Lifelong Love of Makeup and Glamour Led This Army Veteran to Open Her Junction City-Based Lash Studio
Christine Lee, owner of Lash Camera Action Studio, sitting inside of her shop in Junction City, Kansas.
Growing up Christine Lee was captivated by makeup and beauty, and she could often be found dressing up and adding glam to everyday life. “Even at a very young age, I would get dressed up to simply take the trash out,” says Christine. Christine recalls childhood memories of playing with make-up she found on her grandmother’s bathroom vanity. She also remembers how she kept her family waiting as she completed her transformation process. “I was in the bathroom forever, and I came out all dressed up, and my mother was so mad at me,” Christine says, laughing. Her family learned to appreciate Christine and her committed passion for beauty and makeup, eventually giving her hours advance notice when they planned to leave. Her family were probably the least surprised when Christine finally realized a dream to share this passion with others by opening Lash Camera Action Studio, a luxury lash studio, in Junction City less than a year ago.
Before Christine took the entrepreneur path, however, she took a more surprising path by joining the United States Army, in which she served for 13 years. “While I was deployed, I was scrolling through YouTube, and I was like ‘Oh, I want to do eyebrows’ because I was obsessed with brows. Soon after, I learned about lash extensions, so I was like ‘Oh, I can do lashes too’. While still active duty, she took a course on how to work with lash extensions, which sealed her future. She recalls thinking in the course, “Yea, this is really what I want to do.” After a deployment to Iraq, she changed duty stations and was stationed at Fort Riley.
Once she had discovered this niche within the beauty industry, Christine was motivated to develop her skills. And she wanted to make it happen fast. In the past year, Christine took multiple steps to make her dream come true. First, she made the decision to end her military career and attended Bellus Academy in Manhattan, Kansas. “I enjoyed every minute of it,” remarks Christine about her experiences at Bellus. As she gained new skills, she developed new confidence, which inspired an entrepreneurial leap. “In the middle of my education, I decided that I wanted to open a shop. And I just took the plunge,” says Christine. She graduated from Bellus Academy in August 2022 and received her license to run her new shop.
Christine sees one of the main benefits of her services at Lash Camera Action Studio is the impact she can have on her customer’s time management, making it easier and more efficient to get ready in the morning. “Everyone wants to save time when they are getting ready for work in the morning. If you can get your brows and lashes done, you’re pretty much set,” says Christine. Offering these services to enhance convenience has been one of Christine’s main goals for her clients.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Christine says she values bringing blends of style and sophistication from Atlanta to Kansas, and this goal significantly influenced how she designed her brand and the interior of her shop. Walking into the Lash Action Studio in Junction City, the bold, modern aesthetic features contrasting colors and trend forward design, letting customers know Christine is ready to give them an updated look, no matter their style preference.
Since opening the shop, one moment stands out to Christine as her favorite. And it’s a moment she gets to experience again and again from a customer who has never gotten lash extensions before. “The reaction I get to see when they first get up and see themselves in the mirror gets me excited and motivated,” says Christine.
Expanding relationships and building her customer base is one of Christine’s first priorities. Lash Camera Action Studio offers a loyalty card to clients, rewarding their returns with a free service after eight visits. Her market research among comparable shops in the area also informed her price point. “My prices are comparable to other big salons in the area,” says Christine. But unlike larger salons, Christine sees her above-and-beyond approach to customer service as one of the standouts in her industry. “I am committed to great customer service; this is at the forefront for me. I am always willing to help. If there is an issue, I am going to fix it,” says Christine. “You are paying for a service, and it should be done right.” She also ensures quality of service through check-ups with clients to ensure that their eye health is good and they are loving their service. She also works hard to accommodate client schedules. Christine describes a time when she accommodated a client before they left on vacation. “If you are going out of town and it hasn’t quite been two weeks, but you just want a quick touch-up, you can come in and get your touch up. Then you are good to go, fresh for your vacation,” says Christine.
One of the most important aspects of maintaining her cutting-edge brand and style is her commitment to ongoing education. Staying up with the latest trends and technologies is a challenge for any industry, but Christine says she is motivated to continue to educate herself so she can offer the best service for her clients. “Things are always changing. There is a lot of science behind lashes too, so just making sure I stay on top of whatever new technology comes out, or whatever new application method. If something comes out, I want to be the first to know about it. And I want to be able to bring it to my community,” says Christine.
One of the most recent expansions to her services are henna brows, which she says offer a semi-permanent solution compared to the tattoo options available at other shops. “Everyone isn’t comfortable getting eyebrows tattooed on their face. It can be expensive to get micro-blading or micro-shading done, and I like to have services that are more affordable,” says Christine.
During her military service, Christine had three very different jobs in law enforcement, administration and transportation, but she recalls they had one thing in common: customer service. “I was a military police officer, and later I was a patient administrator in the hospital. I had to talk to people day in and day out and solve the problems or concerns that people in the community had,” says Christine. “As a transporter, I had to get all the cargo and personnel from point A to point B, and make sure that everything was accounted for,” recalls Christine. “I am proud of that. Along with this shop, I am proud of my military career too because I didn’t think in a million years I would have something like that,” says Christine. She credits her experiences in the military with her skillset of customer service, the mindset to problem-solve and the confidence to take on her latest undertaking in entrepreneurship.
Even though starting this business and running it on her own has been challenging, it is a challenge that Christine is willing to take on, both for her benefit and for the benefit of her family, her customers and her community. “I keep pushing, keep going forward – and keep showing up. I am growing as a person and as a business owner because I want to be able to go out and reach a lot of people in this community, but in other communities as well.”
Learn more about Lash Camera Action Studio by following them on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to receive the latest updates about the shop, or check out the various styles and services they offer on their website.
For a Black Friday Special, she is also running a promotion through the end of November. For the rest of November enjoy 40% off all lash services $100 and up and 15% off services under $90. Text 785-210-4811 for more details or questions.