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Caroline Hirons needs little introduction. A globally qualified aesthetician, her career as the nation’s straight-talking skincare expert has seen her accumulate over 655,000 loyal followers on Instagram, 257,000 subscribers on YouTube and 100,600 members in her ‘Skincare Freaks’ group on Facebook (whom she refers to affectionately as ‘The Freaks’). Then there’s her book. Skincare: The Ultimate No-Nonsense Guide hit the shelves last year - the brand new edition is now available to pre-order here - and fast became the best-selling skincare title of all time. And now, well, brace yourselves for another round of Caroline mania. This week sees the launch of her most exciting offering to date and that's saying something. Meet the Hall of Fame Kits. The brand new Kits feature some of Caroline's most beloved skincare products to date and Grazia can finally reveal their contents. Shop the Kits below now:
Caroline Hirons' Brand New Hall of Fame Kits
1 of 3The Hall of Fame Routine Kit, £140 (worth £311.50)
'A brilliant step by step routine from some of my most-loved and most-used products,' says Caroline, 'this is either a brilliant introduction to the world of skincare for a newcomer, or an easy one-stop-shop for a complete routine. An absolute no brainer. Individually these products stand alone in their categories, together they make up a powerhouse skincare wardrobe'.Includes: AHC Essential Real Eye Cream For Face, Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm, Medik8 Crystal RetinalTM 3, Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture, REN Clean Skincare Vita MineralTM Omega 3 Optimum Skin Oil, Summer Fridays CC Me Serum, The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, Votary Face Cloth.
2 of 3The Hall of Fame OGs Kit, £295 (worth £678.50)
'The OGs are, in my mind, brands that are intrinsically linked with the blog,' says Caroline, 'the majority from day one and all still as relevant today. Often used by the industry as benchmarks for expert-led brands that deliver all the science and none of the fluff - they have set a standard for many. I trust these brands implicitly; I could easily build a routine for any skin type just by using products from their individual ranges.'Includes: Chantecaille Jasmine and Lily Healing Mask, Darphin Aromatic Purifying Balm, Dr Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta ® Universal Daily Peel, Kate Somerville Peptide K8 ® Power Cream, Sunday Riley Auto Correct, The Body Shop Camomile Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, Zelens Power D Vitamin D Concentrate Fortificante (exclusive Hall of Fame supersize).
3 of 3The Hall of Fame Heroes Kit, £200 (worth £492)
'One of the best things about having a blog that has been read over 130 million times is the incomparable platform that it has given to a number of brands that were just beginning to make their mark on the industry,' says Caroline. 'The brands that were bubbling under the surface or had a cult following on their home turf. Products that were nestled amongst the big players waiting to showcase their brilliance. The Heroes are the brands many of you discovered on the blog and the brands that were never the same after they were featured, in the best way.'Includes: Jordan Samuel Skin The After Show Treatment Cleanser For Sensitive Skin, Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator, May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon, Medik8 Crystal RetinalTM 6, OSKIA Bedtime Beauty Boost, PIXI Glow Tonic, Tan-Luxe Super Glow, Votary Face Cloth.
To celebrate the brand new Kits, Caroline is holding a House of Hirons Experience and Pop-Up Shop across three days in Covent Garden from 30th October to 1st November. The House of Hirons, a ticketed event, has now sold out, however, the Pop-Up Shop will be open to all and will allow attendees to shop the Hall of Fame Kits - you might also spy Caroline manning the tills.
How Caroline Hirons Found Fame
‘It was totally by accident,’ Caroline shrugs, ‘I was one of the first beauty personalities on Twitter and I decided to post about skincare - it was what I knew.’ At the time Caroline was splitting her time between consulting and writing her blog, which was in its infancy. Notoriety was not something she planned or anticipated. ‘I was in the right place at the right time,’ she says in her characteristically frank manner, ‘I was older, I was qualified and had contacts in the industry.’
The Caroline Effect
Caroline's Skincare Freaks and followers range from Boomers to Gen Z, and from skincare maximalists to minimalists. To what does she credit her mass appeal? Authenticity. ‘I don’t lie to them. I’ve never once tried to sell them something I don’t like, and I never do an ad for the sake of it. I’m very open.’ Indeed she is. For example, even early on she’d never edit out the real stuff, like when she had to bellow out of the window at her sons to ‘shut up!’ because she was filming her YouTube channel. In a sea of perfect and polished content, it’s something viewers find refreshing and relish. ‘They realised that I wasn’t a traditional influencer,’ she says. ‘I have no interest in seeming perpetually immaculate and I have no poker face. I can’t pretend.’
That Milestone Moment
Caroline can pinpoint the exact moment that she realised just how influential both she and her blog had become. In 2014, three years into setting up her blog, Clinique’s Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm was in scarce supply. At the behest of her readers, Caroline reached out to Clinique. ‘I still get goosebumps now,’ she says thinking about the official statement that the parent Estée Lauder Companies issued in response. ‘Lauder don’t just hand them out.’ Et voila, before she knew it, the product was back on the shelves and sales increased by a staggering 1432 percent. It remains one of Clinique’s best-selling products to this day. 'That’s when I realised just how big my blog had become,' says Caroline.
On Her Biggest Launch Yet
Despite now being a bona fide brand herself, Caroline makes little attempt to conceal her nerves ahead of the launch of her three Hall of Fame Kits. ‘I’m always nervous,’ she admits, ‘it’s far easier to appear on This Morning and speak to millions of people than it is for me to launch a product.’ Anxious she may be, but given her sell out track record, there’s really no need.
READ MORE: Caroline Hirons' 10 Skincare Rules To Live By, And Where To Buy Her Award-Winning Book
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