The Glowdown With Shannon Lawlor
Meet Shannon, the freelance beauty editor who lives in South East London and has a thing for ‘scents’. Having started her career 6 years ago in the fashion department at Fabulous Magazine, Shannon soon transitioned into beauty and since, has gone on to project her passion for beauty and writing into Glamour UK, The Standard and Boots Health & Beauty. At 23, Shannon was the Beauty Editor for one of the UK’s largest department stores but after realising she missed editorial too much, she took the plunge into freelance life and hasn’t looked back since. Shannon currently writes for the international fashion, beauty and lifestyle company Who What Wear, where she shares expert skin, makeup and hair advice, product reviews/recommendations and gives us all the lowdown on what should really be sitting on our bathroom shelfies.
Today, Shannon talks to me about what she thinks the future looks like for journalists, the biggest misconceptions of beauty editors, the best products she’s ever tried and a few words of wisdom for those interested in a career in digital journalism.
AO: “Welcome Shannon - it’s so lovely to have you on here and chat! How are you doing in this surreal time?”
SL: Thank you so much for having me! Gosh it really is so strange isn’t it? I have marked in my diary the last time that I actually went into town to work. It was March 13th. So we’re well over a month into working from home now. I’m keeping myself occupied with work, reading the necessary news and trying not to fall into the social media comparison trap too badly. I never used to work out everyday and I’m not going to start doing so now. I have learned to accept that we all have different things that help get us through, and if mine isn’t exercise or reading then that’s nothing to be ashamed of. I wake up every single day grateful for the fact that, for the time being, I still have my health and my livelihood.
AO: “Let’s start with your career, how did you get started in the beauty industry?”
SL: Believe it or not, I actually started out in fashion. I started interning at Fabulous Magazine in my second year of university when I was 19. I was studying Fashion Journalism and started off working in the fashion cupboard there. I pretty much never left! I started assisting the Shopping Editor, Nana Acheampong, on shoots whenever I could and when I graduated, I was lucky enough that a fashion assistant job had become available. I worked on the fashion desk for over a year while also being PA to the Editor-in-Chief, but as time went on I realised that the fashion industry just wasn’t for me. I still loved working at the magazine, creating content and writing, and I was lucky enough to be given the chance to explore new opportunities and moved over to the lifestyle and features desk.
The people that I met and had the opportunity to learn from in that time genuinely taught me everything that I know. They taught me how to write, how to have faith in myself and how to stand up for what I believe in. I will always count that period as the golden era of my career. I got to spend 8 hours a day, 7 days a week surrounded by amazing like-minded women that truly supported each other. I sat next to the then Beauty Editor, Lauren Ezekiel, who ran the beauty department solo so I was always lending a helping hand whenever I could and helping out with beauty pages whenever the chance arose. I realised how much I loved writing about beauty and couldn’t believe that being a beauty writer was even a paid job.
It was at a time where digital journalism and social media were very much expected to be owned by the print teams so I also learned a huge amount about digital content there too. A year or so later, my dream job of Beauty Editor for a huge department store came up and the rest was history. After about 6 months in the role I decided that I missed editorial too much and forced myself to bite the bullet and go freelance.
AO: “Where do you think the industry is going following the transition from print to digital and the rise of new media?”
SL: You know it’s really interesting because I feel like I just about missed the golden age of print journalism, but am I really that gutted? Truthfully, no. I have always been a firm believer in the fact that an industry doesn’t die, it just changes and needs to adapt. When influencers first came on the scene I think a lot of journalists felt threatened that brands would start spending more money with them instead of traditional media titles. And they did. Soon enough though lots of journalists realised that they too could play the influencer game and make both their titles and the brand a lot of money. That turned out to be the sweet spot. But as for what’s next? Beats me.
We seem to be back where we started, but this time it’s the influencer field that’s changing. I think as a lot of influencers got bigger and bigger, they realised that they too had become a new wave of ‘press’. But the truth is, there are still HUGE differences in the way that traditional press work in comparison to influencers and actually, we’re not competitors in the same field at all. I hope that we’re going to start seeing influencers and press working together a lot more because the space is very much still divided. So many beauty journalists have knowledge and skills that a lot of influencers don’t and, of course it goes without saying, that influencers have skillsets that a lot of journalists don’t, so I would love to see those come together somehow. As with everything, finding ways to make media consumable and interesting needs a lot of trial and error - the trouble is that it’s only hindsight that tells us what worked and what didn’t!
AO: “Are there any pieces of advice you would give to someone looking to start out in a career like yours?”
SL: Always say yes. It’s something that I lived and breathed for so long that now I have to remind myself I’m probably at a stage where I don’t have to say yes to absolutely everything. I put a lot of pressure on myself to turn up to every opportunity. It was scary when I first started and filled me with anxiety, but pushing myself into daunting territory taught me so much about myself. My other piece of advice is to remember that no one owes you anything. Sometimes you work really, really hard for no immediate reward, and that’s OK. As with any job, I’m a huge believer that respect should be earned and never demanded. If someone isn’t sold on your idea, that’s fine, just keep working and proving yourself until people have the same faith in you and your ideas as you do.
