Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Kelsey of North Scottsdale

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Kelsey. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Kelsey, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Honestly, I lose track of time whenever I’m in nature.

Some people find clarity through searching online, scrolling, or looking outward, but I never have. Every meaningful decision I’ve made in my life has come from stepping away from the noise and reconnecting with the world God created.

Nature has always been my reset button.
 It’s where the world slows down long enough for me to hear myself again.
 Some of my biggest realizations have happened on a quiet trail, by the water, or simply breathing fresh air with the people I love.
Even the day I decided not to return to Chanel Beauty after being laid off due to COVID, was the moment I chose to step into my purpose and build Kelsium Beauty, I was on a nature trip.
 My clarity comes from stillness. And when I return to my craft after those moments, that’s when I lose track of time in a different light.

When I’m in my studio creating, with no pressure and no performing, just pure artistry and connection, everything else melts away. I reconnect with the part of myself that fell in love with beauty in the first place.
 Mentoring my artists, teaching one-on-one makeup lessons, and connecting deeply with my clients always brings me home to myself. I learn who I am in the moments I’m helping others see the beauty in who they are.

It reminds me of what matters. It roots me back into God’s presence.
Somewhere in the quietness, I rediscover my purpose.
And I think that is the beautiful part of evolving. We are allowed to change. We are allowed to grow. We are allowed to ask ourselves again and again, what do I want my life to feel like?

Those moments in nature, in stillness, and in artistry are where I find that answer.
 And where I find myself again.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I play many roles within Kelsium Beauty. Founder, Master Artist, Educator, and Creative Director, but at the core, I’m someone who believes deeply in the power of artistry, connection, and presence.

Kelsium didn’t begin as a brand. It began as a small dream, one I never imagined would grow into what it is today. An elite team of artists, a beautiful studio in North Scottsdale, and a community of women who trust us with some of the most meaningful moments of their lives.

For me, this work goes far beyond makeup and hair. It’s about holding space for women and truly seeing them. That’s why so many of our brides become lifelong clients, returning to us for in-studio appointments and welcoming us into their next chapters.
 I’ve been fortunate to walk alongside women through some of their most meaningful milestones, and that trust is one of the greatest honors of my life.

Education is also a huge part of my heart. I mentor my own team closely, and I also support aspiring artists outside of Kelsium who are searching for guidance as they build a career rooted in heart, skill, and intention.

When I started, I didn’t have a roadmap. I didn’t have someone to show me how to market myself, how to build a reputation, or how to grow a brand that would one day become one of Scottsdale’s most trusted names in the beauty industry. I learned each step through grit, passion, faith, and an unwavering belief that I was meant for more.
Being able to guide and inspire other artists now is incredibly meaningful to me.

Over the years, we’ve grown into something truly special. We’ve become known not just for our artistry, but for the experience we offer, for the way we move, and for the heart behind everything we do.

With more than 250 five-star reviews, countless satisfied brides, and a destination portfolio that continues to expand, I know this growth didn’t happen by accident. It happened because the work we do is deeply personal.

Kelsium Beauty is my passion, my purpose, and my creative legacy.
 I’m endlessly grateful that a dream that once lived quietly inside me now lives in the hands, hearts, and faces of the women we are blessed to serve every day.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Before I ever believed I could build the life and career I have today, someone else saw that future in me long before I could see it in myself.

For me, that person was my boyfriend, Ben.

He has been the steady light in every season of my becoming. The one who reflected my potential back to me when I couldn’t recognize it yet. Every big decision, every leap of faith, every moment I veered off the “safe” path… he was the voice reminding me that I was capable of more.

When I was scared to leave college and pursue beauty, he was the one who told me to trust what I felt in my heart. When I didn’t believe I was good enough to break into the industry, he challenged me to try anyway, even buying me my first professional brush set. He believed in the version of me that was still hidden, still forming.

When I was laid off from Chanel during COVID, I felt lost and unsure if I wanted to stay in this industry. During one of our nature trips to Tahoe, we spent hours reflecting, and realized that this wasn’t an ending…it was a defining beginning.

My moment to build something of my own. He helped me dream bigger, think differently, and see that I was ready, even if I didn’t know it yet. He helped design my logo, guided me through my early marketing strategies, and stood beside me as I shaped Kelsium Beauty from scratch.

And when I decided to take the biggest leap of all, renovating and opening my studio, he didn’t just cheer me on. He helped build it with his own two hands. Hours of labor, endless encouragement, never once making me feel like my dreams were “too much.”

