TASTEMAKER: STEPHANIE STONE

Meet celebrity nail artist Stephanie Stone, who has her finger on the pulse of Hollywood with a long list of successful clients like everyone from Miley Cyrus to Shay Mitchell.

We met up with Stephanie for a day of beauty and a chat about how she followed her dream and made it happen. Check out the interview below.

How did you end up in the career that you have now? Working as an on set nail stylist was never something I knew was even an option in life and it all kind of just fell into place!

I have always had an artistic side to me and would be painting or crafting and giving little projects to friends. One of my friends was working on set as a nail stylist and would tell me “you should come work with me- you’d be really amazing at this!!” Since I didn’t understand the industry I was hesitant.

Finally, I decided to assist her on a couple jobs and fell in love with the on set world and channeling that artistic side into nails. I enrolled in nail school in Korea Town and got certified as a nail tech. Once I passed the board exam I started working on set on my own!

My friend who recruited me into the industry started the all manicurist agency Nailing Hollywood. We just launched our own Nailing Hollywood polish and care line at Bed Bath and Beyond! There’s over 100 colors and care products in the line- essentially anything I would need on set for my clients or shoots is sold in this line. I was lucky enough to be appointed Creative Director of this project and was very hands on with the selection of products included. Testing and adjusting all the formulas to make sure everything is of the highest quality and standards.

Social media has been an amazing way to get my name out there and show what I can offer people as well as a platform to expand into other opportunities! Since working in the industry I’ve also started a YouTube channel where I do nail tutorials of looks I’ve done on cover shoots or on celebrity clients! The channel is really fun and silly- I don’t like to take myself to seriously about it.

One of my other fav projects that came from social media is my sock collab with Living Royal! It’s fun to do non- nail related projects sometimes and I’m pretty open to whatever chance I get to create.

Where do you look for inspiration to continue to keep things fresh and new with your clients? Blogs? Social sites? Fashion shows? For me to stay inspired I definitely need to stay in the groove of painting and creating. It’s easy for me to get caught up with other aspects of life and feel too busy.

But, if you regularly work on creating new looks it becomes natural and routine! I can get inspired by essentially anything but you don’t want to force it either. If you keep your eyes open you can get inspired by anything. The great thing about nails is they’re so versatile and temporary that you can constantly experiment and turn anything into a nail look.

What is your spirit animal? Why? A chameleon! You kind of have to be flexible and adjust yourself to any crazy situation you might be put in in this industry. The easier you are to work with – the more opportunities are going to present themselves to you.

What’s the most POPULAR moment in your career so far? I wouldn’t say I’ve had a moment where I’ve thought to myself “I’ve made it!” Because there is so much more I want to grow and accomplish- but, I feel so lucky to have so many incredible experiences because of what I do.

I get excited any time I see my work on a magazine cover, or on TV or anything. Last fall I got flown to New York to teach a great group of aspiring nail artists from all over the US my tricks of the trade. That was crazy to me not only because of how shy I am – but because I felt so honored people would want to learn from me!

We all had the best time.

I also  recently got to do a video interview with MTV spotlighting how to “make it in the industry” and that felt really special since MTV was so influential on me growing up and I still love it now!

What advice would you give to anyone pursuing the same career path as yours? Practice practice practice. Set new goals for yourself no matter how many you accomplish. Respect your own work and artistry without growing an ego.

What POPULAR client have you worked with that made you feel you finally made it? Again- I would never say “I’ve made it!” But, I love all my clients and am so thankful for all of them. Every time I get to work with any of them I am so thankful for the opportunity and that they would have me on their glam team!