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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
This is an excellent resource for all things skincare. It is laid out in a manner that makes sense and is easy to follow and understand. I think this is a book you will look back at over and over for reference. I took TONS of notes on this one - it was THAT good!
Let’s start with the good stuff. This book is clear, concise, and really helped me learn a lot about skincare. I’d recommend this book for newbies to the world of beauty, and I’d say the sections on the order to apply products and what each type of product is were the most helpful. The images were nice too to break up what could have been a bit of a dull subject at points. I also liked that while some products are mentioned, Hirons doesn’t just use this book to do shameless promo of her own products or of paid sponsorship deals.
The way she debunks corporate jargon, BS marketing, and greenwashing is also great, and felt on character for her. I thought it broke it down simply for a new reader who might be easily taken in by this terminology. Really enjoyed these sections.
Now, the more problematic stuff. If you’re already a fan of Hirons and have read her blog or watched her YouTube, you already know all this stuff, which makes me think this book isn’t for the audience she already has. I didn’t have to read it to know what her opinion is on baby wipes, double cleansing, or sheet masks. She talks about them all A LOT. As a result, lots of this book is quite repetitive, especially because the book repeats sections in different chapters a lot too.
Next, I found her advice on healthy eating questionable, especially considering Hirons is not a trained dietician or nutritionist. She starts this section saying she doesn’t believe in the fad of clean eating, and she doesn’t want to demonise certain foods as dirty. Which would be great, except she immediately contradicts herself by saying sugar is ‘The Devil’, and is just ‘empty calories’ (diet culture rearing it’s head here) and then rather than talking about moderation, balance and eating what makes you feel good, which would have been much more preferable, she instead just reels off a list of food you should avoid, which is basically all food except meat. She also keeps saying to avoid sugar, forgetting that carbohydrates are simple sugars, making it quite hard to fully avoid them. The irony of her poo-pooing skincare fads when she buys into this dieting fad. I would have loved to see her not resort to pushing a diet culture rhetoric, as the advice she gives isn’t very accessible or easy to follow for new people. It actually makes the idea of having good skin and a good skincare regime seem not really worth the hassle, if I’m honest. I think there’s a little bit of wanting to have your cake and eat it too here- wanting to keep up the idea that you’re a no-nonsense, honest straight talker who is empowering women, while being deeply intrenched and benefitting from an industry that relies on women feeling insecure and ugly. I can see why this might potentially cause her to be a bit confused which side she is on.
I also found the section on cosmetic procedures a bit…off. Again, she mentions that ‘old is the goal’, suggesting we shouldn’t be scared to age as it is a privilege, but then goes on to basically say that all older women will likely need filler and Botox and expensive cosmetic procedures if they want to keep their skin looking good, which is frustrating. I know skincare is her job so it’s inevitable she’d feel that way, but I’d loved to have seen her present a more balanced case for embracing ageing and not letting it stress you out vs investing in all these procedures, rather than it seeming like a non-negotiable.
I also found a similar frustration with the budgeting issue- she says at the beginning of the text that this book is for all budgets, but she then later makes it clear that she expects people to invest a decent amount of money in their products and to be able to rotate them, which I think isn’t always possible for everyone. Again, I’d have loved her to spend a bit more time talking about what you can do on a budget to maximise the little resources you have, rather than suggesting that everyone should spend around £30 on a moisturiser if you can.
Overall, I thought the tips in this book were helpful, if repetitive, but I thought the messaging was a little bit questionable in parts. I would still highly recommend this to skincare novices as a good jumping off point.
The way she debunks corporate jargon, BS marketing, and greenwashing is also great, and felt on character for her. I thought it broke it down simply for a new reader who might be easily taken in by this terminology. Really enjoyed these sections.
Now, the more problematic stuff. If you’re already a fan of Hirons and have read her blog or watched her YouTube, you already know all this stuff, which makes me think this book isn’t for the audience she already has. I didn’t have to read it to know what her opinion is on baby wipes, double cleansing, or sheet masks. She talks about them all A LOT. As a result, lots of this book is quite repetitive, especially because the book repeats sections in different chapters a lot too.
Next, I found her advice on healthy eating questionable, especially considering Hirons is not a trained dietician or nutritionist. She starts this section saying she doesn’t believe in the fad of clean eating, and she doesn’t want to demonise certain foods as dirty. Which would be great, except she immediately contradicts herself by saying sugar is ‘The Devil’, and is just ‘empty calories’ (diet culture rearing it’s head here) and then rather than talking about moderation, balance and eating what makes you feel good, which would have been much more preferable, she instead just reels off a list of food you should avoid, which is basically all food except meat. She also keeps saying to avoid sugar, forgetting that carbohydrates are simple sugars, making it quite hard to fully avoid them. The irony of her poo-pooing skincare fads when she buys into this dieting fad. I would have loved to see her not resort to pushing a diet culture rhetoric, as the advice she gives isn’t very accessible or easy to follow for new people. It actually makes the idea of having good skin and a good skincare regime seem not really worth the hassle, if I’m honest. I think there’s a little bit of wanting to have your cake and eat it too here- wanting to keep up the idea that you’re a no-nonsense, honest straight talker who is empowering women, while being deeply intrenched and benefitting from an industry that relies on women feeling insecure and ugly. I can see why this might potentially cause her to be a bit confused which side she is on.
I also found the section on cosmetic procedures a bit…off. Again, she mentions that ‘old is the goal’, suggesting we shouldn’t be scared to age as it is a privilege, but then goes on to basically say that all older women will likely need filler and Botox and expensive cosmetic procedures if they want to keep their skin looking good, which is frustrating. I know skincare is her job so it’s inevitable she’d feel that way, but I’d loved to have seen her present a more balanced case for embracing ageing and not letting it stress you out vs investing in all these procedures, rather than it seeming like a non-negotiable.
I also found a similar frustration with the budgeting issue- she says at the beginning of the text that this book is for all budgets, but she then later makes it clear that she expects people to invest a decent amount of money in their products and to be able to rotate them, which I think isn’t always possible for everyone. Again, I’d have loved her to spend a bit more time talking about what you can do on a budget to maximise the little resources you have, rather than suggesting that everyone should spend around £30 on a moisturiser if you can.
Overall, I thought the tips in this book were helpful, if repetitive, but I thought the messaging was a little bit questionable in parts. I would still highly recommend this to skincare novices as a good jumping off point.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
This is a very helpful book on skincare. I learned a lot - still feel overwhelmed with info but jt is actionable. It’s also repetitive which in this case is helpful. I borrowed it from the library and jt is probably the most expensive library book I have ever checked out with my Sephora purchases while reading it but Hirons convinced me it is important. Probably better as a reference book than read straight through.
informative
fast-paced
3.9 to be honest.
It has a looot of useful information but it’s a bit messy to the eye.
It’s not technically disorganized, but it was a bit hard to follow the rhythm.
Any way, the content is great and the author not only gives info also share her experience.
It has a looot of useful information but it’s a bit messy to the eye.
It’s not technically disorganized, but it was a bit hard to follow the rhythm.
Any way, the content is great and the author not only gives info also share her experience.
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
informative
medium-paced