I’ve always been someone with big visions and a relentless desire to bring them to life, but having someone who sees you clearly and mirrors back a stronger, braver version of you, it changes everything.

The entire world could doubt me, but if Ben believes I can do something, I know I can.
 His belief didn’t replace my effort, but it ignited it.
 And because he saw me… I learned how to see myself.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There have been moments throughout my journey where parts of me wanted to give up, even if the whole of me never truly did.


It wasn’t because I didn’t love what I do. It was the weight of everything that comes with building something from scratch. The pressure of being both the artist and the entrepreneur, the leader and the learner, the creator and the one responsible for holding it all together.

There were seasons where the business felt louder than my own identity, where I struggled to separate who I am from what I’ve built. When you pour your heart and soul into something, it can be hard to remember that your worth exists outside of it. I’ve had to remind myself often that Kelsium Beauty is something I created, it is not who I am.

There were times I felt stretched thin, pulled between being the artist I’m proud to be and the leader my team deserves. Times where I questioned whether I could continue growing without losing pieces of myself in the process. Times where I worked with clients who didn’t align with my values, and I felt the energetic cost of choosing speed over alignment. And still…I kept moving forward.

Every moment that felt heavy became an invitation to rediscover myself. Every setback forced me to evolve. Every breakdown became a doorway to a breakthrough. I learned that doubt doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means you care deeply. It means you’re invested. It means you’re human.

I also learned that I never want to build something that requires me to lose myself.
 So now, I choose differently. I choose alignment over “opportunity.” I choose clients who see my heart and not just the service. I choose a slower, more intentional path if it means preserving my peace and honoring my values.

My purpose has shifted and expanded over the years, and I’ve allowed myself to grow with it. What keeps me going is knowing that what I’m building isn’t just a business. It’s my legacy. It’s the place where all my resilience, passion, artistry, and evolution live.

And even on the days where it feels heavy, I still choose it.
 I choose it because I believe in it.
 I choose it because I believe in me.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What truths are so foundational in your life that you rarely articulate them?
One of the deepest truths I live by, one I rarely say out loud, is that when I build from alignment instead of pressure, everything in my life flows effortlessly.

In the beauty industry, there is a constant expectation to post, perform, and stay visible. The pressure to chase trends, go viral, or turn yourself into a content creator shows up everywhere. For a long time, I felt like I was falling behind because I couldn’t keep up with it.

But the truth is, I don’t want to.

Every meaningful shift in my life and career has happened away from the screen. It has happened in stillness, in prayer, in presence, and in the quiet moments where I can actually hear myself again. It has happened when I create from my heart rather than for an algorithm.

My artistry is sacred to me. It is where I lose track of time. It is where I feel the deepest connection to the woman in front of me. That genuine, human connection is the foundation of everything I do.

I have seen real success without performing for the industry. I have built a business, a studio, a team, and a destination portfolio through love, intention, and alignment.

This is the truth I stand in:
 I am not here to perform for the world.
 I am here to connect with it.
 I am here to create art that feels alive, honest, and rooted in purpose.

The more I live in that truth, the more I realize that what is meant for me will always find me. Not because I tried to be the loudest voice in the room, but because I stayed aligned with who I truly am.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I inspired them to believe in what they already carry within themselves.

I pray that through the way I lived, created, and loved, people felt encouraged to walk in their truth. I hope my life shows that when we move with intention and let love be our guiding force, even the smallest actions can create a ripple far bigger than we ever imagine.

Through every idea, every brushstroke, every version of Kelsium Beauty that has unfolded, my deepest wish is that I inspired others to create fearlessly. To lead with creativity. To question the norms. To let themselves have fun. To trust the process, and if they ever lose themselves along the way, to remember they can always come home to who they truly are.

I pray people say I made them feel seen. Not just through the art I create on the outside, but valued and understood on the inside. Even if we only shared a small moment in my studio, I hope my presence reminded them of their own light.

I hope my artistry meant more to people than “great makeup.” I hope they felt the connection behind it. I hope they felt my heart. And for my team, for every artist I have mentored or guided, I hope they say I helped them grow not only in their craft, but in their confidence and sense of self. I hope they carry that forward and continue inspiring the next generation with the same heart.

I hope the world remembers me for my love, my intention, my passion, and my willingness to create in a way that was never meant to fit in.

Your voice matters. Your art matters.
The world needs what only you can give. 
Share it bravely. Share it honestly.
 And trust that your light will lead others to find their own.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kelsiumbeauty.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kelsiumbeauty/

Image Credits
Kayla Crandell Photography