AO: “You’re currently writing for Who What Wear - one of the most established sites for beauty and fashion updates and my favourite one to spend hours on. What is it like working for them?”
SL: You know it’s just such a blessing being able to write for so many amazing publications, and Who What Wear is definitely one of them. As a journalist, you very rarely get the opportunity to write for places that believe in the same things that you do, but I’ve been lucky enough to have that chance.
AO: “I’d love to know what a typical day for a freelance beauty editor looks like?”
SL: That really does depend on the day! I spend a lot of time on desk cover (covering full-timers leave) so quite often I get to experience office life for a little while which is so great. I love being able to meet so many different people and see how different publications work. If I’m not on desk cover, I’m usually at home working on commissions in my pyjamas in front of the TV. On days where I’m not ‘working’, I’m usually in town running around from launch to launch and meeting to meeting. My friends and family don’t understand it when I say I’m working and then they see me skipping around town on Instagram. They’re always like: “But who’s paying you to do that?” They don’t quite understand that I only get paid to write, but I have to do those things in order to write. My favourite thing that us freelance journalists do is whenever we bump into each other at events is say: “God, I’ve just been so busy.” But actually we all spend a massive chunk of our lives binge-watching Netflix praying for some work to come in. I’ve vowed not to lie to people about how busy I am because it’s just so ridiculous.
AO: “That’s hilarious. So has you day to day changed much since we’ve moved into a lockdown?”
SL: The main thing that has changed for me is that I’m not out and about at meetings! I’m used to working from home so that aspect hasn’t been so hard to get used to, but trying to keep on top of new product launches is tough! Luckily so many brands have adapted quickly to this and are briefing us on new launches over Zoom.
AO: “We couldn’t not talk about your incredible beauty stash… What does your routine look like right now?”
SL: It’s a total mess if I’m honest! There are so many new launches coming up I feel like my routine is all over the place. I’m taking my makeup off with REN Perfect Canvas Jelly Oil Cleanser, cleansing with SkinCeuticals Gel Cleanser for a deeper morning cleanse and then doing an evening cleanse with my go-to Super Facialist Salicylic Acid Cleanser. I’ve realised that if I don’t use a salicylic acid cleanser then my skin just doesn’t want to be my friend.
I really don’t need a huge amount of hydration on my t-zone but the rest of my face is prone to sensitivity and dryness. I’m using the Victoria Beckham Cell Rejuvenating Power Serum which I LOVE. It’s just like healthy skin in a bottle. I follow up with a super lightweight Curél lotion just on my cheeks and chin where I’m a little drier. In the mornings I finish with an SPF (I’m currently using Dr David Jack All Day Long which is one of the glowiest and least pore-clogging I have ever used), and in the evenings I always apply a layer of tan to clean skin before I start the rest of my routine. I love Coola Sunless Tan!
AO: “If you weren’t a beauty journalist, what do you think you’d be doing?”
SL: There have been many days where I have thought about this. Especially on tough days when I consider throwing in the towel and doing something else! The truth is, I really don’t know. I love cleaning so maybe I’d be a cleaner. I would also love to own a café or a sandwich shop or something but I think that’s just because I love drinking tea and eating sandwiches.
AO: “Always good to have a back up plan… Before you go - is there any publication that you would love to write for?”
SL: Truth be told, I just want to be able to continue writing for publications that really champion their writers. I think that’s any editor’s dream. When it comes down to it, the name means nothing if you ended up hating what you wrote or feeling as though it wasn’t really yours anymore. I love writing for publications that push the boundaries and are constantly asking why and how. That’s something I really didn’t understand the power of until I went freelance. For publications to stay relevant, you have to constantly question why you’re doing something and how you can make it better. Admitting mistakes, learning from them and listening to the reader is absolutely imperative, and writing for places that do that means more to me that having a name on my portfolio.
My plans for the future are to just continue riding this wave for as long as I can! People always ask me if I want to be freelance forever and I always say the same thing: “I’ll enjoy this ride for as long as it will have me.” Nothing lasts for ever but I want to squeeze every single bit of goodness from it that I can.
AO: Now for some quick fire questions…
AO: “What is the biggest misconception about journalists?”
SL: That we only write about things because someone has paid us to! That’s just not how it works. We don’t have the space to shout about every single thing that we’d like to, so there’s no chance in hell we’d waste valuable copy on a product we didn’t like just because Mr Ad Man told us to. If it’s been paid for, you know about it.
AO: “Favourite 3 beauty products you’ve ever tried?”
SL: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipstick in Hot Pepper (RIP) and The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter.
AO: “Who is your biggest career icon?”
SL: You know I really don’t have a career icon! My icons are usually people I look towards in other areas of my life. Whenever I’m being lazy or find myself moaning over something stupid, I ask myself what my mum would do and that usually snaps me out of it. So I’d have to say my mum.