Meeting the Wasilla, Alaska native (infamously known as Sarah Pallin’s home town) for the first time, I am immediately taken with her nearly waist-length platinum blond hair, bold red lips, firm handshake, and monotone black clad outfit that reads New York City assertiveness/West Hollywood cool-kid vibe. The beauty entrepreneur, who in 2014 launched her eponymous luxury agency, Meg O’Hare Beauty, brings la creme de la creme in makeup artists, hair stylists, spray tans and facialists to clients’ doorsteps. I sit down with Meg to discuss launching her brand, the power of writing goals on note cards, why a closed door really does open a window and of course, a few makeup tips for flawless skin.
“I moved fifteen years ago to California to pursue my dreams of becoming a singer, song writer and performer. Beauty wasn’t my initial path, but I was always very artistic and enjoyed doing it on the side. When music didn’t work out I got a job as a makeup artist and assisted other artists and worked for brands, like MAC Cosmetics and Chanel. I always loved makeup. There’s something powerful about the ability to make someone feel good about themselves on the outside.
“A few years ago, I interviewed for a position as a manger of a makeup store. At the time, I felt like that job was going to open up doors and would be the key to my future. When I didn’t get it I was so depressed. I was really bitter. I ended up getting a job in Santa Monica at Nordstrom as a beauty stylist. And looking back now, working at Nordstrom is where I ended up meeting so many of my clients now. Working there helped launch where I am now. I started doing freelance work and got so booked I was referring other makeup artists I knew and trusted. It just started from there. It’s only been about a year and half since I launched my agency, but I have eighteen hair and makeup artists working under my brand. I feel really blessed to work with these stylists. One of my artists just did Beyonce’s music video and others have serious celebrity clientele. I’ve travelled with clients around the world on private jets and recently just went to Ireland for two weeks to work for a client; this past year and a half has been crazy. I have amazing clients – CEOs, lawyers, doctors, entertainers, etc – powerful women that have been a life source to me. I always glean little bits of advice from each one and it’s true – women are a force to be reckoned with. Many of these women have been inspirational to me.
“But when you start to focus your mind on what you want and welcome the negatives as much as the positives as opportunities to grow and be better, it’s amazing how much greater you can be.”
“Both of my parents were entrepreneurs. My dad had a successful flight school and my mom had her own real estate firm. So I grew up seeing my parents work for themselves. A few years back, my mom forced me to go to this business seminar with her. I went and found it really insightful. I started reading books on business entrepreneurs and it just changed my whole outlook. One book in particular that I’ve implemented a lot of tools from is Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill. One of the tools I use from that book is writing goals on note cards, putting them in my pocket and looking at it throughout the day. What’s fun is looking back on cards I wrote in the past and it’s like wow, I did that. But at the time I wrote the cards it felt like I was shooting for the moon. Now it’s like, okay, I did that, what else can I do. This past year I wrote on a note card a certain dollar amount I wanted the business to achieve by the end of our first fiscal year. At the time, it felt almost unattainable, but we ended up going over it by a substantial amount. I’m constantly setting goals and writing them down. And it makes sense why it works. You’re introducing things that sound out there to the subconscious mind. I was at a lecture once where the speaker asked, ‘How many red cars have you seen today? And you say, I don’t know, none? But when you leave, how many red cards will you see? You’re probably going to see every red car that passes.’ It’s all about putting things in the scope of your perception. Everything has been around you the whole time, but maybe you haven’t really been seeing it. But when you start to focus your mind on what you want and welcome the negatives as much as the positives as opportunities to grow and be better, it’s amazing how much greater you can be.
“The makeup industry has changed so much over the past ten years. Now, I have clients who come to me and show me Instagram tutorials asking me to create the same looks. These makeup video tutorials on Instagram of these beautiful girls are, like wow, but if you saw them in person, it’s way too much makeup for every day life. I’m all about enhancing natural beauty. I love the dewy, glow-y look. I’m a big fan of creams – cream foundation, cream blush, cream highlighters. They work really well to achieve dewy. (Creams can be a little intimidating for your average girl, I mean, blending and all. Any tips?) It’s all about the brush and how it’s applied. Less is more. I really love Bobbi Brown’s Full Coverage Face Brush and a blending brush from Chanel that’s dual fiber. Typically, you want to use synthetic brushes for creams and natural fiber brushes for powder products. Natural fibers are like your hair; they absorb products. Whereas synthetic fibers pick up the product, but it doesn’t absorb it. You need natural hair for powders; it buffs out the product in a totally different way. Dual fiber brushes use both kinds of fibers. The synthetic bristles put down the product, while the natural fibers buff it out. It’s important to blend the product in circles until it looks right. The key to makeup is blending and application. I always teach my clients that the first place you put your brush on your face is where you’ll apply the most product so be wise with the initial landing. I usually tap tap all around the face and then go in and blend everything out.
“I always loved makeup. There’s something powerful about the ability to make someone feel good about themselves on the outside.”
“But if you want flawless skin, makeup can only go so far. It really comes down to skin care. The main skin care line I use on my clients and myself is Arcona. It gives me life! In the mornings, I wash my face with the Kiwi Cream Bar, apply Youth Serum, followed by the Peptide Hydrating Complex and the Desert Mist. The Desert Mist is my favorite everyday daytime primer for clients who want that dewy glow-y skin look. I also love the Eye Dew Plus. It has a pearl-essence. It doesn’t work for on set since the camera flash can make it a little too shiny, but for everyday it’s perfect. At night I use the Cranberry Gomage and the Gentle Solution. On clients, I use the Triad Pads to cleanse and tone; and I put the AM Blemish Lotion on everybody. The antimicrobial properties of the blemish lotion is a great base to make sure the skin is clean and balanced. Clients call me the next day asking for the names of the skin care I put on them because they see results after just one day.”
www.megoharebeauty.com; (323) 356 -4045
-as told to BOND EN AVANT
Photography by Amy Chang
