We had the good fortune of connecting with Chantelle Hartshorne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chantelle, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
What most people don’t realize is that this industry runs on relationships—real ones. Deep ones. The kind built through trust, intuition, and presence. Let’s be honest: nobody starts their career as a makeup artist expecting to get rich. Makeup artists and creatives are driven by passion for their craft. When I was twelve, I had no idea “painting faces” could be an actual job—until my mom got me a Kevin Aucoin coffee-table book for Christmas, and I realized it was possible. I certainly wasn’t thinking about retirement-plan benefits back then.
My career has never been just about appearance. It’s always been about connection. Whether it’s a client, a collaborator, a beginner, or a brand—these are relationships I’ve nurtured with care and consistency. I genuinely love my community. I truly care about my clients. I care about where they’re going, how they feel when they walk into a room, and how they feel when they leave me. I care that they feel comfortable in their bodies, proud of their image, and clear in their energy.
But the systems we’re forced to operate within don’t reflect that depth. They flatten the relationship. They insert themselves as middlemen, gatekeepers, distractions. Most independent professionals are navigating a web of scattered tools, ghost policies, and platforms that were never designed with them in mind. They’re running an entire business from their phones while trying to protect the intimacy and integrity of their work—and it’s exhausting.
And let me be clear—it’s not that these professionals want to operate outside the system. It’s that the system doesn’t work for them. There’s no cohesive infrastructure that truly supports the human side of this work. Nothing that lets us scale without giving up the very relationships that make our jobs meaningful.
The emotional labor—the energy it takes to show up and hold space for people day after day—is real. Right now, that labor goes completely unsupported, even though it’s exactly what drives retention, loyalty, transformation, and impact.
So I’m not just building something different. I’m building what should have already existed. A system that treats the relationship as the asset, not the threat. A framework that honors the provider-client connection, the practitioner-brand trust, the energy exchange between people—and amplifies it rather than interfering with it. Because the truth is, the people doing this work are already doing it with excellence. They just deserve a structure that finally matches the power of what they’re creating.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always been a creative. From very early on, I was named the artist of the family—the one who got dubbed the creative in the Hartshorne family crew. But as I’ve moved through my life, I see so clearly now that artistry is just a fraction of creativity. I often say that the most beautiful artwork I’ve ever made was a financial projection.
I come from a family of creative problem solvers, and over time, I realized that creativity isn’t just about making things—it’s about fixing things, too.
My family motto has always been “Figure it out.” It honestly used to annoy me as a kid, but you can’t imagine how grateful I am now to have had that hardwired into my brain. There’s no mountain too high, no issue that can’t be solved—and with that mindset, creative problem solving has become more than just a skillset or a hobby. It’s a full-blown way of life.
So yes, I absolutely recognize that to some (many), you might be looking at an industry—or an economy or a world—that seems broken beyond repair. But the truth is, I see the world in pixels: interconnected parts of a bigger picture.
The way I think and work is a direct reflection of my upbringing—a hybrid of curiosity, learning, and doing. We ask questions, we explore, and we act—and that mindset has shaped how I see systems and how I approach problems.
It’s my entire consolidated life and career—personal and professional experience—and all of these fragments have built me and the direction I’m headed.
Over the last twenty-five years, I’ve moved through every part of the industry. I’ve worked in retail, education, production, weddings, red carpet, tech development, customer support, operations—you name it. I’ve experienced the highs of being flown by a celebrity client to the Oscars, and the lows of trying to get paid on time and being undervalued for my work. I know intimately how broken the system can feel, especially for the people who make it all run.
Two years ago, I was making luxury beauty money—and let me be clear, that is no joke. But I knew I couldn’t sit there and continue to perpetuate a system I fundamentally disagreed with. I’ve worked with some of the biggest names, been part of the glossiest campaigns, and lived the dream that so many artists aspire to. But deep down, I knew: this wasn’t it. This wasn’t the thing. And I knew then—just as much as I know now—that the industry is changing, whether we like it or not.
As it turns out, I’m in a position to be one of the first people with the chance—and the responsibility—to attempt a course correction. So I’m proud of myself for keeping my eye on the prize. For standing my ground. For playing the ball down the field. For sitting with extreme discomfort in the short-term in service of something much more meaningful in the long-term. For shutting out the noise. For continuously trying.
What I’m most proud of is that I’ve never stopped trying. I didn’t just live through those experiences or “get through” them—I used them as fuel. I took everything I learned—every accomplishment, reward, inefficiency, asset, relationship, and dynamic. Everything. I put my head down and started building something that would actually work. I’m proud that I never lost touch with my roots, even as I moved into leadership. I never stopped trying to make something better for the creatives out there fighting what almost always feels like an uphill battle—because I am, and have always been, one of them.
I know for a fact that access to opportunities you can seize is everything. Success does not happen in a vacuum—it happens when someone has the right support, the right tools, and the chance to step into their full potential. That’s what I want my work to create: systems that give people real access, real equity, and a structure that lets them thrive. That’s why I’m so laser-focused, passionate, and honestly obsessed with my current project—what I’ve dubbed “economic kintsugi.”
The thing is, the problem is so easy to solve—if you can see it for what it is.
