Meet Kalene Gentles.

I was first introduced to makeup at the age of 13, and I usually practiced on myself and loved watching YouTube videos. As I taught myself how to do makeup, during that time, it was very hard to find shades for my skin tone because of my skin complexion. Because of that, I had always told myself that if I ever had the chance to change the makeup industry, I would love to create a cosmetics line that would cater to all skin tones but especially darker skin complexions. I never had the thought to start my own business in makeup artistry but after a year at Howard University, my friends encouraged me to start my own freelance business. During my downtime at Howard University, I took the time to shadow other experienced makeup artists in the area to expand my clientele, learn more about the beauty industry and perfect my craft. After I graduated from Howard, I took my talents to Atlanta, GA to take my career to the next level. I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to do more than makeup, I wanted to create ART.

After discovering editorial and high fashion makeup, I started to change my techniques for how I apply makeup and re branded myself as an editorial makeup artist. I want my work to speak volumes when you look at it, I want every shoot to tell a story. After listening to the many disheartening stories from models saying they at times had to do their own makeup because the makeup artist did not have the right shade for their skin tone, it really propelled me even more to want a change for the industry. My work thus far has been shown in VIGOUR Magazine, Footlocker, CRWN Mag, and Flurry Magazine.