Meet Fearless Female Victoria O'Brien. Entrepreneur, mother of three, wife and an Irish beauty who is making her dreams come true. Victoria opened Maud's in June of 2015. Located in Beverly Hills next to West Hollywood on Doheny, you will find a welcomed and much needed boutique that provides you with Luxurious Lashes, Waxing and Manicures. If you're lusting after long lashes, make your appointment at Maud's and treat yourself to a little glam.
Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Victoria left for London at 20 years old. She then headed to England, Australia, Dubai, London and last stop was Qatar. Fulfilling her love for travel, all along she never lost sight of where she wanted to live and begin her business. For 23 years, Victoria’ would say, “I want to live and work in Los Angeles by the time I am forty years old”. Well, guess who landed in Los Angeles with her husband, three kids and began her business by forty… A mantra that surly paid off. Inspired and genuinely motivated by her glamours grandmother Maud, Victoria was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop her. She also wanted to create a work environment that allowed her to be available for her family and be the ‘mum’ she wanted to be for her three young kids. Victoria had a vision, a dream, and a desire. Having that strong of will allowed Victoria to travel, marry, start a family and in perfect time, those dreams turned into reality. Everyday Victoria can walk through the door of her salon, glance up, and give thanks to the inspiration behind the dream.. Her grandmother Maud.
Victoria and her family in Los Angeles. Her motivational team...
Before smart phones and social media, we went to the salon to relax and enjoy our beauty treatments. When you enter Maud's front door you're instantly brought back to when life was quite and simple. Lashes, Nails, Eyebrows...Its a lovely setting to pamper yourself and give your device a rest.
Treatment rooms are restful and comforting. It was nice to sneak in a little nap while Jennifer applied my lashes.
Why not book your treatment for perfectly manicured nails and enjoy a cup of coffee or a spot of tea.
Relax, and unwind in a quiet bungalow setting while Jennifer works her magic. You can also have your brows perfectly sculpted.
Maud's uses Xtreme Lashes. Each Xtreme Eyelash Extension is individually applied to a single eyelash, resulting in a gorgeous, natural appearance.
With routine touchups every two to four weeks, you can have amazing eyelashes indefinitely. I have a small face and petit features, so Jennifer trimmed my lashes after the final application.
I do love the look of more lashes. When I wake up I don’t look as tired, I’m a little more bright eyed. I throw on my tinted moisturizer, a little blush, gloss and go. If I’m going out for dinner I add liner and shadow. You can go for length or density, or both. You don’t have to live a big lash life to have lashes. Thank you Jennifer!
If you live locally be sure and take a moment to check out Maud's. Located at 624 North Doheny Drive, Los Angeles / 310-777-8813. I really love the feeling of Maud's, It's so refreshing to be in an environment that makes you feel at home.
While walking my dog last year, I noticed there was a new business going in. I watched the construction on Maud’s for several months and wondered what was about to open in our neighborhood. I popped my head in the door and was told an eyelash & manicure salon was about to open. I was thrilled! It looked quaint, sweet and within walking distance...Fantastic! When Maud’s opened, I went and introduced myself to Victoria and welcomed her to the neighborhood. After our chat, I admired her story and knew she would be an inspiration to any female who wanted to move here or anywhere and begin her own business, and who was also turning 40. Lucky me that she is right in my hood, and serves delicious tea and coffee, with a beautiful Irish accent. I’m grateful that I have connected with Victoria. Fearless…Yes, Inspirational… Yes…Victorious…Yes…That’s Victoria.
Me: As an entrepreneur, what are some challenges you have faced in the beginning stages, and how did you overcome them?
Victoria: One of the challenges for me at the beginning was managing the creation of the Maud's brand, the salon remodel and the grand opening of the salon all while juggling the school commitments and after school activities for my three children. They were all under seven years old and my husband was still working in the Middle East, so it was pretty insane!!
Me: Briefly describe a day in your life as an entrepreneur. From the time you wake up -
Victoria: I think I fit into fearless female better than an entrepreneur. Not too much scares me which scares a lot of people around me haha, mainly my husband and my parents! My day starts at 6 am with a strong cup of English breakfast tea. I've recently begun to set aside Ten minutes in the morning to pray / meditate. I'm then straight into mum mode; preparing schools lunches, breakfast and getting everyone's clothes laid out and ready for the day. At 8 am it's off to school we go and after drop off I try and squeeze in a workout. Occasionally I will have an early meeting, but I like to schedule them mid morning. I'm a nicer person when I can workout! I workout at Happy Hour Gym which is next door to Maud's so I shower there and go straight to work. I'm usually at the salon until noon, and when I pick my son up mummy kicks in again. I'm not an esthetician, so the salon doesn't need me every minute of the day and it works out great. My behind the scenes work happens from my home office. On busy days, I will arrange Childcare and make sure I am at the salon all day. We have an excellent client base already, and I love being there for them and seeing their 'before and after' transformations. I'm also told I make great coffee. It's Nespresso, so I'm not sure I can take the credit!
Me: What or who motivates you in your job and your personal life?
Victoria: A lot of things motivate me in different areas of my life. LA motivates me. Just being here, waking up to it every day. I have wanted to live and breath LA for 23 years and I'm thankful for every minute. My children motivate me to make my business a success. I want them to see what you can do if you want it badly enough. My grandmother Maud motivates me. She loves what I have created here, and she gets such a thrill to see her name up there on the awning. The irony of it all is that she disliked her name. She preferred to be called Maureen, she did not like the sound of Maud. I was then given Maud as one of my middle names and I too disliked it. She and I have both come full circle, and we love it! There was never a doubt in my mind that the salon would be called Maud's. No other name entered into the equation.
Me: What are your three favorite beauty or clothing products you just can’t live without?
Victoria: Easy - my Xtreme lash extensions, my eyeliner (which is also the Xtreme brand) and my Nikes!
Me: How do you continue to come up with ideas for growing your business?
Victoria: The concept of Maud's is deliberately simple. We are not trying to be everything to everyone. Instead, we focus on three lines; eyelashes/brows, waxing and nails and we do it very well. Regarding growth, the strategy is simple - establish -perform and grow. We are in the performing stage with growth bubbling under the surface now. Like any successful business, it's about getting every fine detail perfect first rather than trying to grow too fast and risk mistakes. Maud's is a long term business, so we bide out time …A valuable lesson from my grandmother....
* The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. Audrey Hepburn