Caroline Hirons #2

[MakkaPakka]

Her daughter's instagram makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

 

[Bronx]

Her advice has completely sorted my skin out, so I thank her for that.
I also appreciate her absolutely hatred of anti-vaxxers, if my son had almost died I’d be exactly the same.

The issue is that she has a platform As an influencer and a lot of people who perceive her as a “queen” who can’t do any wrong. There’s going to an barrage of young girls who think that it’s ok to speak to people like that, and it’s really concerning.
I’m sure Caroline doesn’t speak to her accountant or business associates or product pitchers like that, but these young girls and guys don’t see that, they only see this abrasive, often rude woman.

 

[Jelly Bean]

I think as well she is deliberately confusing basic cheap completely adequate skincare with spending vast amounts on luxury items, with more and more steps in the routine influencers tell you are vital.
Her faux outrage is about trying to defend buying stuff she recommends (and gets paid to recommend) rather than actually being helpful.

 

[PoleStar]

This thread is so fascinating - what a breath of fresh air! I’d always been a “face wash and nivea” girl and never suffered with skin problems. I was lucky to have good skin and people would compliment it.

A few years ago when I hit the big 3-0 and had more disposable income I started to read more from sali Hughes and Caroline Hirons. I feel hook line and sinker for CH’s skincare cheat sheets. I also remember her saying “spend the most money on your face. If you’re willing to spend big money on your handbag you should be willing to spend as much on your skin”

I didn’t spend heaps, but I did have a multi-step routine as recommended by CH. Then, I started to get terrible cystic acne. I’ve no doubt much of it has been hormone related but it’s been awful. Nothing seemed to help so at the beginning of 2020 I stripped my “routine” to cleansing (no more abrasive hot flannels either), a cerave eye cream, and Effaclar Duo to treat my spots. I use moisturiser as and when my skin needs it. My skin isn’t completely recovered but it seems to be getting there. I heartily regret falling for it all.

Skin care is a bit like diet and nutrition in that one regime doesn’t fit all. You know your skin better than anyone else.

It's dreadful isn't it? This woman is not a dermatologist and yet she feels she can tell people what to do with their skin. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think dermatologists of the future are going to see a lot of women with seriously compromised skin because of all the crap they've been encouraged to plaster it with by people like Caroline. If someone is happy with their basic routine and it works for their skin why is this woman actively encouraging them to spend loads of money on stuff they don't need - I wonder . I used to work for dermatologists in an NHS hospital and I think they'd be really shocked with what some people are doing to their poor faces.

 

[Readread]

Just because she went to beauty school about 35 years ago doesn’t mean she’s still a “qualified nail tech”. Times have changed from the file and polish days

 

[Satisfying Click]

And influencers get either 20 or 30% off (can’t recall) at space nk on every purchase, all year round. That’s a lot the rest of us are subsidising.

Covers the cost of dinner at Soho House, including Nadine Baggot, Ruth Crilly, Lily Pebbles, Anna Edit and so on. I hope they left a generous tip

Anything I can order from Space NK, I can get elsewhere. In store, the staff follow you round like a stale fart, I'm happy not to give them any more of my cash.

 

[rileysbunny]

I'm sorry but this whole idea that Caroline somehow planned on slagging off on Susan Yara in the same week of her book release is laughable. Unless she's a psychic she wouldn't have been able to plan this. Y'all really give Caroline too much credit, she did NOT start this drama, she's not big enough to. She commented on it, the drama had already started when she mentioned it. Remember, Susan Yara is a much bigger deal globally than Caroline.

 

[Libertine1975]

I'm completely stumped by some of the people on this thread re the Susan Yara situation.

No, I'm not Caroline, I'm not saying you have to like Caroline but what she has said about the Susan Yara situation was fair. Susan has acted terribly with this situation and if Caroline or any other influencer with a thread on here did similar they would be crucified by Tattle. I'm flummoxed that on a site where shady behaviour is called out someone gets criticised for using their platform to do the same.

I'd be interested to if anyone else has made content discussing the situation. I know James Welsh has put out a statement but he doesn't really fully discuss the issues.

For those that haven't seen it this is a screen shot from Susan's Facebook Group where she lies about her involvement in the brand.

 

[Wobblehead]

Only on some of the documents...

I dont think it is anything sinister. i think they just got her and her husbands DOB round the wrong way.

I think posts like yours without any screenshots should be taken with a pinch of salt, sorry. I’m not her biggest fan, but that’s a lot to allege without backing it up. Can you retrieve the deleted screenshots? If your friend sent them to you, they should be in your text messages/WhatsApp/recently deleted pictures folder.

