Chenese Bean: Mother and Makeup Artist

Chenese Bean (right) working on a client. Photo by: Darnell Wilburn

Juggling personal and professional responsibilities can be difficult, especially as a single mom and entrepreneur. No one knows that better than makeup artist Chenese Bean, who has found a balance between parenthood and her prettification profession.

She began her journey as a makeup artist solely as a part time hobby while working a full time accounting job in 1997. At the time, her daughter Brooke was four. In 2008, she decided to transition into being a full time makeup artist. “I was faced to make the scariest transition ever and that’s working in my craft full time.” explains Bean.

Today, Bean’s business is busier than ever and her daughter recently graduated from high school. She’s proud of these successes, of course. But, she says, finding the balance wasn’t easy. “Today this is so common and sadly over-looked as a struggle, but being a single mom comes with many highs and lows,” says Bean. “It’s not easy dealing with the fact that you have to be away from your child just to make ends meet.”

In Bean’s case, she lives in a city with no family members who could be easily accessible if she needed help. However, many friends, and occasionally her father, would help with babysitting over the years when Bean needed to work. “The blessing behind it is that my daughter was able to walk my journey with me,” says Bean. “She’s been on sets of many photo and video shoots and was even used as a stand-in a few times.”

Chenese Bean’s daughter, Brooke. Photo by: Annette Bryant of Annette Bryant Photography

What drives Bean’s passion the most is continuing to do makeup. She strives to be the vessel to make someone beautiful along with being creative in ways that sometimes even pushes her outside of her own comfort zone. “Being able to see beauty in what someone else sees as a flaw and to be able to see a woman’s face as she gazes in a mirror as to how gorgeous she looks brings me to enlightenment each and every time. God gave me this gift for a reason,” says Bean. “There were many times that I wanted to walk away from it and I’m so glad I didn’t!”

Chenese Bean Makeup Artistry creates looks for brides with four packages, ranging in price from $170–$825. There are also packages for the bridal party from $25-$55 and the mother of the bride from $55. “I believe in treating every client at a high caliber providing a celebrity experience,” Bean says.

“Bridal Glam” Session makeup classes are also available for $150 lasting for an hour and a half with products and tools included. Bean provides services in the areas of commercial (TV and print), company ads, film, video and for many other forms of marketing for woman and men.

Learn more about Chenese Bean Makeup Artistry at www.chenesebean.com.