And I promise you, I’ve seen and experienced this part of it from the inside out. The changes I’ve instituted are an amalgamation of every lesson I’ve ever witnessed, experienced, and learned. I’m not doing anything that doesn’t already exist. There’s no reinventing the wheel here. All I’m doing is giving the bodies that helped build the billionaires a seat at the table.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First of all, there’s no way I’m doing an itinerary on vacation. The only thing I schedule is unscheduled time—especially when I’m out and about in LA, because I’m usually leading some massive project, like running a 50-person beauty team for Saks Fifth Avenue’s VIP Oscars event at The Peninsula, or managing a team of celebrity hair and makeup artists across 30 different locations for a Gucci launch.
So when I actually get to be off-duty, my downtime is sacred. (That’s honestly probably a byproduct of having been glued to my phone for years running all the bookings for StyleBee before we automated everything when I was easily getting over 1,500 texts on any given day.)
Funny enough, I’ve actually already had my epic LA day—and I still think about it all the time. It was years ago when my brother first moved to California. We were just a couple of starstruck kids from a small town in Canada, wandering Hollywood one night, trying to figure out how we fit into the “real world.” We ended up stumbling across this back-alley club that turned out to be a private birthday party for The Fray. Yes, The Fray, from Grey’s Anatomy (legit my absolute favorite show at the time—and let’s be real, kind of still is). It was one of those special moments where my brother and I were just getting started in life, and for the first time, feeling like we might actually belong. It was really magical, and really special to both of us.
But since that was at least fifteen or so years ago, I’ve got a more recent reference for a go-with-the-flow kind of day: a few weeks back, I went to Key West with my two best friends, Brittany Allyn and Summer Kellogg, for Brittany’s birthday. In true “girls on vacation” style, we got a late start to the morning—since the last thing any of us remembers is cheering Britty on as she sang “Sweet Caroline” onstage, rocking a purple silk dress and a tambourine, alongside an incredible singer who was literally taking requests on demand, human jukebox style.
For context: Brittany is an entire content marketing team in one-slash-model. And Summer, on the other hand, is one of the most intuitive photographers I’ve ever met—she has the power to make a hungover day on the couch look glamorous.
So naturally, when the three of us are together and everyone’s totally in their element, what starts as a simple walk around town inevitably turns into an impromptu photoshoot. Even a random side quest can morph into a masterpiece. It’s the holy trifecta of ease, creativity, and “wait—did we just make content?” joy.
So for an LA get-together (which we’re actually doing next month!), we’ll obviously take advantage of the incredible, magical range that LA embodies—space for everyone’s quirks and strengths to shine. When you’re with people who are fully themselves, it always just works.
Because when you’re surrounded by the right people—the ones who make you laugh, who hype you up, who see you clearly—anywhere can feel like a perfect day. And I know from experience that when people feel good, you get the best version of them.
That’s the kind of day I live for. The kind that starts with no plan and ends with a memory.
But LA?
LA is the perfect foundation to build upon.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Like most of us, my career is just a reflection of my consolidated life experiences, the people I’ve shared them with, and my community. I could never claim I did this alone—because I didn’t. It’s a byproduct of the opportunities I’ve been given and the privilege of being in a position to seize them. I’ve had access to life-changing opportunities, unwavering support from day one, and people who showed up for me—time and time again.
My mom, who has always been my biggest cheerleader.
My dad, who talked me through the moments when I had to bite down on the rubber just to get through something that felt impossible.
Jillian Lapidus, who somehow still tells me—every single day—that I’m the queen of the universe, even though she’s on her own uphill climb right now building The Guru Experience from the ground up.
Natasha, my co-founder at StyleBee Inc., who’s been in the trenches with me for ten years. She’s walked through every twist and turn of this company’s evolution with brilliance, grit, and unwavering determination.
And my brother, Beau Hartshorne, who—fifteen years ago—saw something in me I hadn’t yet seen in myself. He paid for my education and moved me to California so I could finally be in the rooms where big things were happening. That act didn’t just support me—it gave me my life. It changed the entire trajectory of my world.
And then there’s Scott McRae—my partner and, without a doubt, the hero of this entire chapter. When I set out to pivot StyleBee—aka “make the world a better place”—I truly didn’t understand how hard the road would be. Or how much doubt is placed on a woman with a makeup artist background and no formal “qualifying” education.
While I’ve been sitting in front of a screen, trying to build something that doesn’t exist yet, he has been waking up at four in the morning, six days a week, going to work in the cold—holding it down for us, every single day. And the very first thing I plan on doing once this all finally lands, is taking that man to Italy. Nobody deserves it more than him.
The truth is, success doesn’t come from grit alone. It comes from love. From community. From the people who see you clearly and hold space for your greatness, even when it hasn’t fully formed yet. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by those kinds of people. And because of them, I’ve had opportunities to seize—and I’ve dedicated my life to paying it forward.

Website: https://www.myworkdashboard.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantellestudio/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chantellehartshorne/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stylebee-san-francisco-6

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebeautyexperts

Other: https://platform.coop/blog/building-a-fairer-beauty-industry-for-5000-bay-area-workers/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2025/02/13/chantelle-hartshorne-from-freelance-makeup-artist-to-revolutionizing-the-beauty-industry/78530452007/
www.stylebee.com
www.chantellestudio.com
https://makeuphow.myportfolio.com/
https://www.thumbtack.com/ca/san-francisco/makeup-artists/san-francisco-hair-makeup-artists/service/191883350018409542?utm_medium=web&utm_source=txt&surface=sp

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stylebee/
https://www.instagram.com/stylebee

Image Credits
Jessica Remmes, Alexis Pence, Summer Kellog, Rachel Tomlinson, Trendee King

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.