"As an artist, my canvas is the face," says Honolulu makeup artist Wendy Robin, who's taken inspiration from a career making up famous faces to create a new makeup line, Stargirl Cosmetics.

Click through her Web site, www.studiowofhonolulu.com, and you'll see dozens of shots of Robin with the high-wattage celebrity clients that served as her "canvases" during her more than 20-year tenure as a Hollywood makeup artist and instructor at Sunset Gower Studios (formerly Columbia Studios).

Matt Damon, James Earl Jones, Carmen Electra, Matthew McConaughey, Tilda Swinton, Delta Burke and Lil' Kim are just a few of the famous faces Robin has worked with, and she's brimming with stories and anecdotes. (Who knew Tony Curtis is a glutton for mascara?)

Since one day Robin might touch up Marcia Cross and the next head over to "The Bernie Mac Show" (where she acted as makeup department head), it was essential that she always tote the right combination of products, which she found no easy task. "I ended up experimenting with and collecting makeup from so many different brands — Chanel, Christian Dior, Smashbox, Lancôme; I saw a real need for a comprehensive product line with something for everyone," she said.

Over the years, Robin took notes on the products and colors that worked for her diverse clientele, with a mind to do just that. Her notes and color swatches filled notebooks, but her schedule was too demanding to allow her to take it further.

A 2003 move to O'ahu with her daughter changed everything. Robin created her business, Studio W, which has her glamming up Island brides, teaching makeup courses to aspiring artists and still doing the occasional film. (Most recently she worked on "Indiana Jones," on the Big Island.) The more relaxed island pace gave Robin enough time to revisit her color book — a palette 20 years in the making, inspired by some of Hollywood's most glamorous people — and Stargirl Cosmetics was born.

EXCLUSIVE DEBUT

Produced in Canada and making its debut exclusively in Hawai'i, Stargirl Cosmetics is a high-quality, color-driven makeup line with something for everyone, from the mineral-loving minimalist to the full-on diva.

There's not much you won't find in Stargirl's arsenal, from brushes (made of real pony and sable) to solid and liquid liners; powder, mineral and liquid foundations; waterproof and fiber-enriched mascaras in that hard-to-find dark brown; and an eyebrow kit to die for, complete with brushes and a wax pomade to tame those pesky strays.

And the colors? Well, suffice it to say she's got that perfect shade of red lipstick you've been hunting for, not to mention a beautifully saturated selection of what the pros call "contour" and "dimensional" shadows (in normal speak, that's matte basics and shimmery brights).

While working in Honolulu, Robin also developed a dazzlingly comprehensive student makeup kit that recently sparked a collaboration with the Paul Mitchell Ulupono Academy in Kaimuki. As the makeup artist talked with Ulupono Academy Dean Joannie Rossiter, the synergy between Paul Mitchell and Stargirl became obvious.

Says Robin, "The name Stargirl implies striving for excellence and reaching for the stars, and the message I communicate to my students is that they can do it — stars are people too."

Ulupono Academy Admissions Leader Kevin Kalaukoa chimed in, "The Paul Mitchell philosophy is that success unshared is failure. We teach our future professionals the secret to success through cultivating a passion for putting people first."

The two brands also share a penchant for charitable giving, which led them to team up on "Creating Magic," a fashion show and fundraiser on Saturday. Proceeds go to The Larry King Cardiac Foundation, Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, Food 4 Africa, and the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation.

Aside from the glow of giving back, Island fashionistas will be treated to a first look at Stargirl Cosmetics and an African-themed fashion show styled by Paul Mitchell professional salons and the Ulupono Academy.

Stargirl Cosmetics will soon be available for purchase at the Ulupono Academy or online at www.stargirlcosmetics.com.

Melissa May White, an environmental consultant, is a co-founder of the Hawai'i Fashion Incubator, Hifi.