We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristina Stuller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristina below.

Hi Kristina, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I started off by just being creative with my boyfriend Josh at the time in our living room. Whenever I had my creative urge it always seemed to be after 8 o’clock at night. Most of my friends by then were tucking their children into bed and so did I. Which also meant I didn’t have a lot of free faces to work on when the mood hit.

Makeup applications could take up to 3hrs for me. Especially if it involved SFX. When I was finished, Josh would photograph me attempting to model for the next hour just for that “perfect shot” all while learning about shooting beauty and fashion photography himself. Of course, I would post the results on social media because I was so proud of my work, his work, basically, our work. He made my art come alive! Not too long after that I started getting inquiries on all sorts of makeup applications. Can you do this? Can you do that? How much do you charge? Eventually we just asked ourselves “What do we have to do to make this a business?” we looked at each other and said “Just a space to bring clients. A brick and mortar. I don’t want to bring strangers to the house”. then our next thought was “How much can we afford?” Hahaha!

Since we both had been in the industry collectively at this point for 15yrs, we had already accumulated everything we needed to start a small, family owned business. We just needed a space. So, we started doing the research. Looking at listings. Viewing prospective properties and eventually we landed on our first studio on Ryan Rd. in Toledo, Ohio. It. was. PERFECT! Since I am a licensed Esthetician, I was looking for more that just a mirror to hang. The space had a quiet, comfortable space in the back for my spa clients. A spacious office for all our studio stuff and an open floor plan for the makeup and photography area. We signed our lease in September and was open for business by January.

We would bring our boys with us late nights to go work on it. We painted the walls. Created a spa space. Even installed the wood floors throughout ourselves. When it came to electricity, we enlisted Roger, Josh’s dad to help us with creating a Hollywood mirror makeup station for me and he delivered. However, it was more fashionable than functional to be honest. The mirrors were mounted on a curve. Not the best decision I ever made. So, I made sure to create separate stations in our next studio. Which I did.

We stayed at the Ryan Rd. location for about 2yrs. Business was good so we thought to upgrade ourselves so, we started doing the research again, listings, viewings and then we found our second space in Perrysburg, Ohio. Signed a new lease in 2017 and got to painting. Much closer to home for us. It was a downgrade in space but we decided to not put as much effort into our spa space anymore and focus more on just makeup and photography. I thought our Perrysburg location would give us much more walk in traffic due to the large window front it had. Turns out I can’t compete with Fortune 500 companies such as Sephora and Ulta down the street.

Three years later, COVID hit and since our studio is registered as a salon (because I was still doing waxings here and there) we were forced to shut down. One month went by, then, two. By now people were beyond stir crazy being cooped up at home. Made you really think about who you chose to spend with your life with that’s for sure! A lot of people were also discovering their talents and potential. So, by the time we were able to open back up for business we were blown away by entrepreneurs needing to brand themselves for their new business that they started while on lockdown. Business soared.

We stayed at the Perrysburg location for about 6yrs. Then, one day, Josh just happen to be browsing listings and landed on our current studio. Vanity Studios is now located in Maumee, Ohio. Signed our lease in February and opened up for business with an all new aesthetic in April of this year. We now have a much larger and private facility that we’re still working out the kinks too but am loving it so far. Renting our space has now been added. We see and hear a lot of creatives in the area needing space but not wanting the commitment for a monthly fee or yearly contract to be stuck in so, we try to be the in-between.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly tell our readers about how you got into special effects?

After high school, Pops handed me a brochure for a community college and asked me what I wanted to do next. I couldn’t find anything of interest. He said, well, let me know when you find something. Well, my older sister was in the process of touring a cosmetology school and had asked me to go along with her. So I did. It was a nice school. I was impressed. At the end of the tour they asked me if I was interested in anything and since I had annoying acne I decided to learn about skin care and enrolled into Advanced Esthetics.

I hopped around salons and just figured that that was not where I wanted to be. I wanted more freedom. So, I took it and we created Vanity Studios. There are a lot of talented wedding and beauty artists in the area. Im lucky to network with a few of the elite but what sets me apart from the others as a makeup artist is that create and apply my own special effects. I also create a lot of my own wardrobe and props such as crowns and characters. So, if you haven’t guessed it yet, Halloween is my favorite time of year. That’s the kind of makeup that has to last too. People drink, they sweat, they cry, they get crazy during parties. I need my makeup to stay throughout all of that. So, I use a lot of alcohol paints and focus on proper skincare before the application process begins. I love that my clients are so creative and push my creative talent each year.

Once I started sharing on social media my SFX work I started getting inquires for makeup on film. Local filmmakers started asking questions. Local ad agencies started taking an interest in me as well. Makeup on film is much different than makeup for photography. If my makeup skills can outlast a Halloween party then my makeup can last under those lights and long days. About 3yrs ago I started working on commercial sets as a hair and makeup artist. I love that environment. I get to travel, meet new people, work with amazing casts and crews and do what I love. Makeup.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met Josh at a downtown club in 2010. I was out with friends and he was the clubs nightlife photographer. I went to the site where all the nightlife images were being uploaded and I liked his style. It was fun for me. Next weekend, out with the girls and I see him again. I was in the process of wanting to create a makeup portfolio so at the end of the night I asked him if he’d be interested in photographing makeup for me and how much would it cost. He looked at me and said “Free”. He must of thought I was a pretty girl to say free. Hahahah. soon after we became social media friends and then some time after that we became more than friends. The boys and I moved in after a year and Josh and I just started playing around with makeup and photography in our living room.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I use a lot of different products to achieve a lot of different looks but my main line that I am always reaching for is Makeup Designory. I love this line because it is so versatile. Are you looking for nicer and natural, glammed and glory, primed and polished, or, are we creating a character? I get asked all the time “What did you use” and I want you to be able to recreate the look we did so to make it easy I sell the MUD Cosmetics in studio and on our website in the Makeup Shop to make it easy for everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: thevanitystudios.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/vanitystudiosmua/
• Facebook: facebook.com/thevanitystudios
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kristinastuller/

Image Credits
All photography by Joshua Ball.