Just four years ago, Trinny Woodall was still best known as one half of fashion twosome Trinny and Susannah from hit makeover show What Not To Wear.
Now Trinny, 56, has firmly established herself as a makeup entrepreneur with a growing line of sell-out products and tens of thousands of customers around the world.
At a time when so many businesses are struggling, it seems her brand, Trinny London, is still going strong.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, she revealed annual revenue has jumped from £500,000 in 2016 to £26million this year.
The company itself is valued at £46million, with Trinny’s share worth £22million. She and long-term beau Charles Saatchi, 71, have a combined fortune of £146 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
But just how has she achieved such monumental success? Here, FEMAIL takes a look at how Trinny has used her social media savvy, popular products and her boyfriend’s business know-how to build a burgeoning makeup empire…
A helping hand from Mr Saatchi
The presenter, who has been dating businessman Charles Saatchi since 2013, has called him her ‘greatest champion emotionally’
Trinny began dating businessman Charles Saatchi in 2013, following his divorce from wife of ten years, Nigella Lawson.
Businessman Charles is the co-founder of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi with his brother Maurice.
Charles is also known for his extensive art collection – which was valued at £200 million in 2003 – and for owning Saatchi Gallery.
Trinny told the Daily Telegraph Saatchi is her ‘greatest champion emotionally’ and ‘knows what it’s like’ to start a business. He was also one of the early investors in Trinny London.
The amount he put in was ‘very small compared to everyone else, but I love that he had faith in me’, Trinny said. He also steps in to offer practical advice with running the business.
She continued: ‘I work hard. I’ve worked hard all my life. I work six days a week, and 12-hour days. You’ve got to do that when you start a business. That can be testing on a relationship, but he knows what it’s like.’
‘I could be in a relationship with someone who says, ‘Come on, let’s go out for dinner now’.’ Instead he says: ‘Let’s have a look at your figures.’
However Trinny said she is now more confident asserting herself and takes decisions about the direction of the brand, even when Saatchi disapproves.
Sell-out products for middle-aged women
Fashion guru Trinny Woodall, 56, has revealed her makeup company revenue has jumped to £26 million in just four years. She has focused on middle-aged shoppers
She creates easy application products, many of which have sold out in less than 24 hours, including the £26 Miracle Blur (left) and the £28 Just a Touch foundation and concealer (right)
Trinny revealed she was inspired to launch Trinny London after struggling to find a suitable makeup brand or counter in a department store.
She said she felt there were ‘a lot of women’ between the ages of 35 and 50 who were being ‘ignored’ by the main market.
The persistent presenter and fashion guru pitched the make-up brand to 30 different venture capital firms before landing on a ‘mainly female-led’ investor team in 2016.
Trinny created the wildly successful BFF Cream SPF 30 for £35 – which sold out in less than 24 hours on its release. This product is described as the ‘ultimate skin perfector’
She hoped the brand would ‘shatter’ the ‘alienating’ department makeup counters which she sees as ‘intimidating’ to middle-aged women.
The brand has been celebrating success after success with a versatile range of makeup and skincare, aiming to supply an easy, do-it-everywhere, premium makeup brand to women.
She creates easy application products, many of which have sold out in less than 24 hours, and the entire range is cream based with every product formulated for finger application, meaning there’s no need for brushes.
Several of the products some in ‘stack’ packaging meaning you can put together something from each collection to create a streamlined make-up bad for everyday life.
Her £26 Miracle Blur lip and line filler has a skin-smoothing formula to even out your complexion by blurring and filling fine lines, pores and pitting from acne scars.
Another popular product is the Just a Touch foundation and concealer for £28 , which gives coverage exactly where you need it and once again works out to even out skin tones and reduce redness.
She also created the wildly successful BFF Cream SPF 30 for £35 – which sold out in less than 24 hours on its release. This product is described as the ‘ultimate skin perfector’ and can worn alone for an all-over glow or beneath a foundation.
Social media marketing star
The TV presenter’s informative clips about her favourite products often garner as many as 307,000 views from her cult following
Her tutorials range from straight forward make-up application videos using her best-selling products, to advice on how to pair your products to your outfit, and do a simple contour of your face
Trinny has long embraced Instagram, developing a new generation of fans who love her clever tips and styling advice.
She boasts 800K followers on Instagram, 14K followers on Twitter, while her Trinny London accounts have gathered a further 236K followers and 4,166 followers, respectively.
The TV presenter’s informative clips about her favourite products often garner as many as 307,000 views from her cult following.
Her tutorials range from straight forward make-up application videos using her best-selling products, to advice on how to pair your products to your outfit, and do a simple contour of your face.
She now believes building a loyal fan base has been critical in helping to grow her beauty business, with her Instagram videos central to the success.
Trinny revealed that people would ‘come out of the woodwork’ to recognise her from her earlier Trinny and Susannah work, and gradually ‘a little community grew.’
Her original business model was to convert a small number of followers into customers – but the fashion guru has cultivated such a loyal following they have given themselves a nickname, the ‘Trinny Tribe’
The group are a global community of fans who discuss online all things beauty and skin health, with top tips on how to use products.
There are 12 Trinny Tibe groups in the UK alone, with other groups in Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America.