The badass women issue

THE INFLUENCER

82 InSTYLE FEBRUARY 2019

WHEN SHE WAS 15, ROSZAK decided she wanted to

drop out of high school, and one of the last things she

expected was support: “I was always kind of struggling. I

didn’t feel connected to the education,” she says, crediting

her artist mother for being so open-minded. “There’s

something [about] really seeing your kids for who they are

and trying to help guide them.” After Roszak got her GED,

her mom came through again, urging her to enroll in the

beauty school across the street from their home in L.A.’s

Laurel Canyon. “It wasn’t fancy,” she recalls. “They were

k ind of teach ing us a s i f it were sti l l 1965. It wa s li ke, ‘ You’re

going to do a roller set and finger wave—who cares about

trying to be cool?’ I think I tried to storm out one time.”

But mastering fundamentals paid off: Not only can Roszak set curls

like nobody’s business, she’s made it her business, as an in-demand

red-carpet stylist and a co-founder of the chic West Holly wood salon

Mare. And, much to her delight, Roszak even tended to the locks of a

’60s-era icon: “I got to do Paul McCartney’s hair recently,” she says.

“In the moment I had to be cool, but...that’s a Beatle!”

Roszak’s first brush with celebrity came circa 2003, following her

graduation from beauty school. “I got a call from a family friend, a pub-

licist [who worked with] Sarah Michelle Gellar, asking if I could do her

hair. I had no idea what I was doing.” She went on to style Gellar for an

overseas press tour, eventually making connections and collaborating

with stars like Zoë Saldana and Emma Stone. But her creativity

was fully on display while she was working with Cara Delevingne

for the Vale r ia n press tour in 2017. Using stencils, washable paints,

and foil, Roszak adorned Delevingne’s crop through its growing-

out stages after the model-actress shaved her head for a role.

Fifteen years into her career, Roszak still approaches hair like

a sculptor: “It’s about touching, feeling, and molding it into the

shape I have a vision of,” she says. “It sounds really woo-woo and

weird, but I sort of listen to the hair.” —ANGELIQUE SERRANO

“It sounds really woo-woo and

weird, but I sort of listen to the hair.”

NOW GET HER SIGNATURE STAPLES

FOR A

SMOOTH BLOWOUT

“I love hair oil. It makes it a lot easier

and faster to do a blowout.” When it’s

humid outside, a lightweight layer of this

elixir helps keep your look sleek, she

says. “It’s one of our top sellers at Mare.”

Isle of Roses Rose Hair Oil, $65;

shopisleofroses.com.

FOR TOUSLED WAVES

You’ll always find a texturizing

spray in her kit, like this mist

from Sachajuan. Spritz it onto

dry strands for an instant

post-beach effect.

Sachajuan Ocean

Mist, $31/150 ml; david

pirrotta.com.

FOR EXTRA OOMPH

“I always have to have a

volume root spray,”

Roszak says. “I like this

Phyto one. It’s nice and dry,

not tacky or sticky.”

Phyto Phytovolume

Actif; $30/125 ml;

ulta.com.

THIS RED-CARPET HAIRSTYLIST NEVER

CREATES THE SAME MOMENT TWICE

The Art of Individuality

MARA ROSZAK ON

ROSZAK’S

FAN CLUB

BRIE

LARSON

ZOË

SALDANA

MADELINE

BREWER

Roszak^ with^

frequent^ collabora

tor

Emma^ Stone

CARA

DELEVINGNE