For Shanda Roslyn, cheerleading and makeup always went hand-in-hand. But, now she has turned her makeup artistry into a business, partnering with a friend to help clients boost their self-confidence.
Roslyn remembers how when she was younger, she and her siblings would enjoy trying on their mother’s makeup and they believed it made them look beautiful. From there, her love of makeup continued to develop over time throughout her other activities.
Putting makeup on, even at a young age, was not uncommon for Roslyn. This was due to her interest in trampoline and tumbling competitions, as well as her involvement with the Young Canadians, who perform at the Grandstand show during Stampede.
“My aunt knew a friend who had auditioned for the Young Canadians and so it was through her that I learned about it and decided to try out,” Roslyn says.
While she was with the Young Canadians she learned about singing, dancing and how to perform. Being a part of the Grandstand show was exciting for her due to the variety and complexity of each performance. This show contributed to her experience in performing in front of a crowd.
This skill was beneficial during university, where Roslyn worked towards a marketing degree at the University of Calgary. While pursuing her degree, she auditioned for the Calgary Stampeders and her performance experience paid off.
“A friend at the time really wanted to audition and had convinced me to audition with her. Unfortunately, I ended up making the team and she did not,” says Roslyn.
Despite going in without knowing anyone, Roslyn quickly made friends on the squad, many of whom she still keeps in contact with today. Ally Herauf was one of the friends that Roslyn made and it was Roslyn’s makeup skills that brought them together.
Herauf wasn’t interested in makeup going into cheerleading and only wore mascara; she felt that needing to wear more makeup was not necessary.
As a result, Herauf says, “The very first game I literally showed up at the game being like, ‘Ok I have my mascara on, I’m ready,’ and I got in trouble with one of the coaches and so from there I think it was Shanda who kind of was like ‘Hey, I’m doing your makeup.’”
Despite agreeing to wear more makeup it was not an easy transition and it took some getting used to.
“I remember the first time she did [my makeup], I looked at myself in the mirror and was like ‘Wow, I don’t even look like me, I hate this,’” Herauf says.
After a total of eight years cheerleading with the Stampeders and then the Roughnecks, Roslyn knew that cheerleading was not a long term career and wanted to challenge herself by pursuing her passion for makeup. She eventually enrolled at The Esthetic Institute in Calgary and graduated in 2015.
While Roslyn was at the institute, Herauf, who worked at an online marketing company at the time, was a big source of support.
“I had always been kind of pushing her like, ‘You need to just start your own company, like an Instagram at least so you can get people following you and seeing the work that you can do,’” Herauf says.
From the Young Canadians to cheerleading, to university then beauty school, Shanda Roslyn has experience when it comes to makeup. It was only a matter of time until she launched Bellamore Beauty with business partner Emily Satnik. Photo by Alana Marie Photography.
With encouragement from her friends, family and husband, Roslyn officially started her own business. Herauf surprised her with a free website that year for her birthday: “I just sent her an email and was like ‘Hey you should check out this website’ and I included the link and then she called me five minutes later basically crying.”
The first summer in business, Roslyn was busy with a wedding almost every weekend. The first wedding that she did was a party of seven people and she remembers her hands shaking while applying the makeup, as well as wishing she had more time.
“It was a bit stressful. I really needed that to go well because I already had booked a bunch of other weddings that summer. And I was like, ‘Please say I didn’t make a mistake doing this,’” says Roslyn.
Her first wedding season was a success, but she still felt as though she had so much more to learn.
“I think it’s so important to always keep learning and never think you’re the best and that you know everything,” Roslyn says.
Roslyn continued working to expand her skills through attending training sessions. It was at one of these sessions for the Laura Mercier brand that she met Emily Satnik, who has an extensive background in the makeup industry, including graduating from the esthetics course at Marvel College in Calgary and Blanche MacDonald School of Makeup Artistry in Vancouver. There she discovered Satnik was friends with Roslyn’s cousin who is also a makeup artist.
Bellamore Beauty comes from the italian phrase belle’amore, and means “beautiful love.” It was important for both Roslyn and Satnik to have a name that reflected their aspirations both in makeup and life. Photo by Alana Marie Photography.
The two became good friends and later decided to open Bellamore Beauty together. This idea truly took root at Roslyn’s wedding where Satnik did her makeup and both decided to officially work together.
In their business both Roslyn and Satnik are very passionate about promoting self-confidence and making sure their customers feel beautiful.
Satnik says, “I just always wanted people to feel the beauty that others see.”
She recalls doing makeup for a woman at a previous job who made a lasting impression, even years later. The woman, who had cancer, came in not knowing how much longer she would live but wanting to feel beautiful one last time.
“ She had no hair [from the chemo]. So, I did her eyebrows and her makeup and everything and she was so happy, and I was crying, and she was crying, and it was such a beautiful moment,” Satnik says.
Their love for customers and makeup is something embedded in their business name: Bellamore Beauty, which came from the Italian phrase belle’amore, and means “beautiful love.”
The people and their stories are one of the most satisfying things about being a makeup artist for Roslyn. She has hopes of expanding the business to include more people who offer a variety of services.
Roslyn is excited to work towards these goals and is content with where she is at today. She looks to the past fondly for the journey that she has been on.
“Cheerleading was a huge part of my life and I feel so grateful I did it and that it kind of really shaped who I am now and what I’m doing.”
Editor: Jennie Price | jprice@cjournal.ca