Mom Life

Meet Lauren Reid, a military veteran and mom who is also a beauty expert and model. Look for her in the October issue of our sister publication, Baltimore Style, where she models the latest fall-fashion looks at Ladew Gardens.

Lives: Frederick
Family: Son, Makai, 3
Occupation: Owner of Lauren Abagale Bridal Hair and Makeup, and Lauren Abagale Lash, both in Urbana

Tell us about your work and  how you got in this field

I wear a lot of different hats in my career, as most women entrepreneurs do. My first job is that I do bridal hair and makeup for weddings. When I was in school, a current mentor of mine took me under her wing and made me one of her bridal assistants. I ended up falling in love with it and moved to California to start a bridal business there. When I decided to move back three years later, I was able to start my business in Frederick and build it up. My second job is teaching at the Paul Mitchell School in Frederick. I have always had a passion for makeup and education, so I wanted to share what I have learned with others. I also own Lauren Abagale Lash, which is a lash-focused studio in Urbana.

Do you have a mentor or role model?

One of my mentors is Ashely Chin, the owner of Glam Bridal Beauty in Frederick. She is a businesswoman who has organically grown her clientele, and that is so admirable to me. I would also say her character is admirable: She is always in high spirits, is never a Debbie Downer, never has a frown on her face, and when she walks in a room, she lights it up. She is just a woman I aspire to be like.

What advice can you give working parents?

Understand that it is hard. Understand that you are going to make decisions, and sometimes the first decision isn’t going to be the right one. But it’s always about learning from our mistakes.

What is the best advice  another parent gave you?
The best advice I have received is to take it one day at a time, not to worry so much and not to stress about the little things.

How do you manage your career and family life?

This is the one question that I continue updating my answer to. It’s always something that I have to keep adjusting and keep changing to make things easier on my family and myself. It’s about making sure that I am 100 percent fair with my family when it’s their time. But as an entrepreneur, we don’t get a whole day off. So, I will schedule an hour a day when my son is sleeping to work. I will make appointments or reply to emails or voicemails or whatever that looks like. It’s about being disciplined and keeping that work to an hour. The days that I should be with my family should be specifically for my family.

How do you de-stress?

The gym has done a lot for me. Being able to just go in there and be completely focused on something that is not work or family related is so important. Fitness is an area where I can solely focus on one thing that doesn’t require my brain to work so hard. I am using my body and I am detoxing my body for an hour or two a few days a week, and that is the most beneficial for de-stressing.

What’s next for you?

I want to expand and possibly open up a second lash studio somewhere. But my biggest goal is to cater to the women who have been continuously asking for classes on how to do their makeup and who want something besides a YouTube tutorial. YouTube shows a dramatic way of doing makeup that often doesn’t work in the professional world. Offline, there are not a lot of outlets where a professional everyday woman can go to learn how to do makeup herself. There are plenty of places where she can get it done but none that will educate her. I am very interested in teaching and education, that’s my love, and I would love to share that with other people. I want to create a curriculum online and have an on-site course/class where an everyday woman can learn the basics for herself.

About Adranisha Stephens

When Adranisha Stephens isn’t chasing down a story, she is traveling, blogging, photographing or spending time with family and friends. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Frostburg State University and a master’s degree in journalism/digital storytelling from American University.

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