Has anyone else stepped away from Cult Hirons?

[MrsKingfisher]

I cannot bare her group anymore so I left, it's all a bit of an echo chamber these days.

I find her virtue signalling under the guise of 'doing what's right' nauseating, I've cancelled her book and won't ever read anything she writes again.

She says she supports women's rights but only if it suits her agenda.

[Girlintheframe]

I moved away as am pretty sick of the selling. Also the virtual signaling has been nauseating.
I came to realize she is just another influencer. Rather naive of me to think she was anything other than that tbh.

[redroses86]

I left after I replied, nicely, saying that sometimes people might have a different view/reaction. FWIW it was about kids going back to school.
I got showered with such vile comments from her and her crew.
I hadn’t said anything nasty, just said others might have a different view. It went down badly.
I followed her for skincare advice. Not her personal views on everything.

[Lottapianos]

Unfollowed her on Twitter after she called JK Rowling a 'twat' for stating biological fact. Hirons has 4 children, and is peri menopausal, all of which she never stops going on about, but apparently female biology isn't actually a thing that we're allowed to name

Her skincare advice is solid but I got tired of her recommending obscenely expensive products ages ago

[Railingsohno]

She’s not a nice person. So hard. I bet she was a bully at school.

[SiaPR]

I also hate what she said about JKR. She is just a bit thick. I also cannot understand why she is a skincare guru, her own skin is not that good. Unless she is in her 60s.

[MonsteraCheeseplant]

I was recommended CH for my post-pill skin problems but was never impressed by her non existent qualifications and tactless manner.

Can anyone catch me up though?

[MrsKingfisher]

The twitter comments were nasty, as someone who has a daughter herself you'd think she would be standing for the rights of natal women to have safe single sex spaces.

I'd really like to see a #cancelcaroline

[NameChange84]

I never quite understand how she’s so popular as a skin care guru. I thought she was much older than her actual age and she doesn’t have beautiful skin. Starting from the inside out with nutrition and excellent quality foods (fruit/veg/oily fish/avocado/nuts/water/low sugar) and following Korean and French Skincare Regimes work best for me.

[SiaPR]

How old is she? I think mid 50s?

[Lottapianos]

Late 40s I think. Shes had Botox, which I'm glad shes been open about, but does make you wonder about her faith in all the products she endorses

[NameChange84]

She’s recently turned 50.

Nigella Lawson is 60 and looks a lot younger.

[SiaPR]

She’s 50? And people follow her for skincare? Oh my days.

[headhurtstoomuch]

For skincare recommendations without all of Caroline's rants the Guardian's Sali Hughes is brilliant.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

I think she is a victim of her own success. About ten years ago she would come into threads on here and was lovely. Gentle, unassuming and really helpful.
Now, she just seems like a parody of what she's trying to be. It's like she can't decide whether to be a straightforward skincare expert, a totes hilarious insta babe, or French and Saunders. It's weird, it's like she's being marketed herself.

I know it's an awful thing to say, and I kind of hate myself, but yes- you wouldn't look at her and think "wow, skincare guru, must buy whatever she uses"

And over the years it's definitely become more hard sell than other people in a similar role.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

I agree re Sali Hughes.
I know she's had her controversial moments but I follow both on Instagram and if you compare the vids there's shouty trying to be a comedian on one side, and smooth human gentle advice on the other.

Sali Hughes books are great.

[janet1267]

I'm amazed by the cult like adoration. Some of the women on a Facebook page I joined had terribly damaged skin from overuse of very strong products. They talk about a 'damaged barrier' as if it's normal! She is undoubtedly knowledgeable and I learned about the regimes she recommends from a friend who has beautiful skin, but recommends extremely expensive products. I was quite impressed with Trinny Woodall recently for recommending Aldi caviar cream as a good moisturiser.

The vitriol on the page about JK Rowling, and the shutting down of conversations by Caroline, has been appalling.

[Railingsohno]

Sali Hughes is great. Her Beauty Banks chairing work is amazing.

I don’t feel comfortable with slagging off the way CH looks though. I can see the way this thread is going! For me it’s more to do with her shouty/bullying behaviour. A real turn off.

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Now you see Trinny does my nut in.
Even if her product became the next, dunno, acid tone or cult whatever, I wouldn't buy it. It's visceral. Especially being sold the idea that a pot of "blur" will do the same for me as the £££££ surgery has done for her.

At least CH doesn't look like she had surgery.

I know SH is open about it too.

Railing- you're right, and I did hesitate before I said what I said. But with CH and Trinny (,now someone has mentioned her) I find much of their spiel leads to "buy this and you too can look like me" so in a sense, I think saying "er, I wouldn't want to" is kind of Ok.

[BringMeTea]

Yeah she's a horror show. A classic example of Roald Dahl's notion of your inner self showing externally. I mean her personality before anyone jumps on me.

[SiaPR]

@Railingsohno

Sali Hughes is great. Her Beauty Banks chairing work is amazing.

I don’t feel comfortable with slagging off the way CH looks though. I can see the way this thread is going! For me it’s more to do with her shouty/bullying behaviour. A real turn off.

Yes, you are absolutely right. I was just shocked that she was popular for that reason. Her views are incredibly offensive, and she has children. This is the saddest part.

[LadyOfTheCanyon]

Unfortunately I think SH is going the same way in terms of recommendations. She throws the odd Superdrug recommendation in as a sop to being inclusive but she's basically shilling the same old same old. She's not as shouty as CH but she can be very snippy on Twitter and Insta to non blue tickers who ask perfectly polite questions.
I get more measured advice and recs from people on MN who have no skin in the game, to be honest.

[Helpthefrizz]

I don’t really think it’s “slagging off” someone’s looks to say that you’d expect someone with a cult following as a self declared skincare guru to have gorgeous skin!

If I was paying someone big bucks to build my home and I saw they lived in their own self-built house that was falling down and looked bad then I’d be put off, it’s not a good advert.

Same for a weight loss group run by an obese person.

If you are selling beauty/good skin etc then you are the product and it’s ok to say “for all that effort with products etc I’m not impressed with her skin and won’t be following her advice”.

[Mostpeculiar]

The pair of them do my head in at the end of the day they’re all salespeople but in terms of someone who knows they’re stuff and puts it across to me in a straight forward way it’s got to be Nadine Baggot

[TheCanterburyWhales]

Lady- absolutely. Botemp on the skincare threads is my guru!