother were amazed that Matt could completely conceal Tiffany's eye with no traces of discoloration. Matt worked his movie magic on her and restored her confidence about competing in the pageant. 

Tiffany went on to compete in the pageant Feb. 26 and was crowned the 2011 Miss Freshman Peachtree Ridge High School! It was a fairy-tale ending to a story with a moral: Don't give up because something gets in the way.

"Matt Rocks! I am thankful that my friends and family pushed me to do something I wanted to do in the first place," a grateful Tiffany said.

Matt's company PDP is an artistic design and fabrication company working in the film industry. The company specializes in sets, props, costumes, makeup, and hair. PDP recently opened a prop, costume, and oddities shop called the Boiler Room at 3067B Main Street and shares the same parking lot with New Dawn Theater Company and Boudreaux's Cajun Restaurant.