What beauty's power players including LISA ELDRIDGE and CAROLINE HIRONS put on their faces to look their very best

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CAROLINE HIRONS

Launching a beauty blog in 2010 catapulted Hirons to fame. She now has millions of followers on social media, a bestselling book, Skincare: The New Edit, and her own beauty range, Skin Rocks.

I won't be seen in public until I've done shower, teeth and skincare. I'm 54 – I have to spend my time wisely! If I have to look semi-groomed, I put some JVN Complete Air Dry Cream (from £10, spacenk.com) in my hair and use DryBar's The Lemon Bar Paddle Brush (£28, uk.drybar.com) to scrape it into a bun.

I never turn off the light before I've done a second round of skincare. If I get in at 5pm, I'll do my evening beauty routine then; if I don't go to bed until midnight that's an extra seven hours for it to take effect, so I'll put on another layer of what I'm using – usually Skin Rocks Retinoid 2 (£75, skinrocks.com).

My beauty secret? When I'm travelling I put hand cream up my nose. It keeps the nasal cavity wet so it catches any bacteria. It was a tip I read in Harpers & Queen about 20 years ago and the rare times I forget, I get ill.

Launching a beauty blog in 2010 catapulted Hirons to fame. She now has millions of followers on social media, a bestselling book, Skincare: The New Edit, and her own beauty range, Skin Rocks 

They're the brains behind go-to brands that have supercharged the UK hair and skincare industry - here's how they look their best

The faces behind some of the UK's best and brightest in hair and skincare share their beauty tricks and go-to products

Skin Rocks Retinoid 2 (below, £75, skinrocks.com)

I still remember the first time I tried the Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 (£89, embassyofbeauty.co.uk) while training as a facial therapist in Paris. It was the 1970s formula you can only get in the States. (I've heard it's going to be discontinued, so I need to stock up. If I get five bottles they'll last me until I die – like vinegar, it never goes off.) It goes on, it burns, your skin goes numb, then it starts tingling again and you just think your face is melting.

skinrocks.com

LISA ELDRIDGE

Since launching her own online beauty tutorials in 2010, make-up artist Eldridge now has more than two million subscribers to her YouTube channel and almost as many followers on Instagram. In 2018, she launched her own beauty range, Lisa Eldridge, which now has concessions in both Liberty and Selfridges.

I won't be seen in public until I've curled my eyelashes and put on mascara. I love Japanese-made lash curlers by brands such as Shu Uemura and Surratt Beauty.

I never turn off the light before I've removed my make-up. I hate it coming off on the pillow. I use my own Skin Enhancing Treatment Cleanser (£43, lisaeldridge.com), which takes off everything – waterproof eye make-up, longwear foundation – in one go and moisturises as well.

My beauty secret? I've got make-up brushes that are 25 years old because after I've washed them, with Fairy Liquid and a Sigma Brush-Cleaning Glove (£31.95 for two, londonlovesbeauty.com), I rinse them in the direction of the hairs, squeeze them and use my fingers to tease them back into shape.

I still remember the first time I encountered make-up. I opened a kitchen drawer full of foundation – Estée Lauder, Revlon, Helena Rubinstein. When I asked my mum about them, she told me they were all the foundations she'd bought that were the wrong colour. We called it the foundation graveyard.

lisaeldridge.com

In 2018, she launched her own beauty range, Lisa Eldridge , which now has concessions in both Liberty and Selfridges

Lisa says she uses her own Skin Enhancing Treatment Cleanser (£43, lisaeldridge.com), which takes off everything

VANITA PARTI

The founder and CEO of Blink Brow Bar established her first outpost in Fenwick, London, in 2004. Blink now has bars across the country as well as in New York and Paris, as well as a range of brow products.

I won't be seen in public until I've put on under-eye concealer, even for the supermarket or the gym. I'll use Laura Mercier, or sometimes Bobbi Brown: two brands that have always been really good for brown skin tones.

I never turn off the light before I've used my Nourishing Brow Oil (£24, bbb-london.com) and given myself a bit of a brow massage. As a result, they're softer and glossier when I wake, and the blend of lavender and sandalwood is really relaxing.

My beauty secret? A paste of yogurt, lemon and turmeric – homemade – under the eyes for ten minutes really brightens the area. I learned it from my mother and I try to do it once a week.

I still remember the first time I bought eyeliner. I was 13 and it was the Rimmel kohl from Superdrug. I wanted to look like those Bollywood actresses, but I looked more like a panda.

bbb-london.com

Blink now has bars across the country as well as in New York and Paris. Expect a new range of brow products soon

Vanita says she never turns off the light before she's used her Nourishing Brow Oil (£24, bbb-london.com)

SARAH BOYD

She has been the UK managing director of Sephora, the French beauty giant, since it started shaking things up in the UK in 2022.

