MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT

LIZ EARLE, MBE, 52, is co-founder of her eponymous skincare brand and editor-in-chief of Liz Earle Wellbeing magazine. She lives in the West Country with her five children and her husband, Patrick.

EVER since my grandmother bought me a Vogue beauty book for my 12th birthday, I’ve loved the world of skincare and spent my teens whizzing up cucumber face packs and rose oil treatments in my mum’s kitchen.

I always knew I wanted to work in beauty, and when I was 22 I landed my first job as a beauty writer on a glossy magazine. I was thrilled.

Through work, I met natural health therapists and nutritional researchers making the connection between what we eat and how we look and feel. I put myself on a new diet to eat foods high in nourishing Omega-3 fats — such as avocados and oily fish — and it completely transformed my skin.

One day I was putting on my makeup and I couldn’t believe the difference these miracle oils had made to my skin. Before it had been dry, with patches of painful eczema, but now it was clear, smooth and soft — that’s when my inner lightbulb shone.

I realised I had discovered some- thing completely new — that you could eat your way to great skin. I decided there and then that this was something I had to share.

I started writing my book that night. The result, Vital Oils, detailing how dietary oils can improve health and beauty, was published almost 25 years ago and broke new ground.

Almost immediately, I was offered roles on television, working with Richard & Judy on ITV, the BBC, GMTV and eventually my own show.

It was around this time that my friend from Molton Brown, Kim Buckland, approached me with the idea to start our own skincare company.

In 1995, we launched on QVC Shopping Channel and Cleanse & Polish, my plant-based creamy cleanser, was soon a huge success.

By 2010, a Cleanse & Polish was being bought every 30 seconds around the world and we made the decision to sell the brand.

I was delighted to have the time to return to the passion that originally sparked my career: writing.

Since then, I’ve had two books published and have just finished my new one, Skin, which will be out later this year.

I feel very fortunate to be doing something I feel so passionate about — sharing ways to look good and feel great from within.