PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Stanisha Charné just relocated to the Pacific Northwest this summer, and is already one to watch for her makeup skills.
Charné has resided in a number of places throughout her life, including Las Vegas, Minnesota, Texas and, most recently, Atlanta. Recently, her mom, who lives in the Portland-Vancouver area, encouraged her to make this latest move.
So in June 2022, Charné, her wife and their bunny Paco packed up their U-haul and began the long 40-hour drive from down south to out west.
Charné is a makeup artist, content creator and press-on nail artist. Before she fully immersed herself in the beauty industry, though, she worked in the sales industry and at call centers.
“It’s fun, but I didn’t feel like I could be myself,” she said. “I wanted to do something where I could completely be myself.”
Charné ultimately got her wish. She has always had a knack for all things creative, but it wasn’t until recently that she decided to make a business of it.
“I’ve always had a love for makeup,” she said. “I love the colors. I love the creativity I get to have with it. And I’m self-taught, so it’s something that I kind of just picked up. I started taking it more seriously within the last three, four years — taking clients.”
She added the title of “press-on nail artist” to her resumé when the COVID-19 lockdown started.
“The nail salons were closed and I missed having my nails done. So I said, ‘You know what, why not? Let’s start making press on nails as well,’” Charné shared. She is currently taking custom orders for press-on nails, for people who want to elevate their look without the hassle or expense of going to a nail shop.
Even though she is a woman of many talents, her true passion is makeup — and more specifically, creative and special effects makeup. Charné offers natural glam, wedding looks and more, but her special effects makeup is what sets her apart.
Naturally, Charné’s Halloween makeup looks are more on the spooky side: think of a neon pink skull with white eyes, an eerily-accurate Medusa and a scream-inducing Jigsaw. With that being said, she doesn’t like being spooked herself.
“I love Halloween. I love dressing up. I don’t like being scared. I don’t like stuff jumping out at me,” Charné said. She will, however, tune in long enough to dream up a new makeup look. “I’ll look at pictures and I’ll kind of draw inspiration from that, or from clips, and make my own look out of it.”
She becomes especially busy in the spring, with graduation and prom bookings. But considering her talents, it’s no surprise that the Halloween season is also a busy one for the makeup artist.
This is her first Halloween in the Portland-Vancouver area, and she is taking appointments now.
Charné’s “Halloween/Creative Slayy” package starts at $150, and the price varies depending on the level of detail or effects that the client requests. After all, some looks are so intricate that they can take up to several hours. Charné says the longest it’s ever taken her to do her own makeup is nine hours.
In addition to building a clientele, the makeup artist hopes to do more makeup for the film industry and start her own makeup line one day.