How DID this mother-of-four become one of beauty’s most powerful WOMEN?
She’s 49 and no skinny minnie, yet Caroline Hirons’ blog is loved by millions — and can make or break a product
head asking: ‘I have a wealth of experience, I’m good at what I do, so why am I an employee?’
The first step towards creating her empire came in April 2010 with the launch of her blog. She was 40, married, her youngest children were just eight and three. She started to blog in her spare time while still working as a consultant.
Little did she realise the monster she would create. ‘It was a bit of fun,’ she says. ‘I never thought it would become a career. I wasn’t in the least bit techie either, but six months later it became clear what I was writing was resonating with readers.
‘My biggest following is among the 34 to 65-year-old age group. They like that I speak to them plainly and hold their hand through the process.’
Visitors to her blog will know it’s a mixture of the fun and informative, with reviews, how-to guides, special offers and videos. The one thing Caroline is deadly serious about is total transparency when it comes to endorsements.
‘You’ll never see me trying to hide an advert. I will do a paid partnership, but I am upfront about it. For example, The Body Shop may ask me to talk about their new range, so I will do that and get paid for it. But what I won’t ever do is guarantee I’ll love their products.
‘You can’t buy my praise. I also won’t ever agree to delete my follower’s negative comments about a product.’
Does she ever get offered bribes, I wonder? ‘I know dodgy business goes on, but I think people know me well enough not to try now. I do some consultancy work and I’ve fired some brands because they’ve assumed hiring me as a consultant will get them access to my blog. Not so.’
Caroline’s blog draws followers from across the globe.
‘Women here feel strangely guilty about spending money on skincare,’ she says. ‘They’ll covet a Tom Ford lipstick (€50), but gasp in horror if I recommend a €40 moisturiser.
‘Parisian women are a breed apart. Other French women are pretty normal, but the Parisians will spend a fortune. But they also smoke, drink and don’t eat.
‘New York women want all the treatments going and love European therapists. I’ve noticed a move towards hands-on facials and away from the high-tech machines.’
And on that note she’s off again. ‘This machine will blast oxygen into your skin,’ she mocks in her best Upper East Side accent. ‘No it won’t. That literally can’t happen. Shut up!’
Her third biggest following comes from American women, who love her straight talking. It’s this feisty bravado that she also brings to her YouTube videos which, to date, have garnered 13 million views.
‘I came really late to YouTube, not until 2014,’ she says. ‘On my very first video my son came home and I screamed at him to shut up. I uploaded it anyway and people really identified with me. I’m older, I look like them. I’ve got kids who drive me mad.’
The extra 470,000 followers Caroline now attracts via YouTube, Instagram and Twitter means Caroline gets recognised wherever she goes. She can’t shop for make-up in Boots or department stores now as a quick trip for a lippy can become an hour-long marathon of selfies.
At her meet-and-greets the women couldn’t be more frenzied or excited if they were meeting George Clooney. At a Dublin event last year she managed to upstage society girl Millie Mackiintosh who was making a personal appearance the same day.
‘As I arrived this woman rushed over with a walkie-talkie to usher me off the floor,’ she says.
‘At first I thought she was angry because I hadn’t used the staff entrance, but she told me it was for security reasons. They’d put out 120 seats and 950 people had turned up.’
So what is it that women want from Caroline when they see her? ‘A selfie, especially the younger ones,’ she says.
‘But people want advice too. They’ll ask me about their rosacea or under eye bags.
‘Some of them will have a cry, too. I have to go “full mother” sometimes. I’ll say to someone with acne: “Look, nothing you buy over the counter is going to help you. Save your money and spend £200 on an appointment with a dermatologist.” I love that I can give people more confidence.’
TODAY the Caroline Hirons empire is a family affair. Husband Jim, 55, a musician, is listed as a company director, but is hands-off with the business.
Her two eldest sons Ben, 27, and Daniel, 24, work for her fulltime. She lives in west London with youngest son Max, 14, who has already told her he intends to be head of IT, while daughter Ava, 16, is at beauty college.
Beauty blogging has earned Caroline a comfortable lifestyle, although she insists she’s not in the league of the big hitters.
‘There are bloggers like Chiara Ferragni who got in early and now have multi-million dollar businesses. That would be nice . . .’
While she isn’t raking in millions, Caroline is still doing nicely and has come a long way from her shop girl days. Her company records show her earnings shot up last year with profits in the region of €200,000.
‘My success has meant I don’t stress as much. Neither my husband nor I come from money and it has taken some serious graft to get here.’
With her earthy attitude it’s easy to understand why Californians will flock to meet this bold, British woman, who isn’t fazed about hitting her half century.
‘Well, I don’t love that I’m getting saggier, but what can I do about it?’
Botox? Fillers? A facelift? ‘I couldn’t have Botox. I spend my life rolling my eyes and raising my eyebrows in exasperation,’ she laughs. ‘I wouldn’t have a facelift either. I did get my eyes done though — blepharoplasty — I’ve always been up front about that. I had terrible sagging on my lids, so bad it was starting to impact on my vision so I had them sorted out. ‘But, look, I’ve got a 27-year-old son, I can hardly start pretending I’m 30 can I? I’d look stupid!’ One of the most influential beauty bloggers, followed and worshipped by millions of grateful women? I don’t think anyone could accuse Caroline of being stupid.