5 Beauty Bloggers You Can Trust
There are thousands of beauty bloggers out there, sharing their opinions on the latest launches in makeup and skincare, and offering their tips on how to get a flawless look. But with so many out there, how do you know which ones to follow and which ones to pass?
We’ve rounded up some of the best in the business, beauty bloggers who are real, bona fide experts in the industry and whose in-depth knowledge you can trust.
Caroline Hirons
If you’re serious about skincare, Caroline Hirons is the blogger for you. She started her beauty career more than 30 years ago, has worked on beauty counters, is a fully trained advanced aesthetician and trained in more than 100 brands. In short, she knows what she’s talking about.
Her blog is a treasure trove of information on products, brands and ingredients. You’ll find everything from reviews of new launches, to in-depth but jargon-free information about different ingredients (plus when you should and shouldn’t use them), to myth-busting posts about beauty fads, to product giveaways.
Her expertise covers all skin types, so there’s as much useful info for a teenager with oily skin and hormone-induced acne as there is for a woman with mature, peri-menopausal, sensitive skin. She covers professional brands, doctor-formulated ranges, cult favourites and high-street finds, and looks past alluring marketing and pretty packaging to explain what’s *in* the products, what type of skin they works best on, and the best time to use it.
Her “Cheat Sheets” are a brilliant resource, whether you’re a skincare novice looking for a guide on the correct way to care for your skin, or a discerning beauty consumer after the tools to help you better informed decisions about the products you buy.
Best for: No-nonsense, expert skincare advice.
British Beauty Blogger
Jane Cunningham, aka British Beauty Blogger, is a former beauty journalist for national newspapers who started her blog as an outlet for giving honest reviews of products that she didn’t think were worth their price tag but wasn’t allowed to criticise in print.
Product reviews remains the blog’s primary purpose, and her write-ups are as honest as they are thorough. She’ll test every item in a range – and if they don’t all perform as well as each other, she will tell you. (See this blog on Clarins’ new SOS Primers.)
She covers everything: moisturisers and face masks, body creams and makeup, nail polish and hairspray. Mostly, she casts her eagle eye over the well-known, high street favourites you find in your local Boots, to luxury labels from the department store beauty counters, and a few spa brands thrown in too.
Best for: Checking out if a new launch is worth the price tag. A great all-rounder.
A Model Recommends
A beauty blog with a bit of everything thrown in, Ruth Crilly’s – aka A Model Recommends’ – site is like your warmest, loveliest friend. As it’s name suggests, Ruth started the blog when she was working full time as a model. As looking great all the time was literally part of the job, she became interested in the best products to make that happen, and how to use them properly.
The blog has since evolved beyond just beauty. In the time she’s been posting her videos and write-ups, Ruth has had two babies and moved out of London to the countryside, and her blog now covers fashion, interiors and general lifestyle (she has a whole other blog, The Uphill, for everything mum-and-baby related). But you'll still find fantastic makeup tutorials, skincare reviews, practical beauty advice.
Best for: Practical skincare and makeup tips, and beautiful photography.
Patricia Bright
Since launching her YouTube channel back in 2010, accountant-turned-pro blogger Patricia Bright has grown her personal brand into a huge beauty and style empire. She focuses on aspirational-but-achievable makeup looks, and isn’t afraid to say exactly what she thinks about the items she tests.
She’s also a busy mum, so she knows the importance of spending money wisely on products that work, and she shares her expertise in a fun, honest way that’s always served up with a sense of humour and some empowering life advice. Her channel covers the latest trends as well as beauty classics, and she loves doing full-face reviews, so she’s a trusted voice when it comes to creating flawless start-to-finish looks.
She also pays a lot of attention to the shades and tones available in every brand’s collection, which makes her channel a big hit with BAME beauty fans. Plus, she’s keen to remind viewers that beauty blogging isn’t always gloss and glamour, so her channel is full of candid snapshots of her everyday life with husband Mike and daughter Grace, too.
Best for: Honest advice on what works and what doesn’t. Darker skin tones. A healthy dose of body positivity.
Lisa Eldridge
If you’re after breathtaking makeup looks with minimal effort, Lisa Eldridge has you covered. The celebrity makeup artist has lived and worked in style hotspots around the world, including Paris, New York and LA. Now based in London, the who’s who of big name glamour go to her for her beauty expertise, which she shares with a huge fan base on her YouTube channel.
From everyday office looks to ultra-glam evening styles, Lisa’s easy step-by-step tutorials cover everything from the very basics of makeup application through to celebrity cover looks. Whether you’re after a bit of help with a particular feature or want to try a totally new style, her extensive library of videos will definitely have what you’re looking for.
She’s well-known for her signature ‘no makeup’ makeup look, but that’s just one weapon in her makeup arsenal – she also makes smokey eyes, contouring and statement lips a breeze for even the most cautious makeup beginner. As well as her tutorials, her channels are full of must-know makeup titbits, such as her ‘eyebrow philosophy’ and pro-tips for makeup removal. And if you subscribe to her Instagram channel you’ll get lots of behind-the-scenes snaps of her A-list clients, too.
Best for: Getting to grips with the basics. Expert help with new looks. Makeup trivia.
