This past weekend beauty guru Joey Maalouf was a hot item at Dallas Galleria’s Beauty Live event and rightfully so as he’s one of Hollywood’s hottest stylists! When Joey’s not busy being go-to stylist and BFF to Rachel Zoe, he’s in high demand to help get celebs red carpet ready and has first-hand knowledge of the latest beauty buzz. So as Savvy Texas Magazine’s Beauty Editor, I was thrilled to sit down with him and pick his brain on a bevy of hair and beauty topics, including Rachel Zoe’s infamous, signature waves. Here’s our beauty-packed Q&A:
Crows’ Feet, Cupcakes, and Cellulite: Joey, your job is a dream job! How did you first get into hair and makeup?
Joey Maalouf: I grew up in a household of hair and makeup. It ran in my family. My dad’s youngest brother was a hair stylist and my mom’s sister owned a barbershop. And my three older brothers are all in the industry. My first childhood memory is of my brothers dressing my younger sister up and playing photo shoot (laughs)!
CCC: And you immediately knew then it was your calling?
JM: I just think it [his profession] chose me. I remember the first time I did someone’s makeup. I was fifteen years old and I was like ‘oh, this is it!’ It was the beginning of my career.
CCC: So what’s a typical “day in the life” of Joey Maalouf? I envision non-stop glamour and cutting-edge beauty and fashion. Details, please!
JM: It’s normal to me so it’s funny that you say that (he laughs), but definitely my whole life revolves around hair and makeup and clothes, celebrated people and red carpet events. It’s fun and feels totally natural.
CCC: Sort of like an off-duty doctor constantly gets asked for medical advice, do you get hit up all the time for hair and makeup expertise?
JM: For sure (laughs)!
CCC: Ok, I’m going to try to restrain myself from asking what you think about my hair!
JM: It’s like, people say to me ‘I just got my haircut…what do you think of it’ and then I’m like ‘ummm, let me go get my scissors.’ And then I’m hacking away at their hair.
CCC: Regardless of age, what’s the biggest makeup mistake women make?
JM: When they look at a photograph they love, they don’t take it as an inspiration, they take it literal. So if you want a crazy cat-eye, like the Burberry ad, which is on a ten-year-old model, that look can actually look amazing on you, you just have to tweak it to make it work for your face, your hair color, and eye color. You definitely have to wear makeup with confidence and I think a person should wear nothing if they don’t know what they’re doing versus going over-board and doing too much. Edit everything down! So, wear four pounds of mascara but nothing else and you’ll look amazing.
CCC: Any other makeup or hair don’ts we gals need to stop committing?
JM: I don’t really like don’ts because I think anything can look good on anyone; it’s just a matter of tweaking it to make it work for you. But the major don’ts are: 1) Never have bad skin. 2) Never have chapped lips. I’m obsessed with healthy skin!
CCC Let’s talk hair! What are your favorite hair trends right now?
JM: I love a really tight, slicked-back ponytail. It’s humidity-proof and I think there’s something really glamorous and effortless about it because if you throw on a red lip with it you could put a gown on and look dressed up. And if you wear a leather jacket and some cut-off shorts, you could still look amazing going to the grocery store. So, think about wearing a slicked-back pony to work with your normal work clothes. And then when you get home and only have 10 minutes to get ready, what do you do? You put your dressier clothes on, you tease the ponytail and then you wrap it around and stick three pins in it and then you have an updo. The work’s all done!
CCC: Okay, seriously…what’s the real secret to Rachel Zoe’s gorgeous waves? Can us mere mortals get those waves?
JM: Anyone can have them! Any hair texture. If you have straight hair, sleep with your hair wet in pig-tailed braids, so when you wake up you have a perfect wave. And then just break it up with a curling iron by taking sections of hair and wrapping it around the iron. (And you only need to take three or four pieces on each side as well as the front pieces). When you have naturally wavy hair, I always love to keep the top straight (whether you want to blow dry that part straight or when you’re sleeping use a scarf to wrap the top part), keeping the middle wavy. Then take a flatiron to the ends of it.
CCC: Favorite hair product every gal should have/try?
JM: Sea Salt spray is amazing for wavy hair. What I love about it is I love wavy hair to be matte and straight hair to be extremely shiny. So, I think Sea Salt spray is amazing for body and holding the shape of a wave. I would say that my all-time favorite hair product is L’Oreal Paris Elnett Hairspray. The more you spray, the more hold you get, the less you spray, the more movement you get. You can do so much with it. It’s the only product I think I can’t live without.
CCC: All right, what hair product would you recommend for Texans trying to combat crazy humidity?
JM: I definitely think that you should use a heat-protectant shine spray and put it on when your hair’s wet. Because then when you’re blow-drying your hair, it seals it in, as opposed to putting it on last…then it doesn’t really soak in. When you’re blow drying and your hair is damp, that dampness is moving the product around when you’re brushing it and it really seals it in.
CCC: Any new makeup products you’re totally loving?
JM: Ummm, yes! If you ever came to my apartment, it’s like a makeup store! My new latest obsession is a metallic colored liquid eyeliner! I think it’s so subtle. Make Up For Ever makes the most amazing liners and they’re waterproof, so they don’t move. And just do a little line along the lash line. It could even be a bright turquoise. It looks fresh and modern without being overboard.
CCC: What’s your top beauty must?
JM: Face oil is really important and most people don’t know about it. I use it everyday. Face oil actually moisturizes the skin. Rodin makes a good face oil.
CCC: Okay, face oil! Even for people who worry about acne?
JM: 100%! I think people get acne because their skin is actually dry and they are trying to get rid of the acne by drying it even more and in reality you need to be putting more moisture into your skin. You can use face oil in conjunction with your daily moisturizer or even alternate between the two. Face oil moisturizes your skin and your daily moisturizer actually locks in the moisture that you already have in your skin.
CCC: Any other beauty tips?
JM: DON’T over-tweeze your eyebrows!
CCC: Besides Rachel’s blog what are some of your fave beauty and fashion blogs?
JM: The Zoe Report is definitely my favorite and now we have the Zoe Beautiful and Accesszoeries sections! I also love StyleCaster. I’m a contributing writer for them. They’re really a fun fashion blog.
CCC: What makeup and hair trends can we expect to see this spring?
JM: I love pastel eye shadows right now and a pastel cheek, in a light lavender or baby-pink tone. Especially when you have paler skin. For hair, there’s a lot of slicked-back hair, whether it’s in a ponytail or down. Straight hair is making its way back in too. So we’re seeing less of a messy wave.
CCC: What new projects can we expect from you? Any books or hair product lines on the horizon?
JM: Oh my gosh, I’m totally going to do everything! All of the above. And the way my life works, they’ll probably all launch at the same time!
