Jen Atkin On Building A Beauty Brand And Her Must Have Products

Hair aficionado, Jen Atkin, is one of the best hair stylists in the biz. She was trained by the likes of Chris McMillan, Renato Campora and Guido Palau, before rising to fame after her appearance on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Now, her impressive client list includes the like of J-Lo, Jessica Alba and Emma Stone.

In between hair styling and red carpet events, Jen Atkin has also launched her own beauty brand OUAI which spans everything from ‘chill pill’ bath bombs to shampoo and fragrance.

Here Jen Atkin talks to Grazia’s Beauty Writer, Emma Stoddart, on where it all began to how she launched OUAI.

On her career journey:

‘I’ve always been obsessed with hair. After high school, I drove to California in my Honda Civic hatchback with pennies in the bank. I got my first job in Beverly Hills and worked my ass off. It was a time of hustling. My big break was getting a job at Chris McMillan’s salon. It was the gift of a lifetime. Soon after, I assisted on Guido Palau’s team at Paris Fashion Week. It was a dream come true.’

On self care:

‘Last year I went on a week-long immersive retreat in California for a major detox. It was a total game-changer. Since then I’ve stopped drinking, saying yes to everything and have started to prioritise myself. It’s difficult to ground down like that, but I’m so much happier for it.’

On launching OUAI:

‘All my clients wanted healthier hair fast. I launched OUAI to cut down styling time, nourish hair and look good enough for a shower shelfie.'

'My two favourite products for styling are the Volume Spray which you spritz at the root before its activated with heat, and our Super Dry Shampoo which is the best on the market in my opinion – maybe I’m biased.'

On career advice:

'I received a piece of advice from hair legend, Serge Normant, that I’ll always hold on to and has acted as a north star for me throughout my career. The advice was to not allow yourself to be threatened by your peers, but instead be inspired by them. Collaboration is key and I firmly believe it keeps us growing and moving, you also never know what kind of doors it’ll open up to work with different types of people on different types of projects.'

'There’s enough work to go around and we should stay supportive of each other, and not try to tear each other down to get to the top.'

On her beauty heroes

‘I love Kylie Cosmetics, HUDA Beauty, Pat McGrath, Byredo, the list goes on. Diorshow Mascara, £28, is a favourite and I love the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz, £23.’

Shop Jen Atkin's Beauty Kit Here...

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