Caroline Hirons has long been my go-to for beauty advice for many years now and having the opportunity to hear her speak at Stylist Live was just fantastic. Some people may get excited to see One Direction – for me; it’s Caroline Hirons 🙂 So today I thought I would share why I am such a fan and also some of the tips and tricks that she shared on the day with us as well.
So let’s start with who Caroline Hirons is if you are not familiar. Caroline is one of the original beauty bloggers and started her blog back 6 years ago and I think helped shaped the blogosphere into what it is now. Her blog is at it’s very core about beauty and she REALLY knows her stuff. Caroline is qualified in qualified in CIBTAC (Aesthetics) and then went on to post-graduate courses through Sally Durant and in France. She’s the real deal.
How she actually started, I found quite funny. Back in April 2010 she was on Twitter and kept seeing people giving out bad advice on skincare. Back then the talks on Twitter were more makeup focused and not on skincare. There were a lot of sharing offers for different wipes… something that Caroline doesn’t particularly like 🙂 So she started her blog after a nudge from some friends.
And I couldn’t talk about Caroline without mentioning her YouTube channel. I love her straight talking style, and she is not afraid to speak exactly what she is speaking. I think that is one of the reasons why I still follow her now all these years later – as the world appears to get more and more PC – she has remained someone who you can trust to say exactly what she thinks – she stays true to being honest with her followers which I admire. Another testament that stands to her on this point – she doesn’t do paid sponsored posts at all anymore. To her money doesn’t talk. What she says on her blog is what she truly thinks. She felt that if she did sponsored editorials then perhaps her readers would begin to distrust her. She will only go for brands that she likes or works with already.
A running theme throughout her talk was the confusion that people felt then and still feel now with regards skincare. I know for one I am still confused on so many aspects of my skincare routine (or often a slight lack of one!). Caroline believes that it suits brands to keep you confused – when you walk in it can be overwhelming, and you will end up walking out with everyone from that one brand. Her blog was an avenue to help people be less confused and to interact more with people – give them access to sound advice.
I got the chance to meet and talk to her after her talk and I had specific skin concerns – I thought I would share her advice for my early 30’s skin – my skin is normal – not overly dry or oily;
- What SPF should I use? I find that sometime’s it can give a cast and not sit well under make up. Caroline advised using the SPF Anthelios on a daily basis. I was happy to hear this recommendation as I do love the La Roche-Posay brand. It is also easily purchased as stocked in my local Boots.
- How can I treat my fine lines? Caroline recommended using a night cream with Vitamin A to help my skin.
And here are some skin care snippets from her talk….
On Buying Skincare – where to spend your money… In general if you have the money spend more on a cleanser rather than a moisturiser. You need to balance where you spend your money
Difference between moisturiser and a serum?… A serum is like the clothes underneath your jacket. A moisturiser is that jacket to help protect you against the elements. This is hands down the best way I have had this explained to me.
How important is cleansing in the morning?… You know the glow in the morning…. well hello sweat 😛 This has just hilarious but in true Caroline style- to the point. Yes you certainly do need to wash / cleanse your face in the morning. It removes the dead skin cells and sweat from the previous night.
Do I need to warm my products before using?… No is her simple answer. Place your product in the centre of your palm and then quickly swipe in one movement to spread it out – then use it! Otherwise you are just using the product on your hands. The same goes for your facialist – she does not need to spend 1-2 minutes warming up your product.
Wipes are cool yes??… 🙂 Anyone who knows Caroline knows her dislike of wipes 🙂 As she points out they are not faster. A quick cleanser is faster and better for your skin than dragging at it – and 5 minutes later is your skin really clean?? Caroline firmly believes that they are for “fannies, festivals or flights” 🙂
Can I use cheap skincare?… Of course you can physcially use cheap skincare but in general they will have less active ingredients according to Caroline. She herself would not use skincare under £10. Her skincare normally costs between £40-£150. As much as she wouldn’t pay less than £10 – you also won’t see her spending £800 on a face-cream!
On Facials… A facial should be a workout for your face – it is not for someone just to gently massage your face. Caroline believes in using strong hands – your skin is not THAT delicate! You should not be left on your own for half your facial – your therapist is there to work on your face not take a tea break.
Where should I go for a facial?… According to Caroline – go by word of mouth. Ask your friends. And she does not reccomend going to a brand counter as they will use only their products which she believes may not always be best for your skin. An independent facialist will address your individual skin concerns and issues and will be less loyal to one brand.
Also on a side note… Caroline is now actually doing facials. She is doing it in the Teresa Tarmey’s clinic and I have added my name to the very, very long wait list. You can read more about it here. Caroline believes in no faff – and I really hope I get to have a facial from her.
What does she think that we need to start thinking about?…
- Using acids in your skin care regime. Now honestly this scared me a little but after listening to her slightly less so – and I have purchased the Nip Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads to start using.
- Vitamins in your skincare – specifically Vitamin D. I already use this in a serum but it was good to hear!
- Stop using products with mineral oil based products. They are not good for your skin according to Caroline.
- Don’t blast hot water on your face in the shower. She recommends facing away from the water and not in your face – very hot water can lead to broken capillaries.
- If you wear makeup – you should double cleanse in the evening. (1) Cleanse one – takes your makeup off (2) Cleanse two cleans your skin.
- For older skin – use Retinol.
And finally – Caroline’s top blogging tip… Do not look at what everyone else and what they are doing. If you keep looking at what everyone else is doing then how will you see you?
If you are starting out in skincare or wanting to improve Caroline does ‘cheat sheets‘, these are fantastic and I still go to them! And if you would like to meet Caroline in person – check out the details of her upcoming tour. You can of course follow Caroline on her website, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter 🙂 Sigh… such a total fangirl day 🙂
