Alison Young - The Beauty Insider

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Alison is a beauty industry powerhouse. Working with her was always educational, inspiring and fun! Lulu

I have met many beauty experts and none have impressed me more than Alison Young. Her expertise is second-to-none. Saira Kahn

Alison is the real deal someone whos had no cosmetic work so her readers know theyre getting honest, expert, tried-and-trusted beauty advice. Elsa McAlonan, Beauty Columnist at the Daily Mail

An amazingly knowledgeable therapist who really understands the science of skin and what skincare works. Shes the queen of skincare! Oriele Frank, co-founder of Elemis

Takes the complicated world of beauty and makes it user-friendly for all. Ruby Hammer, MBE, make-up artist and brand founder

One of the most trusted voices in the industry. Lesley Thomas, Beauty Editor at The Times

Alison is like a walking beauty encyclopaedia and stalwart of the industry. What she doesnt know probably isnt worth knowing. Edwina Ings-Chambers, Beauty Director at You Magazine

Simply invaluable a voice that can be relied upon to give helpful, clear advice alongside motivation and encouragement, with the experience and knowledge to back it up.

You made truly excellent skincare and routines accessible for all, irrespective of budget!

At 58 I have the best skin ever and Im always complimented thank you, thank you, thank you!

Born in the north of England and now living in the south, Alison Young is globally recognised as one of the most experienced, qualified professionals in the world of beauty. Alison won an Amazing Woman Award from Woman & Home and CEW Awards, recognising her outstanding contribution to the industry. She is hugely respected and trusted by brand owners, CEOs, PRs, marketeers and, most importantly, her core fan base of real people at home.

During her 35 years industry experience, Alison had advanced training as a beauty therapist and make-up artist, counting A-listers and royalty among her clientele, before becoming the UKs youngest ever Head of Training at Clarins. Since then, Alison has helped thousands of clients in person and trained countless other professionals, as well as designing treatments, training and strategy for numerous brands. Today, Alison splits her time between advisory roles for labs, brands and retailers, and her media work across TV, radio and social media. At QVC, where she first brought professional beauty into peoples living rooms 29 years ago, she is watched by millions and has helped turn brands such as Molton Brown, Liz Earle and Elemis into household names.

For further information, free tutorials and live Q&As, go to Alisons website and follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube:

alisonyoungbeauty.com

instagram.com/aliyoungbeauty

twitter.com/aliyoungbeauty

facebook.com/aliyoungbeauty

YouTube.com/aliyoungbeauty

EverywhereI go, Im asked for beauty advice

Everywhere I go, Im asked for beauty advice. Im a walking, talking beauty consultant. I get asked questions in petrol stations. In A & E. In supermarkets. On ski lifts, where Im wearing top-to-toe neoprene with not a visible square inch of skin, but someone recognises my voice and immediately shares a beauty challenge theyd like me to help with. Its easy to see what the answer means to them.

I might be paying for shopping and someone will look at my hands and go, I know those hands (because theyve seen me demoing on TV), then ask me a question. Once, coming round from an anaesthetic, I found the nurses looking at my hands, commenting on my manicure. Another time, in an ambulance, I had a medic jabbing me in the backside while asking, Are beauty products really that good? So this book is for him. And for the thousands of other people who contact me for my online Q&A sessions, or my Instagram and Facebook Lives, wanting beauty answers. And the countless other people I meet who want to know more about the fascinating world of beauty I am lucky enough to work in, with its countless products and its tons of confusion.

The beauty world, in reality, isnt about vanity. Its about wellbeing. Wanting glowing skin or wearing nice make-up or having a great haircut is actually about self-care. For most of us, the minutes we spend in a locked bathroom each morning and evening may be the only time we get to do something purely for ourselves, all day long.

Quite a chunk of my early life was spent travelling round the country visiting department stores with my dad, getting my first insights into shops and listening to customers; he worked his way up from shop assistant to director of House of Fraser. But my understanding of how our skin, in particular, is inextricably linked with our wellbeing, actually began when I was a very tiny child, covered in eczema. As a baby, Id have my hands bandaged so that I couldnt scratch myself. But my clever mother, decades ahead of her time, figured out what worked to ease my suffering. She only dressed me in cotton, and if we travelled on public transport Id sit on a tea towel, so the upholstery couldnt irritate my skin. She worked out that foaming products made it worse, long before that was understood by the medical profession.

As I grew into a young adult, I was left with scarring and pigmentation where Id literally gouged out my skin and then there was the acne Not a spot, here and there. Raging acne (probably caused by endometriosis and incredibly bad periods with neuralgic migraines), which had me hiding behind a fringe, unable to look anyone in the eye, trying to disguise myself with too-pink concealer, black mascara and cheap blue eyeliner. In later life Ive suffered from an aggressive type of arthritis, viral thyroiditis, psoriasis and other problems which have meant that Ive had to fight to maintain the condition of my nails, hair and skin but Im lucky, actually, because this has given me such an insight into other peoples skin, hair and body challenges. In some ways, having spots and being flat-chested was character-building but its horrible at the time, and I empathise hugely with anyone who has visible skin problems, or scarring, or who loses their hair or brows or one of countless other scenarios that impact on their appearance.

Im dyslexic, so school was no breeze, either and I got bullied. After A Levels, I wanted to become a beauty therapist. When I told my teachers my plans they looked down their noses at me but I couldnt see the point of university, because I couldnt see what career path it would lead to. So I did an HND in Beauty at Chichester College (the equivalent of a Diploma of Higher Education today) and havent stopped learning since. Ive studied aromatherapy, reflexology, advanced facials and make-up training, along with more than 20 face and body techniques. I never want to stop learning and sharing that knowledge. Amazingly, though, even now I get parents telling me they dont want their sons or daughters going into beauty and I challenge them: why not? Its a multi-billion-pound industry. There are huge opportunities to travel around the world, to make people feel better about themselves all day long and maybe, one day, even start their own business or found a brand.