Today we’d like to introduce you to Katina Stephens.
Hi Katina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Empire Beauty Studios began with a simple yet powerful mission: to help every client feel like the most confident, radiant version of themselves on their biggest and most memorable days.
Founded and led by Katina Burt Stephens, a seasoned makeup artist whose passion for beauty began in high school and blossomed into a professional career in 2013. Her studio grew from a one-woman show into a full-service beauty destination, now Utah’s trusted bridal and pageant glam studio headquartered in Sandy, Utah.
Katina’s commitment to classic, timeless looks, professional excellence, and heartfelt client care has shaped into a team of highly skilled artists and stylists who specialize in bridal beauty, pageant preparation, special events, and personalized styling. Empire Beauty Studios is know for bespoke, photo-ready hair and makeup that enhances each person’s unique beauty. We bring the calm, confidence, and artistry to every appointment, ensuring that clients don’t just look stunning, but feel unforgettable.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building Empire Beauty Studios was not without its challenges. Like many women-led small businesses, growth required navigating uncertainty, long hours, being a wife and mother, all alongside the pressure of doing everything perfectly.
Evolving from a solo artist into a full-service studio with the ever-changing demands and styles of the beauty industry, each stage of growth required reminders of our resilience, adaptability, and commitment to our clients.
The wedding and pageant worlds both demand perfection under extreme pressure and tight timelines. Learning to scale while maintaining the highest standards of artistry and client experience was a lesson earned only through experience, getting up time and time again, and a few after-work cries thrown in as well.
However, every obstacle that has arisen, they have refined our brand’s values, strengthened our team’s relationships, and reaffirmed our belief that beauty is not just about appearance — it’s about confidence, trust, and showing up with excellence no matter the circumstances.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the heart of Empire Beauty Studios is my deeply personal approach to beauty, routed in collaboration, intention, education, and trust.
I specialize in bridal, pageant, and special-event hair and makeup, and I’m known not only for creating polished, photo-ready looks, but instead for guiding my clients through the entire beauty process with clarity and confidence. Having stood in their exact shoes, having felt the same nerves, pressure, and the possible reservations that come with stepping into the spotlight or walking down the aisle, I’m able to truly empathize with my clients and meet them where they are in that exact moment. I take the time to listen, reassure, and build confidence from the inside out, ensuring every look feels authentic, elevated, and timeless.
What also sets me apart is my ability to graciously multitask through coordinating teams, timelines, beauty decisions, and personal requests all while remaining hands-on and present with every client in my chair.
Above all, I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built: empowering women and men during milestone moments, mentoring artists within my studio, and creating an environment where beauty feels personal, confidence-building, and unforgettable.
xoxo, Katina Burt Stephens
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in what was then a small city in Utah County as the oldest of three children (and the only girl), which naturally shaped my independence and creativity from an early age. I was always drawn to arts and crafts and anything beautiful, but makeup quickly became my secret fascination. There’s even a family photo of me having applied a stolen lipstick all over my face as a small toddler.
Some of my early elementary-aged memories are sitting on my mother’s bed while she did her makeup, quietly watching, and then sneaking in later to peek glances at her products, and marveling at all the colors. In junior high, she gave me my first small makeup collection, and from that moment on, I was hooked. Makeup became part of my daily routine, a form of self-expression and a tool to build confidence. By my high school years I was setting my alarm far too early just to follow along with YouTube makeup tutorials before school, completely captivated by the artistry and the transformation.
Pricing:
- General Makeup & Hairstyling starts at $150 per service
- Pageant Makeup & Hairstyling starts at $175 per service
- Bridal Makeup & Hairstyling starts at $200 per service
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.empirebeautystudios.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/empire.beauty.studios
