Well, we've reached our last lesson in our Words of Wisdom series inspired by Esteé Lauder's Drops of Advice campaign. For our final bit of guidance from a stylist, designer, or R29 staffer, we turn to our own Beauty Editor, Megan McIntyre. Now, playing with cosmetics and whipping up beauty tips may sound like fun, but it can also be a stressful, challenging job – one that this makeup master handles with a little advice from a surprising source.
Megan McIntyre, Senior Beauty Editor, Refinery29
"Sometimes, the best advice can come from the most unexpected of places. My 13-year-old sister, Cedar, has always been precocious and scarily observant for her age. After watching me have a minor meltdown over a work project that was not going as planned, she looked at me and simply said, 'Is it really that important? You need to stop taking everything so seriously.' Of course at the time, I couldn't take her advice for what it was worth, but as I stepped back and thought about what she had said, I realized it was true. We often treat things like they are life or death situations, instead of keeping a leveled head and approaching them rationally. Cedar's advice helped me put things into perspective, so I don't have these exhausting freak-outs when things don't go according to the plan. This has been especially helpful to me in the midst of wedding planning, because as every bride will tell you, nothing ever happens how it should. Taking a moment to really remember what's important — friends, family, and my sanity — has led to a much happier, healthier me. Brilliant advice from a pre-teen — who knew?"
Photos: Photographed by Erin Yamagata, Courtesy of Megan McIntyre