Sali Hughes (born 21 February 1975) is a Welsh journalist, writer and broadcaster. She is The Guardian's resident beauty columnist.
Early life and education
Hughes was born on 21 February[1] 1975[2] and grew up in Blackwood, Caerphilly. Her father worked in politics for the Labour Party and her mother worked for a local education authority.[3] She has three brothers,[4] and attended Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, a comprehensive school.[5] She initially worked as an assistant to make-up artist Lynne Easton for two years while looking for work experience at magazines. This included working on photo shoots with George Michael and Pet Shop Boys, and television commercials.[2][6]
Career
Journalism
Hughes's first job in journalism was as a staff writer for the men's lifestyle magazine Loaded in the mid-1990s.[7] She then wrote features and opinion columns for various publications as a freelancer including Grazia,[8]Elle, The Guardian, Glamour, Stylist, Shortlist, and Cosmopolitan.[9] Since January 2011, she has been The Guardian's resident beauty columnist, featuring weekly in its Saturday magazine and online video tutorials.[10][11] She also appears weekly on BBC Radio 5 Live.[11] Hughes presented an edition of the BBC Radio 4 programme File on 4 in October 2020 about her experiences as a victim of abusive comments from internet trolls.[12]
Writer
Hughes' first book, Pretty Honest was released on 25 September 2014. It was a beauty handbook and was published by the 4th Estate division of HarperCollins.[13][14] Two years later she released her second book Pretty Iconic which was about influential beauty products.[15][16] In 2019, Hughes' third book Our Rainbow Queen by Penguin was released. It was about the fashion trends of Elizabeth II.[17][18] Her fourth book, Everything is Washable and Other Life Lessons, published by Harper Collins UK, was released in September 2022.[19]
Personal life
Hughes married comedy writer Daniel Maier in October 2017.[20] They live in Brighton with her two sons from a previous marriage.[9][21][22] In 2018, she co-founded Beauty Banks, a charity that provides those living in poverty with basic daily hygiene essentials and personal care items.[23]