By Tina Ashchian
Photography by Stacey O’Nell
Lucianne Giammattei is mesmerized by the curves of your body. She wants to slowly glide the paintbrush from your chest down to your bellybutton. She will mix colors and different strokes. She will transform you into a majestic fairy or even a witch complete with teased hair and a prosthetic nose. As the face behind Face2Face Studios, Giammattei has a resume that includes hair and makeup services for socialites on “Desperate Housewives,” models in fashion shows for labels such as Reebok and, yes, fairy-tale-like creatures for ad campaigns. Not bad for a 26-year-old daughter of a professional clown.
F2F Studios is Giammattei’s dream come true. Located in a three-story building off Birch Road, F2F Studios is nothing if not unique. Inside, guests will find all the fixings of a standard hair salon. But that’s where the similarities end. An entire photography studio sits on the second floor, complete with a white, 20-foot cyclorama wall and photography lights. It’s become a haven for artists. Twice a month, the studio holds BYOB canvas painting classes on its rooftop overlooking Fort Lauderdale beach. Weekly photography and body-painting workshops are also arranged to help local artists build their portfolios.
As Giammattei puts it, “Painting was always in my blood,” recalling a time in high school when she took a job as a face painter. A cosmetologist and graphic designer by education, Giammattei admits being versatile has separated her as an artist. She’s been known to apply bridal makeup one hour and turn a male model into a head-to-toe ape in the next. With the ability to change direction and give one person multiple looks, Giammattei named the company exactly what the studio creates: two faces.
While acknowledging the late photographer André Rowe as an artistic influence, Giammattei credits her mother, who worked unconventional jobs like a professional clown and a photographer for the Jungle Queen Riverboat, for much of her creative streak. “She was always my guinea pig at one point,” Giammattei laughs, admitting she once gave her mom a pixie haircut while studying hair design. “She was my No. 1 model.”
Though Giammattei’s tender and embracing personality can make some forget she heads a team of talented stylists and artists, there’s no doubt she sees F2F Studios as an extension of herself. With her long locks in perfect waves and her everyday makeup applied effortlessly, she is her own 5-foot-5-inch walking business card—just without the body paint.
Originally appeared in the Fall 2014 issue.
