Makeup mavens

People

April 30, 2021



Swan Beauty co-founders Leigh Humphrey and Lindsey Regan Thorne create a personalized way to shop for beauty products.

by Jennings Cool

When it came to shopping for makeup and beauty essentials, Swan Beauty co-founder Leigh Humphrey recognized a significant gap between bestselling items and the information being shared with customers about various available products. She explains it like this: When customers approach a beauty counter at the mall, the salesperson is often incentivized to sell specific branded products. But what if there was a service where the specialist instead had the customer’s unique interests in mind? 

This idea was the catalyst that triggered Humphrey, who previously worked in database marketing and innovation for large fashion companies, to develop a new way to offer beauty products. 

“We are all about education,” says Lindsey Regan Thorne, a local makeup artist and beauty influencer who last year co-founded Swan Beauty with Humphrey. “One of the biggest parts of Swan is educating customers on why and how to apply.” 

Thorne entered the beauty world in 2009 after working in the interior-design industry. She created her own personal blog and brand centered around lifestyle topics with a beauty focus. She later started a makeup and hair business, Be Pretty, providing services for weddings, special events and photo shoots. 

Throughout her career, Thorne has worked with clients of various skin types and needs, including a woman who was battling stage 4 cancer. The woman turned to Thorne for her expertise, wanting to look and feel her best during her final days. Thorne spent hours helping the client find products that worked for her and guided her through step-by-step makeup application lessons. Before passing, the woman shared how the lessons changed her life. After that pivotal experience, Thorne decided she wanted to take beauty lessons to the next level. 

“It’s one of those moments etched on my heart forever,” Thorne says. “Something so silly as a makeup lesson made this woman feel so special during her last days on Earth.” 

Shortly after Thorne’s “aha” moment, Humphrey reached out with the idea for Swan Beauty, a digital-
beauty concierge. “The rest is history,” Thorne says.  

The duo designed Swan Beauty to operate as a personal stylist for beauty and skincare products. The customer fills out an online beauty quiz at swanbeauty.com, sharing preferences such as budget, favorite brands and skin type. Products are then hand-selected by a team of makeup artists and skincare specialists. Each customer receives samples to try before committing to the full-sized products, along with detailed instructions for how to apply them.  

Humphrey and Thorne created Swan Beauty to be an easy, digital way to find products delivered right to customers’ doorsteps in curated boxes — without ever having to leave home. “It’s really fun because customers are coming to us with a specific need,” Humphrey says.  SP

SP Mother’s Day pick: Mother’s Day Beauty Box, including a Jenny Patinkin Rose on Rose face roller, Jouer Blush and Bloom cheek + lip duo, Saint Jane beauty serum, lilah b. Aglow cleansing butter, and Chantecaille Lip Chic ($190), swanbeauty.com

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