ABOUT US
Vaude Lashes LLC was born in the year 2020, created by Kayla Joy, a lash artist and esthetician in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The journey to Vaude Lashes did not start with lashing. It started with Kayla spending 12 years in the photography industry as a freelance artist from the years 2004-2016. This slowly led into exploring the makeup industry where Miss Joy would begin including makeup applications in portrait photography sessions with women. She then would go on to work as a freelance makeup artist (from the years 2012-2017). It was July 2016 where she began her Esthetics program at Central Oklahoma College in Oklahoma City, and the eventual licensing from the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering in June 2017.
Kayla began her lashing career in late 2017, going through the inevitable trials of trying products, brands, and tools that matched her need of precision and quality. In 2019, she knew right away she wanted to combine her passion for beauty, the art of transformation, women’s empowerment, and experience in hand-picking products to create a curated line of modern lash supplies for lash artists everywhere.
What does the word “Vaude” mean and where did it come from?
“When deciding on the name of the company, I kept going back to the one person I wanted to commemorate who changed my life. A woman who truly gave me hope, wisdom, and showed me that anything is possible if you want it enough. She showed me that no matter where you were planted, the struggles you faced, and even through being completely alone, you can accomplish so much. My maternal grandmother’s sister, whose name was Vaudia Fern Kendrick, was a woman of many strengths. I only knew her for the last 23 years of her life before she passed away in 2015. Vaudia was full of life, had a great sense of humor, and never stopped smiling even when she was facing her illnesses towards the end of her life. I remember looking at albums when I was just a child, filled with hundreds of photos from when she traveled the world by herself. She took many cruises, went to different countries, and never let anything stand in her way of doing what she loved. In her youth, she was a school teacher for the deaf, as she was also born deaf. She married once, divorced, and never had children. I loved visiting with my Aunt Vaudia when I was younger, because she taught me so many life lessons in the short amounts of time we spent together.
I chose the name Vaude to pay homage to my Great Aunt, but in a non-gendered way. In my mind, it is a reflection of her, a derivative of a woman who loved with her whole heart. Unfortunately, the word Vaude can be associated with a time period in American history where minorities were not treated fairly. Outright racism during the Vaudeville era of entertainment is real and I don’t want to forget or undermine what people of color went through during those times. I want to use the name “Vaude” as a symbol of hope and uncompromising tenacity in a world where we don’t always feel welcome. Vaude, to me, is a word of power and strength through struggles or times of despair. I want to empower women of all colors, ethnicities, nationalities, walks of life, and all beginnings to believe in them self and know their worth as people, while leaving their mark on the world. ”