Chelsea Bruce

Beauty – Phoenix

I\'ve always had a passion for creating art; through painting, sketching, poetry, and especially through beauty. I finally put my passion to the forefront when I moved to Phoenix, and enrolled in Cosmetology school part-time while working a full time job. Just three months into my education, I competed and qualified for a spot to compete in the Long Hair Design category on a national stage in Hershey, PA at Empire Education\'s Future Professional\'s Expo in 2011; I didn\'t bring home any awards, but instead a wealth of platform experience and knowledge to drive me forward in my career. This is also where I came to admire industry greats such as Nick Arrojo, Brig Van Osten, and Rafe Hardy, who all judged and presented at the Expo. The following year I qualified to compete in Women\'s Trend/Cut/Color at FPE 2012, AND was selected as Future Professional of the YEAR at my local campus in Chandler! Competing just 2 weeks after knee surgery, on crutches, I brought home the title of Regional Future Professional of the Year, and placed 4th for the National title, among 101 finalists! Since graduating at the end of 2012, I have been doing free lance work with photographers, models, and makeup artists building my portfolio, to include publication of my work in magazines! I feel blessed to be where I am today; I\'m mind blown on a daily basis to think of all I have accomplished since I started focusing my energy into my true passion!