In fairness I am on the FB group as a lurker. I can vouch for the fact that when it all went pear shaped with the kits and the site went down, the majority of the freaks were saying that they had been unable to get a kit. CH did then say that she would post there first once they had the site back up and running again and she did post a link there first I believe. She also said that they were closing FB to new members. In fact in the interest of full disclosure I actually bought a kit as I use a lot of the products and it was good value. I have not seen any posts where she was mocking those on instagram for missing out. In all fairness I sort of see why. Her FB page is where most of her fans are and I suppose she wanted to make sure they got a kit first rather than people who may have only just recently started following her from articles in the press. CH does have a lot of faults but as I say I did not see posts mocking others for missing out; that is not to say that they did not occur. Also in the interest of full disclosure her posts on the day the kits came out did my head in. She never gets to the point and just rambles on - getting all sweary. Her schtick (if that is what you call it and how you spell it) has become a bit tedious.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

And has there ever been a remotely believable explanation as to how these boxes can offer such huge savings apart from “the profit margin on the regular price of all these products is beyond astronomical and only really indicative of the ceiling of what we think we can rinse you for, as opposed to an even vague reflection of what they cost to produce with a reasonable markup added” ?

 

[Lemsipmax]

If you eat half the cake, that's half the calories....then you can eat twice as much...

 

[SoreenDoreen]

I don’t understand why, if she’s been having it a year, she hasn’t mentioned it until now. A year is a long time.


...also, a year my arse.

 

[FelinityHelix]

I’m torn about CH. On the one hand I like the fact she’s older, has more experience, isn’t afraid to speak her mind etc. However reading this thread has opened my eyes to the fact that essentially, she is an influencer, same as the rest of them.
I often wonder why she doesn’t mention certain brands. No 7 for example! That is a brand that many many women have access to yet there seems to be no talk of it. It’s odd.
Her work on Black Lives Matter has been good compared to a lot of the online influencers in the beauty industry, yet there’s still so much hypocrisy. There seems to be no room for discussion on topics raised by JK Rowling - I can see both sides, but it’s not a simple ‘topic’ it’s complex and needs understanding from both viewpoints - something CH lacks.

On a more menial point, it did make me laugh when she complained of having stomach issues recently and was laid up in bed. Yet later ordered a Nando’s and then complained that was a bad idea. No shit! If you’ve got stomach issues, a Nando’s takeaway is hardly the antidote!

 

[Libertine1975]

Why did she need to address it tho? Why does she have a soap box for everyone and everything? She wants to drag people down in my opinion. She could have stayed silent..its nothing to do with her ! Ive never heard of susan yara....i have now!

I disagree, I think she had every right to discuss it. She is a skincare influencer, this is a skincare brand, if she hadn't discussed it she would have been criticised for not mentioning it.

Also, she mentioned the brand a few months ago, she criticised their clean, non toxic, marketing. They sent her product to try and said they were going to change their marketing because their took her points on board.

I watch a lot of beauty content and I have heard of Susan Yara in passing but I've never sought her out. James Welsh and Hyram I think have both mentioned her in videos before. I think Susan is probably better known in the US and Caroline I believe has a large audience over there who would have been messaging her about the situation.

 

[HashtagsAndGladrags]

Hello, I have been lurking on this and Sali discussion boards for a while now...but not really wanted to post as I didn't feel I really had anything constructive to say or observations that hadn't already been noted.
I'm in both the Freaks and the GTL facebook groups and I have to say the Freaks one started to scare me a little. This undying worshipping and loyalty to Caroline is a bit mad isn't it??? She's just a person! I guess if you'd had terrible skin your whole life and finding her blog helped you sort it out then maybe but it is way, way OTT. Worrying.
I also still lurk in the GTL group and that isn't even half as bad as it used to be. Very tame now. I personally think that between Sali shutting it down for her own forum, and then reopening it, we had all reevaluated our relationships with social media so it was never going to be the same place.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

And influencers get either 20 or 30% off (can’t recall) at space nk on every purchase, all year round. That’s a lot the rest of us are subsidising.

 

[Readread]

SOOOO unnecessary. She's got a huge head but c'mon there's no way she can use that much skincare. Donate some of it you greedy cow.

 

[PineappleQueen19]

This is a very good point but obviously far too nuanced for CH’s black and white worldview

“Flights, fannies, festivals, disabilities and dire circumstances” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, otherwise she’d be all over it.

 

[barmj]

yeah, what’s with the tart comment? it’s not a bad thing to be vain or wanting to have a nice looking arse. even if she was actually a “tart”, it’s literally none of our business? not social distancing is a cause for concern but there’s no need to slut shame her. yes, she “shows off” on her insta but that doesn’t mean she’s immoral or asking for it.

edit: stop calling vegetables “veggies”? no. bore off, Caroline.

 

[rosemarina]

I’ll just leave these here.