September 16, 2019

Meet Anne Oliver of House of M Beauty in Anaheim

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Oliver.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
During my pregnancy, I stopped using skincare and makeup products because I was worried certain ingredients would affect my unborn son. The only thing I used was baby lotion to moisturize my skin. After giving birth, I went back to my normal skincare routine but quickly saw that my skin was very sensitive and couldn’t tolerate anything topical. Whatever I put on would give a burning sensation and make my skin red, and then I would have to rinse it off right away.

I spent the next couple months trying new products in hope that it was gentle enough for my sensitive skin while also simultaneously being strong enough to fix the hyperpigmentation on my face that came as a result of the hormone changes from my pregnancy. I spent tons of money on many products, but nothing worked for me, and I reverted back to using organic baby lotion.

During that time, I was also struggling with postpartum depression and was recommended to be put on medication. However, I wanted to avoid this as I wanted to keep breastfeeding my son, so I sought out natural alternatives to help me cope with my depression. After some research, I found out about saffron, which was known to be a mood enhancer. I started to use it to help with my depression, but then over time, I also saw how saffron actually really helped my skin. My skin started to clear up and look better than it had in months.

Upon more research and further incorporating more saffron into my diet and skincare regimen to help with my mood, I found that saffron delivered antioxidant benefits to the skin, which made my skin become more radiant, brightening my complexion, fading blemishes and improving my skin texture. It was really a miracle worker.

Despite not having used skincare in a while, I have always been a skincare enthusiast, especially devoted to products with clean & natural ingredients. I want to bring saffron into mainstream skincare, so I developed my first product, the Exotic Botanical Miracle Serum. This serum, which is infused with saffron, works to be an all-in-one skin savior, addressing a wide number of skin concerns from uneven skin to reducing wrinkles. It truly is a product that addresses every skin concern you can think of, which shows how versatile and valuable the saffron ingredient is.

Has it been a smooth road?
My postpartum depression was a really dark time in my life for me. Sometimes reliving it is very difficult as I share my story – it is after all a part of the journey of how I started House of M. But I then remember that if I hadn’t experienced this hardship, House of M may not exist today. And for that, I’m grateful.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the House of M Beauty story. Tell us more about the business.
As the beauty industry broadens, I noticed a gap in the market for unique ingredients that are natural and have been known to be used in ancient skincare rituals, saffron being one of them. By utilizing these ingredients such as this, we hope to breathe life and raise awareness around these noteworthy ingredients and provide insight on how these can positively transform skin without having to succumb to possibly toxic formulas. When I used saffron to cure my depression, I tested out more than 50 brands of saffron on the market to find the best quality one, so I’m happy to infuse the same premium grade saffron into our skincare formulas.

My team and I like to think of ourselves as skincare artisans at House of M, crafting our products from carefully selected ingredients that have the utmost highest quality, and serve a specific purpose. We really pride ourselves on our dedication to using ingredients that are not fillers, preservatives, or encompass any other toxicities, which is why we only use natural ingredients to remain toxic-free. We curate and hand-pick ingredients that have multiple concentrated actives, and each ingredient all work cohesively to target and remedy a variety of skin concerns. As we craft each product, we strive to maintain luxury quality for everyone, yet avoid the eye-watering markup that some skincare brands implement for a luxury product.

I know that clean skincare is everywhere now, and the market can seem quite saturated, but the lab I work with and I have truly worked hard to make these formulas 100% clean.

How do you, personally, define success? What’s your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
At the end of the day, I just wanted to make something that I, my family, and my friends can use. The products I create are meant to seamlessly work without all the other unnecessary and potentially toxic ingredients that are not meant to be in a skincare formula in the first place.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
We started out in our Vietnamese community in Southern California and other parts of the US, and because of all our Vietnamese American customers and distributors, we were able to grow so much in such a short amount of time. My husband has always been there and supports me so much throughout this time and my son is always my endless motivation. 🙂

And finally, one of my friends, Victor, has been there since day one and works with me on photoshoots, connecting me with the right people, and giving me advice.

Pricing:

House of M Exotic Miracle Botanical Serum: $70.00
House of M Hydrate & Glow Jelly Mask: $8.00 for one sheet

Contact Info:

Website: www.houseofmbeauty.com

Image Credit:
Huy Khiem Photography

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