I won't be seen in public until I've brushed my teeth! I'll walk the dog in my pyjamas, but I do brush my teeth first!

I never turn off the light before I've applied a sleeping mask. I love waking up feeling as if my moisturiser has been working all night. I try a lot of different ones so have a few on rotation – Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask (£27) and Laneige Water Sleeping Mask (£26, both sephora.co.uk). I was recently in the US where I bought a sleep mask by Summer Fridays, which I hope we'll be stocking over here.

My beauty secret? I love a red lip – Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in 01 (£11, sephora.co.uk) suits every skin tone and makes you look so bright and alive, I am obsessed!

I still remember the first time I had a facial laser treatment, a few days before I had to go on a business trip. It was four or five years ago and afterwards I looked like a tomato that had been barbecued, crossed with a snake that was shedding its skin: bright red with brown lines all over my face!

sephora.co.uk

She has been the UK managing director of Sephora , the French beauty giant, since it started shaking things up in the UK in 2022

Sarah says she enjoys using the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask (£26, both sephora.co.uk) before bedtime

DIJA AYODELE

A skincare expert and aesthetician with her own London clinic, West Room Aesthetics, Ayodele is also the founder of the educational platform Black Skin Directory and author of Black Skin: The Definitive Skincare Guide.

I won't be seen in public until I've washed my face – you've got to get the sleep out of your eyes – and put on some basic moisturiser and sunscreen.

I never turn off the light before I've put lip balm on. I'll even get out of bed to apply it. Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment in Watermelon Slice (£16, rhodeskin.com) is the one I carry around with me, and Omorovicza Perfecting Lip Balm (£36, omorovicza.co.uk) is by my bed.

My beauty secret? If you like really hot showers like I do but want to protect your face, press a facial oil into your skin before you shower. I've been using Zelens Power D (from £47, zelens.com).

I still remember the first time I let my sister's best friend shape my eyebrows – they have never been the same since. It was my 16th birthday and she made them so thin – 90s thin – it's a mistake I'm still paying for 24 years later.

dijaayodele.com

Dija Ayodele is also the founder of the educational platform Black Skin Directory and author of Black Skin: The Definitive Skincare Guide

SUE FOX

She's been the president of The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland since 2021, overseeing more than 25 brands, including Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Mac and Aveda.

I won't be seen in public until I've put my mascara on – sometimes black, often brown. I'm currently trying the new Clinique High Impact High-Fi (£27, clinique.co.uk).

I never turn off the light before I've had a cup of camomile tea, played a few silly escapist games on my iPad and applied Tiger Balm (£7.99, boots.com) to my neck and shoulders. I've been using it for years. I discovered it when I was living in Singapore and it really relieves tension and loosens tight muscles.

My beauty secret? I utterly love having a real tan and, although I do wear factor 30, I also sunbathe. I've never tried fake tan because I love the feeling of the sun on my skin.

I still remember the first time I used Sun In on my hair to bleach it when I was in my teens – not a good look! Also, I thought I rocked the classic 80s big hair perm, probably at about the same time, but looking back at photos, it didn't suit me one bit. In fact, did it suit anyone?

elcompanies.co.uk

She's been the president of The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland since 2021, overseeing more than 25 brands, including Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Mac and Aveda

Sue never turns off the light until she's had a cup of camomile tea, played a few silly escapist games on her iPad and applied Tiger Balm (£7.99, boots.com) to her neck and shoulders

LAUREN BOWKER

With her background in textiles – specifically those that change colour in response to light and heat – perhaps inevitably, The Unseen Beauty – the company she founded – has created eyeshadows that look different in daylight and under a camera flash, and partnered with Schwarzkopf to create hair dye that changes colour according to the temperature.

I won't be seen in public until I've cleaned my teeth – that's non-negotiable. Although I wouldn't want a conversation with anyone until I've had a coffee – oat or soya cappuccino.

I never turn off the light before I've taken my make-up off – I cannot stand the feeling of morning-after cracked mascara and dry concealer. It all comes off with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (£10, boots.com) and a cloth.

My beauty secret? A Sudocrem (£6.49, boots.com) 'face mask', applied in a thin layer before bed and slept in, is magic. Formulated for nappy rash, it gives you skin like a baby's bum. I have been doing it for big occasions since I was about 13.

