Meet J O’Leary, the bright and bubbly consultant for Beautycounter, a cosmetics company that brings awareness and offers safe beauty products for everyday use. We were lucky enough to sit down and speak with the sweet and spunky J O’Leary, and learn more about herself and one of her passions: working for Beautycounter!
What’s your year and major in school? “I’m a sophomore English and Political Science double major.”
If you had to describe yourself in three words what would they be? “In all honesty: clumsy, sarcastic, and nerdy. For the purposes of this interview: passionate, ambitious, and a leader. For my instagram bio: klassy, sassy, and a bit smart-a**y.” (Follow her @JOLEARY95)
What is your biggest fear? “My biggest fear is driving. I’m such a terrible driver. I could seriously injure myself or other people anytime I get behind the wheel. But I’m working on it! Am I allowed to say that? Or will the police take away my license?”
Who’s your celebrity crush? “Well my celebrity girl crush is definitely J-Law. I really felt like we were cut from the same mold when she tripped up the stairs to receive her Oscar. I trip up the stairs outside the IPJ every day, which I guess is a little less impressive, but still. My guy celebrity crush would probably have to be Ryan Gosling, which is really cliché, but come on, it’s Ryan Gosling!”
Who’s your role model and inspiration? “My little sister. She continues to inspire me with her incredible work ethic and kind heart. She just got back from a medical mission trip in the Dominican Republic. It always makes me feel better knowing there are forces of good like her in the world.”
How are you involved at USD and outside of USD? “I am a campus tour guide, which is really fun, and I get to meet a lot of interesting people while sharing my love for USD. I am also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a writing center tutor, a consultant for Beautycounter, and if you ask me to do anything else I will probably say yes because I haven’t yet mastered the art of saying no to overbooking myself.”
What is Beautycounter? “Did you know that the European Union restricts more than 1,300 harmful and toxic chemicals from personal care products and the U.S. has banned only 11? Beautycounter is trying to change that. Beautycounter is a personal health and cosmetics company that screens and re-screens every ingredient with no animal testing, safe and environmentally conscious packaging, and uses ingredients that are naturally and organically sourced. It is their mission to still provide highly effective, beneficial products to the consumer so people can still receive positive results from their products (acne, anti-aging, etc) – just not with harmful chemicals!”
How did you get involved with Beautycounter? “I was appalled by the complete disregard for human health in our cosmetics industry. In this world there are so many things we cannot control, like the quality of the air we breathe and our genes, but we can control what we are putting on our bodies. I really got involved with Beautycounter through my mom who discovered the company a while ago. My family, like many families, has been personally touched by cancer, so when I started to learn about the lack of regulation in the personal health and cosmetics industry I was shocked. By working for Beautycounter I am able to educate people, especially women, about toxic, cancer causing chemicals found in cosmetics and make money at the same time!”
Where do you plan to take your beauty counter endeavors? “I am not really sure. I plan on continuing to work for the company while I try to start a career in the production industry, hopefully on the writing side. I have always been interested in social activism though so I am sure that I will stay heavily involved with Beautycounter and promoting the mission until regulation in the industry becomes a reality and social awareness is heightened.”
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? “Honestly, there are a lot of places I could be in five years, hence the double major! I am interested and passionate about so many things – I have always loved writing so I would love to have a job where I get to do some creative writing, particularly in the entertainment industry. Maybe in 5 years I’ll still be working for Beautycounter! I really believe in the mission behind the company and I am very passionate about civilian rights (my political science side). In 5 years, I just hope to be working somewhere that inspires and challenges me everyday.”
Have any questions or want more information on Beautycounter? Contact J on Facebook (Joan O’Leary), via email at jeanoleary@sandiego.edu, or check out https://joanoleary.beautycounter.com/Home!