I’m very excited to bring you this interview with one of my favourite bloggers, Hayley Carr, aka London Beauty Queen. Hayley started blogging in 2010 and, pretty soon, London Beauty Queen became one of the most popular beauty blogs in the UK, and has won numerous awards! London Beauty Queen features product reviews, skincare tips, blogging advice, and lots more.
Hayley has also recently written a book, The Science Bit, in which she delves “beneath the surface of skincare and beauty”, and is planning “bigger and better things” for the future. She’s unstoppable!
Read on to find more about Hayley:
1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Hayley, a beauty blogger and brand strategist with a specialism in social media. I’ve been running my blog for 4 years and am now ranked continually in the Top 5 beauty blogs in the UK, as well as within the top 50 blogs overall in the UK. I write about all things beauty, as well as a lot of ‘behind the bottle’ posts which delve beneath the surface of skincare and beauty.
2. When and why did you start your blog?
I was bored one day, waiting for a new job to start, and I decided on a whim to give blogging a go. I’d worked in the beauty industry for many years and blogs had just started to take off and get noticed by brands, so they became of interest to me. In an arrogant way, I looked at a lot of them and thought I could probably do it better – so LBQ was born! I never thought it would be my full time job four years later.
3. What’s the best thing that happened to you because of your blog?
It’s opened more doors for me than you could ever imagine. From changing my career and becoming a social media consultant, to meeting celebrities and being flown to exotic locations. I’ve made friends and have turned something I love into a job. My life is incomparable to four years ago.
4. Have you found your HG products yet? If so, what are they?
My holy grail products are continually changing – just like the beauty industry that continually evolves, so does my makeup collection. I have a few products I really love and are hard to beat (such as Clinique’s Even Better Concealer, Eyeko’s Skinny Liner and Bobbi Brown’s Cream Blush,) but due to the nature of my job I’m always chopping and changing.
5. What are your favourite brands?
I love high end and premium brands like Clinique and YSL, who never seem to disappoint, but I also love a lot of budget stuff too. You can’t go wrong with Rimmel, Bourjois and a bit of MUA.
6. What’s in your makeup bag right now?
My current routine consists of either Benefit’s Big Easy or Elizabeth Arden’s newest foundation, a Clinique concealer, YSL Touche Eclat, Eyeko Skinny Liner, Clinique Feathering & Bottom Lash Mascara, Becca powder and highlighter, Burt’s Bees lipbalm and a tonne of glosses from about 10 different brands.
7. Let’s talk skincare: what’s your skincare regimen?
I cleanse religiously, morning and night, as without great skin you’re never going to get the best out of your makeup. In the morning I use a non-foaming face wash and gentle exfoliator in the shower, removing residue with a toner or micellar water; in the evening I use a cleansing balm and warm flannel (twice,) before using a toner. I also use serums, eye creams and face creams morning and night too – it’s essential they’re not too heavy so they sit well under my makeup.
8. You’ve recently released an ebook, The Science Bit – can you tell us about it, and what inspired you to write it?
I’ve always had an interest in that area of beauty, ever since I worked with labs and on technical information as a graduate in the beauty industry. I did everything from writing the backs of shampoo bottles, to researching ingredient claims and legalities, to editing marketing collateral to ensure it didn’t mislead consumers. It was a natural evolution to write about those kind of topics on the blog and they always generated a great response. I wanted to collate the most popular, add in a lot more chapters and provide a one-stop-shop easy-to-read mini bible for those wanting to learn a little more.
9. What’s next for you and your blog?
Bigger and better things. The great thing about blogging is that every day is different and you never know what’s around the corner.
10. And, finally, do you have any beauty secrets you can share?
You can read them all in my e-book! ; )
Thanks for chatting to us today Hayley!
Don’t forget to check out Hayley’s blog, London Beauty Queen, and her book, The Science Bit.
