7 Secrets of Beauty & Wellbeing: Carolyn Aronson
After 20 years glamming up clients’ hair in Michigan salons, Carolyn Aronson decided to ‘come out from behind the chair’ and create the line of products she’d always wanted - but couldn’t find. And so, in 2005, the best-selling, multi-award winning haircare range called It’s A 10 was born.
Why 10? Well, that’s the number of benefits that Carolyn stipulated absolutely had to be included in the formulation. Pretty awesome really.
In 2017 Carolyn became sole owner and CEO of It’s A 10, and it launched in the UK in 2019. The latest line is a truly fab Blow Dry range – much (MUCH!) loved by Team Beauty Bible.
Last year Carolyn launched her make-up brand Be A 10 in the USA, a streamlined range to simplify all our lives. Fingers crossed that will be over here in the UK soon.
As well as new lines of haircare and make-up, Carolyn recently gave birth to a baby daughter with her second husband Jeff Aronson. Born in February 2021 (when Carolyn was 54), Aliya Dream is the youngest of their blended family of three daughters and two sons.
We love the brand and we’re fully paid up fans of the very endearing Carolyn Aronson. So we’re delighted to share her secrets to staying well and looking absolutely fab.
1.The best tip I was given is so simple – drink more water. We hear it often but it’s worth repeating again (and again) as it truly makes such a difference to how you feel and how your skin looks. But still so many people don’t drink enough! My new ‘love’ is HINT water, which has just a hint of different fruit flavours but no salt, sugar, synthetic flavours, preservatives or sweeteners – and no calories. It helps me drink more throughout the day.
2. My biggest beauty concern is my fine, thin hair. Luckily, I have my own products to help! Regular conditioning helps keep it healthy so I use the Miracle Mask once a week in the shower as a conditioner, leaving it on for three to five minutes. I use volumising hair products to create fullness when I style my hair; the Blow Dry Texture Spray is a life-saver.
3. I overcame a lot of obstacles to get where I am today and I’m proud of my determination and devotion. I started the company with one product [see below] and very little money 18 years ago. I became the sole owner in 2017 when I bought out my partner. I am married to an amazing man and had a child at 54 years old - I won the lottery of love.
4. My hero product from my own brand has to be It’s A 10 Miracle Leave In Product. It was the product I launched with and it’s still my desert island product. It’s the best! [And it’s a Beauty Bible Award winner.]
5. I take supplements every day. My staples are a folate- and biotin-enriched multivitamin formulated for women, vitamin D and collagen.
6. It can be hard to really switch off. As a CEO and mother of five, there’s always something to do. I like to watch documentaries – mainly life stories of people building a business or overcoming trials and tribulations – and I listen to R&B and hip hop. But my happy place – where I feel most at peace and fully relaxed – is when I float on the ocean.
7. My three key make up products start with Ponds Cold Cream. I’ve been using it for 42 years and it’s still my favourite make-up remover, which I use daily. I love it simply because it simply does the job and does it well. It totally removes any type of make-up and is safe to use on my eyes. I like that I don’t have to swop between different products.
My go-to foundation is YSL All Hours Foundation SPF20, as it gives a flawless complexion that stays put all day when I’m on the go. It’s full coverage but still super comfortable to wear.
I always have MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in the shade called Give Me Sun in my bag; the warm undertones keep me looking bronzed and it has skincare benefits too, including vitamin E. The oil-free formula leaves my skin looking polished and pore-less.
