Welcome to my blog, Beauty’s Golden Standard! My goal is to share my expertise and experiences in the beauty, editorial and wedding industry with brides and fellow professionals. I want you to know what is the best of the best in beauty, with no BS. Before we begin, let me introduce myself, so we can better be acquainted!
My name is Meagan MacRae and I am a 22 year old makeup & hair stylist based in the beautiful Vancouver, BC. I grew up in the suburbs with two loving parents and 3 older siblings. (2 being makeup-loving girls…. I bet you can imagine those bathroom fights, lol) While I’ve always been passionate about beauty, I never imagined I would end up here, rolling around Vancouver with the most adorable studio on wheels! Being a classic girly girl at heart, I appreciated many forms of beauty from fashion, to music, to arts & crafting. At a young age, I can remember sneaking into my mother’s room and rummaging through her makeup case to steal her favourite items. I must say I am sorry mom for borrowing and not returning so many MAC lipsticks! A lot of artists I met at John Casablanca’s fell in love with makeup later in life. That was not me. I was the grade four girl with swipes of glittery blue eye shadow foolishly placed across her lids. After playdates, parents would pick up their kids and a shocked expression would appear on their faces. For the first time, they would see their bare faced babies with winged eyeliner and red lipstick. I, of course, was simply hopping on any opportunity to hone my liquid eyeliner skills!
Many makeup wipes later, I was finishing up High School and needing to make the big decision. Where would I go to university? When planning my future, my mindset was to follow the academic pathway that would lead to a secure 9-5. My brother, a doctor, my sister, a teacher, I was stuck on idea of a traditional job. It wasn’t until my family brought up the possibility of me becoming a makeup artist, did I think that was even an option. What they could see (but I couldn’t) was that I was addicted to watching Youtube tutorials, that I spent hours (yes I mean hours) getting ready every morning, and that my Christmas lists always consisted of the newest Naked palette. I had no idea this obsession could be turned into a real job. I am so grateful for a change in heart. For taking a leap of faith, and for that little (big) push from my family. Now most days you can find me at photoshoot glowing up my next model or planning bridal looks for this next crazy wedding season.
I tenaciously work for my goals. By having this personality trait, in the last few years I have learned a lot within a short amount of time. Graduating from Makeup School, I had NO direction. I was left with the basic skills of different types of makeup from prosthetics, to editorial, to film, to bridal. With no amazing job opportunity falling into my lap, the simplest place was to start working in retail. While Sephora was a fantastic place to gain product knowledge and get your hands on a lot of different faces, I knew being a slave to the clock wasn’t my end-all be-all. I am thankful that running my own bridal beauty company is now my full-time gig, it wasn’t always this way and I will forever be grateful for my humble roots and for how much energy I put in to get there. It is now my mission to continuously work hard to improve my services. That is where Beauty En Route comes in. I was constantly being faced with the same problems when I went to my clients home’s. Lack of light, lack of a proper chair and a crappily made, busted by the second trip makeup case. Now, I get to provide my clients with full services in a stylish, comfortable setting, catered to them. Not too often do you find your makeup artist providing bubbly, chocolate covered strawberries and your own custom made lipstick on your wedding day. Elevated services is a concept I strive to represent and the same will go for this blog page.
While I will be writing on a lot of “tips and tricks”, and giving insiders perspectives on beauty products and being a professional, this blog is really my opportunity to create meaningful and impactful content that inspires you to live everyday beautifully. I will be updating this blog every Sunday to start a new week fresh. Whether you’re an anxious bride searching for answering before her big day, or an ambitious pro HMUA wanting to learn how to diversify, I will be here to guide you. I encourage you to request a topic or leave a comment should you have any questions. That way, I can better serve you! Respectful feedback and opinions are always appreciated. I understand that products and services I might love, might not be what works for you and that is OK. My opinions are solely based on my personal and professional experience and I will provide 100% transparency with you. If you’re excited to learn more about my journey share this post !
xoxo
-Paragon