Courtney Summers is a celebrity makeup and spray tan artist and founder of the beauty service booking app, VaultBeauty. The MUA, who splits her time between Maui and Oklahoma, got her start in SFX makeup before realizing it wasn’t for her and then pivoted into doing makeup on sets of music videos, TV shows, and sports broadcasting. It was then when she was working full time as a traveling makeup artist that she found a need for an app that allows you to search and book with beauty professionals near you. And so she launched VaultBeauty in March 2020.

When Courtney was eight months pregnant and unable to travel with one of her clients, she took it upon herself to try to find a makeup artist in the city her client was traveling to and found it really difficult. So with that, she decided to design VaultBeauty in a way that lets you search and book with hair, makeup, spray tanning, nails, eyebrow, and lash professionals near you. The app’s artist network has quadrupled since its launch in March and now hosts close to 500 beauty professionals’ profiles across dozens of cities in the U.S. and Canada. You simply type in your city or zip code, select the type of service you want, and all of the local professionals’ profiles will pop up where you can view their portfolios and text message them directly through the app.

For a closer look at how Courtney got her start in the beauty industry and what steps she took toward launching VaultBeauty, read on.

Years in the beauty industry: 10

How did you get started?: I originally wanted to work in horror movies and attended MUD in NYC to learn SFX makeup. When we began to study blood makeup techniques, I realized it was not for me. I moved to Los Angeles and started networking and working [on set of] music videos, a couple of pilots, and eventually started working in pageants and sports.

Favorite memory from an appointment with a client? I’m a big football fan so working with NFL Network was amazing! The first job I worked with them was the Superbowl. The whole team was great, it was such a fun experience.

Can you recall a time you faced a challenge during an appointment with a client and how you overcame it?: I was working a music video and the female lead was supposed to look dead. Once she saw what she looked like she lost it because she wanted to look pretty, she wasn’t my client but I needed to keep both happy. So I made her the prettiest dead person I could.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?: Treat everyone with kindness.

Favorite tanning product?: I love James Read Coconut Water Tan Mist.

What were your initial steps in starting VaultBeauty?: I’m a very visual person so I had to lay everything out in front of me. I read a ton and I even took a class on coding. I have no clue how to code but I can understand what our engineers are talking about! 

One instance when someone should book with a professional artist versus doing their hair/makeup/tan themselves? Any big event you want to remember - prom, weddings, etc. 

What advice would you give to new artists?: Never stop learning and studying your craft.