What advice would you give your 23 year old self?

Plenty can happen in 23 years; and for MV Founder & CEO Sharon McGlinchey, it’s been just that. Over two decades filled with highs & lows, the celebration of MV’s 23rd birthday has allowed for immense reflection. MV as a brand has witnessed many changes and evolutions since its inception, however the cherished relationships we hold with our MV advocates and devotees is something that has remained consistent, and incredibly valued all this time.

In today’s society, it’s so easy to get caught up in the fast-paced, on-the-go hustle of life and before you know it - decades have gone by! We strongly encourage taking time to reflect, slow down and reminisce on your past as it is in these moments that we are able to truly identity the things we value and cherish most in life; the important things.

We took the opportunity to ask some of our much loved and admired MV fans to reflect, reminisce and ask themselves just what advice they would give their 23-year-old self. Here's what they said!

You're staring into the eyes of your 23-year-old self. What advice would you give?

Sharon McGlinchey

"What anyone else thinks about you is none of your business."

"Take as many small opportunities as you can throughout the day to be still and alone with your thoughts - even if it's while you're sitting on the loo!!"

"Whatever you do, don't over-think things; use and trust your intuition more."

Sharon has always been a bold truth-talker, which is just one of the many things we love about her. Setbacks, rejections and hardships have never been enough for her to give up on what she believes in and instead, has fuelled the fire in her belly even more. The three pieces of advice she’d give her 23 year-old-self undoubtably backs this up & speaks volumes.

Poppy Delevingne

“I would have more faith in the healing and nurturing properties of natural skincare products like MV.”

Self-proclaimed beauty junkie Poppy Delevingne, has trialled out her fair share of skincare brands, yet forever finds herself coming back to MV, particularly her favourite product – our Rose Hydrating Mist.

Poppy’s introduction to MV and long-term relationship with Sharon was established in London in 2010, when Sharon gave Poppy a late-night facial - that was, the first of many! We think she's giving out some pretty good advice!

Dotti MUA

"Your words and energy are powerful and loving embrace, to yourself and those you meet."

It’s no surprise that Sharon & Dotti – the one-named makeup artist widely known for her organic ethos and vegan sensibilities - hit it off when first connecting in 2003 at Sharon’s first holistic skin clinic in Double Bay. Dotti would send young models who had problematic skin to Sharon as she knew her treatment approach and MV products were nurturing and non-aggressive.

Dotti quickly fell in love with MV, so much so that when relocating to New York, asked if Sharon would send MV to the US so she could have a constant supply for her professional make up kit for her clients and herself. Her favourites in the kit being the Instant Revival Booster, 9 Oil Radiance Tonic, 9 Oil Cleansing Tonic, Aromatic Body Oil and Rose Hydrating Mist. Sharon did, and not long after, was sending MV to the likes of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Watson.

Val Garland

"You don’t learn if you don’t fail, life is a journey otherwise it would just be so dull, so make the seemingly wrong, but right mistakes".

London based make-up artist Val Garland, was introduced to Sharon via Dotti in 2014, whilst they were working on big fashion shows across major cities like Paris, Milan, London & New York. Val had a stint living in Sydney in the 80s and worked alongside Lloyd Lomas – a famous hairdresser – who just happened to be the first person to cut and streak Sharon’s hair when she first arrived in Sydney!

Since then, Val developed a love for Australia and was more than happy to try MV. It wasn’t long before she fell in love with the Oil Boosters, particularly the Rose Plus. She’s also a big fan of the Rose Hydrating Mist and Rose Moisturiser, and states the same love is felt by her clients who often comment on the beautiful aromas and how good the products make them feel, "With MV you get beautiful skin texture and a wonderful glow instantly."

Melissa Hemsley

“If it comes let it come, if it goes let it go!"

Author of two bestselling cookbooks and a champion for wholefoods, Melissa Hemsley is best known for her London based Hemsley + Hemsley Café alongside sister Jasmine.

Sharing the passion for holistic health and strongly identifying the relationship between food choices and skin health, Sharon and Melissa have developed a tight-knit friendship over the years after initially meeting in 2017. Basking in the magic of Sharon’s treatments many a times, Melissa states her facial was totally relaxing, leaving her with such happy skin.

After all these years, her favourite MV product remains the Rose Plus Booster. “It smells like heaven and just applying a few drops to my skin feels like it’s moisturising my skin so deeply”. I love wearing it at night and throughout the day on no-make-up days”, Melissa states.

Chris - Beautysaur

“Go even crazier and never look back"

We’re honoured to have such a long-standing relationship with the incredible team at Beautysaur and to have them as one of our stockists, sharing such similar passion & values. With a goal of injecting “slowness” back to our lives and promoting the true beauty of our mother nature, Beautysaur is on a mission to diminish the “fast food” trend in beauty in Hong Kong.

Kayla - One Fine Secret

"Be clear about who you are and what you value."

"Don’t be impatient about getting somewhere. Embrace the present. Life will unfold for you at the right time."

"Be kinder to yourself. Take comfort that you’re doing the best you can."

On a quest to spread wellness, happiness, kindness and connection throughout the world, Kayla & John, co-founders of One Fine Secret are exactly our type of humans and so - we are honoured to have them as a MV fans & stockists. Kayla states that living true to her passions has always been her guiding principle – much like Sharon. The team at One Fine Secret pride themselves on introducing their customers to inspirational brands that meet their self-imposed strictest healthy ingredient, ethical and performance standards - so it’s safe to say MV feels right at home there!

In summary, Steve Jobs famously said, “You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards”, so, whatever comes up for you when reflecting and reminiscing on the advice you'd give your younger self, whether good or bad - trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
Here’s to the next 23!

Xo