The Beauty Bible Iconic Edition — Beauty Wisdom That Stands the Test of Time
There are very few people in the beauty industry who have seen as much, tested as much and written about beauty for as long as Josephine Fairley and Sarah Stacey. Two of Britain’s most respected beauty journalists, they have spent three decades cutting through the noise and finding the products that genuinely deserve our attention.
So when The Beauty Bible Iconic Edition arrived, celebrating 30 years of their Beauty Bible journey, I was very keen to see it.
And it really is quite a book.
Beauty has changed enormously since the first Beauty Bible was published in 1996. We've seen countless trends, thousands of new products and, more recently, an explosion of social media and influencer culture. With so much information — and so much marketing — it can be increasingly difficult to know what is genuinely worth your time and money.
That is why the philosophy behind The Beauty Bible feels particularly relevant today.
Josephine and Sarah have always believed that products should earn their reputation. Their Beauty Bible Awards and extensive reader testing have provided a fascinating alternative to simply following the latest beauty trend. This book brings together those products that have stood the test of time and become genuine beauty 'icons'.
I was particularly thrilled to see Otis Batterbee brushes featured in the book. It is a wonderful feeling to have something I created recognised in a book that has spent 30 years championing products on merit.
When I designed my brushes, the intention was always to create tools that genuinely performed. I became fascinated by the way professional make-up artists worked and spent 18 months developing the brushes from scratch — looking at everything from the construction of the bristles to the shape, balance and feel of the handle.
For me, beauty tools should make doing your make-up easier and better. They should work hard. So seeing the brushes included among the products that Josephine and Sarah consider iconic is a particularly meaningful recognition.
There is so much more to the book than products, however. Josephine and Sarah have brought together the knowledge and experiences of some of the industry's most interesting and influential names, including Liz Earle, Marcia Kilgore, Trinny, Charlotte Tilbury, Dija Ayodele, Sam McKnight and Bee Shapiro. Their interviews provide a wonderful insight into the people behind some of the biggest ideas and brands in modern beauty.
Visually, the book is beautiful too. The photography by Jess Griffiths, the illustrations by the brilliant David Downton and the design by Jenny Semple make it feel like a proper celebration of three decades of beauty journalism.
What I particularly like about The Beauty Bible Iconic Edition is that it isn't simply about what is new. It is about what has proved itself.
That seems increasingly important in an industry where something can be declared the next big thing one week and disappear from the conversation the next. Trends come and go, but products that genuinely deliver tend to stay with us.
After 30 years, Josephine and Sarah have created something that feels both like an archive of British beauty and a practical guide to the products worth knowing about. It is packed with expertise, experience and plenty of discoveries — and it is the sort of book you'll find yourself dipping into again and again.
I'm very proud that Otis Batterbee is part of that story.
A huge congratulations to Josephine and Sarah on 30 years of The Beauty Bible — and on creating such a wonderful celebration of beauty, expertise and products that genuinely work.