I still remember the first time I used fake tan. I was in year nine and stole my mum's St Tropez to try it on my legs. The next day my legs and palms were Oompa Loompa orange. I lied and said I had been cutting carrots! I have not touched fake tan, or bronzer, since.

theunseenbeauty.co.uk

With her background in textiles – specifically those that change colour in response to light and heat – perhaps inevitably, The Unseen Beauty – the company she founded – has partnered with Schwarzkopf

A Sudocrem (£6.49, boots.com) 'face mask', applied in a thin layer before bed and slept in, is 'magic', Lauren says

JO HANSFORD

Launching her first Jo Hansford salon in Mayfair in 1993, she has been dubbed the best tinter on the planet, with a list of celebrity clients including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Queen Camilla.

I won't be seen in public until I have put on my mascara: Lancôme's Hypnôse Drama (£29, johnlewis.com). I hope it's never discontinued – my eyelashes are so fair that I look like a ghost without it.

I never turn off the light before I've applied Dior's Crème Abricot (below, £27, selfridges.com) to my cuticles. I don't use any face or eye cream as I think skin should breathe at night, but as you get older your hands give you away.

My beauty secret? I wish someone would invent a robot toenail cutter – I'm of an age where I can hardly get down to do them. If robots can clean the carpet and cut the lawn, a robo-pedicure would be nice.

I still remember the first time I was given Bal à Versailles perfume by a wealthy client. I was about 20, just starting out at Vidal Sassoon, and I always admired hers. It was like being given the crown jewels. I've worn it ever since.

johansford.com

Launching her first Jo Hansford salon in Mayfair in 1993, she has been dubbed the best tinter on the planet

Jo never turns off the light before she's applied Dior's Crème Abricot ( £27, selfridges.com) to her cuticles

LISA PAYNE

As head of beauty at trends intelligence agency Stylus Innovation+ Advisory, Lisa Payne's role involves keeping abreast of beauty innovation around the world, forecasting the industry's next big thing, and helping brands work out what consumers are going to want to buy - and why - in the future.

Won't be seen in public until I've lifted my face. I always wake feeling puffy but five minutes with a micro current device, such as NuFace (from £135, currentbody.com), or even just some gua sha stones, lifts everything and gives me back my jawline.

Won't turn off the light before I've combed my hair, put a hair mask in and braided it. Percy & Reed's Overnight Recovery Mask (£28, johnlewis.com) is one of the best things I've ever used on hair. You don't need to wash it out in the morning and it leaves me with lovely, soft, shiny waves.

Just can't get on with Baccarat Rouge. I don't get it. People are obsessed with it and I feel like I'm missing out on it, so whenever I see it I always spray and see if things have changed, but I just smell nothing.

Don't tell anyone this but most oral probiotics don't work. You'd be far better off eating fermented foods every day. In fact in Japan, menopausal women very rarely experience hot flushes or the symptoms that Western women get and scientists have put that down to daily consumption of fermented foods.

Wouldn't it be nice if Korean formulations were more widely available in the UK? The sophistication of their ingredients, formulas and textures is incredible - especially in their SPF products — but just generally they're dedicated to creating a really pleasurable sensorial experience and making products people really want to use.

I still remember the first time I really treasured a make-up product - it was the Bourjois Little Round Pot Blush. Those pearlised shades, the cute little pots and the brush that fitted over the top, that slightly old lady smell they had. I loved them.

stylus.com

EMMA CRAYTHORNE

Dermatologist Dr Emma Craythorne has democratised access to dermatological expertise with Klira, a service that offers personalised prescription skincare, delivered monthly to your door.

Won't be seen in public until I've put SPF on. I wouldn't want to go out without brushing my teeth but if I was forced to pick just one thing, it would be SPF. I rotate a few — currently Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun (£16, sephora.co.uk), Isdin Solar Allergy (£21.50, sanreva.co.uk) and Altruist SPF 50 (£5.25, altruistsun.com).

Won't turn off the light before I've done my super minimalist skin routine - Hado Labo Cleansing Oil (£18, skincupid.co.uk) to take off my SPF and then I use my Klira cream (£49/month, klira.skin) — that's literally all I do.

Just can't get on with most of the over-the-counter products that claim to treat medical conditions, such as acne, rosacea and pigmentation. They're almost all overrated and overpriced.

Don't tell anyone this but using a spray mist - like the Evian Skin Mist (from £3.99, superdrug.com) - to mimic a humid environment, especially in winter when the air is dryer, plumps the epidermis, gets rid of fine lines, makes skin feel more comfortable, and helps makeup sit better. Skin just looks and feels better when it's humid.

Wouldn't it be nice if the claims made for skincare were subject to the same scientific rigour as claims made for medicines?

I still remember the first time I fell under the spell of a beauty product. My grandmother used to use a very simple moisturising cream from Boots that had cucumber in it and I loved the smell. I rediscovered it recently, in different packaging, but the formula and the smell was identical. It took me back to being five again, and going to her house every day after school.

klira.skin