About
Hi, I'm Isla. I've been testing beauty products out loud since 2019.
It started with a cystic-acne diary I kept to stop myself buying every miracle cream on the shelf. Writing down what actually changed turned into a blog, and the blog turned into a job. Today I want every reader to leave with fewer products and better skin.
Skin type: combination and sensitive. Hair: fine, colour-treated. Based in Dublin. Fragrance-free household, strong opinions on SPF.
- years blogging
- 7
- products tested
- 480+
- monthly readers
- 120k
- paid reviews
- 0
Demo figures: replace them in src/data/about.js.
How I test
Rules I don't break
Minimum four weeks
Nothing gets a verdict before a full skin cycle. First impressions are labelled as such.
Same light, no filter
Before-and-afters are shot in the same spot, at the same time of day, unedited.
PR is disclosed, always
Gifted products are marked. Brands never see a review before it's published.
The story
From a cystic-acne diary to a job
- 2019
The first post
A 600-word diary entry about giving up foaming cleansers. Eleven people read it, and three wrote back.
- 2021
First brand collaboration
A small Irish skincare brand asked for an honest review, and agreed in writing that I could publish a negative one.
- 2023
Went full-time
Left my copywriting job to test, write and film full-time, with a strict no-paid-reviews policy.
- 2026
Today
A weekly newsletter, a shop of products I'd buy again, and a growing library of long-term tests.
As featured in
- The Dublin Edit
- Skin Notes Weekly
- Northside Radio
- Glow Journal
- Studio Beauty Podcast
Kind words
“Her retinol plan is the only one that didn't leave me peeling for a month. I've sent it to four friends.”
“Isla tested our serum for six weeks and told her readers exactly who it wasn't for. Sales from her review still outperform our paid ads.”
“I swapped a nine-step routine for her three-product one and saved about €40 a month. My skin is calmer, too.”
Brands: let's make something readers actually want.
Audience numbers, past campaigns and starting rates are in the media kit.