So, I’m a bonafide beauty junkie. Actually, I’m more appropriately labeled as a beauty guru. ACTUALLY, I’m technically a beauty product developer. Wait. Okay, let me back up.

Around age 12, I started developing my big girl skin. Oily, blackheads, and yes, pimples. And it SUCKED. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, so my little pimples were accompanied by some ruddiness aka redness. It was just crushing. Add to that my curly hair that is just never easy to tame, and well, you just have an awkward middle schooler.

My mom taught me how to apply some “cover up” (it was a tinted Clearasil benzoyl peroxide treatment) and later she taught me how to apply eyeliner and mascara (both were Covergirl). The rest was pretty much history. From age 12 onward, I was pretty much obsessed with beauty products. Lotions, potions, makeup, perfume, essentially anything I could get my tiny hands on.

I would save up money for trips to Rite Aid, and later in high school, my mecca, Sephora.

I remember saving up money and buying my first set of makeup brushes at Sephora as a freshman in high school. They were pink and just wonderful. I felt like such a pro. I also bought a Shu Uemura eyelash curler and NARS Orgasm blush. I remember the man at check out looked at me and my purchases and said, “Someone’s been reading her beauty magazines,” implying that I was well informed in buying all the best products. I bashfully smiled at what I took as a MAJOR compliment. Ha!

In college, my skin progressed to get worse. Years of acne were turning into some pigmentary and textural scars. Mix in a pinch (or heaping barrel full) of low self esteem and you had a girl who was absolutely RAVENOUS for information on skincare. Between classes and papers, I was CHUGGING as much of Paula Begoun’s COOL AID (http://cosmeticscop.com/) as I could. I didn’t partake in beer pong, but if the online beauty community were a reckless activity, I was all in. I was scouring product reviews, and posting in MakeupAlley’s messages boards daily. I found this whole new world and it was transforming the way I bought product. That fear of buying a product and not being sure if it was the best, or right for my needs, or did what it said – all those concerns became diminished when you could crowdsource product reviews and interact with other junkies in real time. It was life changing. It was addicting. It was like I was in love.

The beauty nerd in me continued to read, continued to consume, continued to test, continued to gleefully nerd out in my own, little beauty world. And as college was wrapping up, I had to figure out what to do with my life. I was torn between continuing my education in painting (I studied art in college) and/or pursuing a career in beauty. It was really an obvious choice. It just made more sense from a financial point to go into beauty. It was a continuously burgeoning industry, with no signs of slowing down. And on top of that, I had the unquenchable passion for it.

So, the search started. And it took a while. I remember one interview in particular, for a job at a Macy’s counter. The woman interviewing looked me up and down and said, “Are you even wearing any makeup?” Looking back, it was funny. Her viewpoint was the makeup should be VISIBLE, whereas my philosophy has always been, it should be closer to natural, or less perceptible. Some natural looking foundation. A pretty blush. A touch of bronzer. A full yet natural lash. A hint of eyeliner. Maybe a soft lip. I didn’t get the job but it all worked out in the end.

During my search, I saw a craigslist ad, vaguely asking, “Do you like beauty, and did you study science in college?” I didn’t study science, but boy, did I LOVE beauty. I applied. And a few weeks later, I got an interview. It was for a company specializing in manufacturing and selling beauty raw materials (meaning, ingredients) in Chatsworth, CA (a West Coast epicenter for beauty manufacturing). I went in and showed a presentation on how the internet (via blogs and sites like MakeupAlley) were transforming how women make purchasing decisions, and how consumers are more well informed than ever before. (This was in 2011, and consumers are even MORE savvy now!)

I toured their facility. I saw their big warehouse. I saw the big drums and totes of fatty alcohols and silicones. I went into the lab, where I nearly lost my mind. There were mixers whirring, and cabinets upon cabinets filled with cosmetic ingredients. They explained, “Here we make prototype formulas using ingredients we sell. This way beauty brands and companies can test our ingredients and then use our ingredients in their formulas.” I had done so much independent research that when he said “fatty alcohol”, I had a general idea of what that was. I understood, very generally, what a “silicone” was. He grabbed a bottle of dimethicone (a certain type of silicone), and applied a tiny drop to the back of my hand and his hand. We both proceeded test the sensorial nuances of this ingredient with gentle circular motions with our opposite hand. There was a moment of silence – and then I exclaimed, “It feels like a hair serum!” Honestly, it was such a wonderland. This place was so much more magical than Sephora ever could be. I could learn here. I could learn about ingredients. About how it all works. And I did just that.

I worked in that little lab for 2 years. The company was a small team of under 30 people. It was like a little family, with a bunch of science lovers. I had been, and continue to be, the only person they hired to be a part of their elite lab and/or sales team who technically did not have a science degree. They brought me in based on my grit, passion, and flair for marketing and products. This was honestly the luckiest break I could have gotten.

Here, I was trained very rigorously in ingredients and formulation across all categories in beauty, including skin care, body care, hair care, and color cosmetics. I was trained in skin and hair physiology. I was trained in lab protocol and quality assurance procedures. I was trained in operating and maintaining the lab equipment. And most importantly, I made some of the best friends I still have to this day (two of them were my bridesmaids, in fact <3  ).

Even though I loved being in the lab, I felt held back. I understood how to make a shampoo or a facial cream, but, to rise up an someone specializing in R&D (Research & Development), it’s typically essential to have a science degree (usually Biology or Chemistry). Also, I gravitated VERY strongly towards the marketing side of beauty products. What will this product smell like? What will it feel like? What can we say about it? How do we talk about it? I wanted more than ever to be a part of what we called “finished goods” aka the items available at large retailers through brands. I loved working in raw materials, but what I loved more was real product, sold to real people. How could I be a part of that?

My next venture was into the glorious world of Product Development, a world that I live in today. Product Development can mean a lot of different things, depending on the company you’re talking to. My specialty is working within the intersection of Product Development (think of them as product specialists, tinkering on how to make a product and formula perfect), Research & Development (think of this as the lab, full of chemists mixing lotions and potions and formulating), and Marketing (think of these folks as the relayers of the grand message of the product, what it will do for you). My experience includes both the creative (marketing) and the technical (the lab). Believe it or not, this is a rare combination in my world. Usually folks are mostly one or the other. But for me, I can’t think of them as separate. They are interwoven and inseparable and I love them both dearly and crave them both.

I’ve been working professionally in the beauty industry for over 6 years, and my workload has consistently been in fast paced environments. I’m VERY proud to say I’ve helped launch hundreds of products, across over a dozen brands, and available on shelves at some of the largest US national retailers 🙂

My goal for this blog is to use my knowledge to help YOU navigate the beauty aisles. I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to testing, building, and perfecting beauty products. I am a literal expert in the field. And believe if or not, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND A LOT TO LOOK GOOD!

I’m so excited for our journey together!!!

xo megan