Conversations with Tanika (Rocky) Belis

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Tanika (Rocky) Belis.

Hi Tanika, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as a makeup artist for the Miss America pageant. I have been a licensed cosmetologist since 1995. I love hair and makeup. Eventually I opened my salon in Gilbert in 2021.

Due to covid, we moved to a mobile model. You shampoo your hair. I will come and trim and style. That’s been going pretty well. I am able to accommodate men, women, and children who may not feel comfortable in a salon setting. I was divorced in 2022 after almost 30 years, and I have spent the last two years in quite a state of depression.

I service clients around town. I officiate weddings for the unusual couples out there, and I started working with women going through divorce or hard breakups. In the process, I have learned so much. I have been able to share resources and support that I would have loved when I went through the same thing. We have BAD-ass playdates; we come together at home in the valley, we cook, we chat, we talk for 2 hours, we forget the pain, and we have fun.

I love love. I love romance, I loved being married. I forgot about myself in the process. If that can help someone else, I’m happy to share. So whether it’s hair, makeup, meditation or dating, let’s connect.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This has been the hardest 3 years of my life. You couldn’t have told me that my latter years would be spent alone struggling to figure things out. There are some great days and I have met some beautiful souls.

Our divorce triggered a diagnosis of severe depression and an eating disorder. It has also helped me to remember that I love music, art, and fashion and to do some deep inner healing work.

I spent so much time disregarding my emotions and dreams, but now I was forced to face them. It has taken all my energy to get to where I am now. I am not where I want to be yet, but I am grateful that I am not where I was.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am most proud of participating in my first pageant and being Miss Exceptional Woman Gilbert 2022.

I am also proud that I can hold space for the brokenhearted in Beauty After Divorce. We hear about divorce so often, but nobody tells you how you will feel during and after the process. I have discovered financial resources, beauty resources, and ways to get back on your feet when you just don’t have the energy, especially if you have children.

Let’s do your hair and makeup, make vegan tacos, and eat sorbet while we talk about what we want our lives to look like now that we are no longer in a union. I am proud to offer myself that I lost friends, family, identity, and purpose after my divorce. When my ex-husband replaced me so easily, I was devastated. Now, almost three years later, they are still together. I am proud of myself for making it through. I want to help others do the same.

I am proud that I can offer my services as a wedding officiant. I am Weddings for Weirdos, and I love love, no matter what it looks like. Unconventional style, beliefs, religions, hobbies-whatever you love, there is no judgment here, I’d love to join you to make your special day comfortable and judgment free.

I continue to consult with beauties across the valley, as they try on new looks, new hairstyles and makeup ideas, let’s reinvent yourself together. There are so many options these days, we can hold hands and navigate together.

That is the world of Tokyo Blue.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I’m learning to play the cello. I will drive to Joan’s on Third just for their bags of granola. I am studying for my private pilot license. I was born in Washington DC and raised in the Bay Area. My daughter was 2022 Miss Pre Teen Grand Canyon and she runs track.

I drive the school bus for Queen Creek School district because kids are cool and it brings me joy. I am the chair of the Sunshine Committee for my sorority, Delta Pi, Gamma Phi Delta. I’ve flown on the Arizona Governors Private Jet. Most recently joined Joseph Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award Planning Committee, Washington, DC June 19, 2023. I adore pomegranates.

I love fast cars and 80’s music. My favorite hobby is called : Honey Stelle’s Bluegrass Bakery. I make North Carolina style Banana Pudding and NO, that does not have vanilla Jell-O pudding, it’s from SCRATCH!! Puddings and parfaits in a cup.

Pricing:

• Wedding Officiant: $333.
• Playdates & Meetups: Meet me in my DM’s.
• Post Break-up Styling: Meet me in my DM’s.
• Hair Services: Meet me in my DM’s.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @tokyobluehairlab, @beautyafterdivorce, @comeplaywithtokyo, and @birdiebelis