Model, author, mother, wife and successful business woman – Pippa O’Connor Ormond has done it all. A true girl boss. Pippa wrote her first book in 2016. However, in her second book The Pippa Guide: Live Your Best Life, she delves deeper into her life than before, “I knew that I wanted [the book] to go beyond the snippets that you see online.”
Pippa explains at the beginning of the book that she wants to show her fans that everything is not always as it is conveyed on social media. She compares herself to a swan – from the outside looking elegant, and graceful, “but underneath I was swimming for dear life”.
Taking us on a behind-the-scenes look into her life, Pippa shares with us her secrets and tips on running a successful business, interior design, fashion, beauty, travel and more.
The ex-model reveals the disheartening reason behind the end of her modelling career – that no one would hire her after she fell pregnant with her eldest son, Ollie, saying: “There isn’t much work for pregnant models in Ireland.”
Travelling through the ups and downs of her career, Pippa explains how she overcame the lack of work, and let it launch her into the career path she is in today, “I realised that online might be the way forward”.
Since then, Pippa has created her own denim business POCO by Pippa, succeeded by her homeware line, The Pippa Collection. She even won the title of “Young Businesswoman of the Year” in 2017.
After moving six times through rented houses, Pippa and her family have finally settled in their “forever home”. Living up to expectations, her home is just as elegant as she is. Her lifestyle guide is decked out with stunning photographs of the home’s interior.
The mum-of-two describes a great passion for being able to make a space a home, something she inherited from her own mother. Pippa makes light of the hardship of storing seasonal decorations, and shares her tricks for getting it done quickly, and efficiently.
Despite the tasteful appearance of her home, Pippa says she is a fan purchasing from HomeSense and TK Maxx, because “you can find incredible things there.”
Considering fashion builds the foundations of Pippa’s career, it’s understandable that she has an entire section in The Pippa Guide dedicated to it. She chats about being environmentally sustainable, saying that investing in items you’ll wear a lot, and that will last you a long time is the key to a successful wardrobe. Pippa says she is a believer in utilising all the clothes she owns, pairing things differently together so that they work throughout every season.
She even has an entire chapter dedicated to the way she styles her favourite POCO jeans.
Turning her focus to skincare, Pippa shares her everyday routine. She says that she has only recently learned the importance of minding your skin from friend, Jennifer Rock, a.k.a The Skin Nerd.
Although she has a team behind her to do her makeup, hair and nails for events, Pippa is a regular woman, doing her own hair and makeup the majority of the time. She shares her favourite products to use when doing her everyday look and the application process she takes.
All in all, The Pippa Guide is a must-have book if you’re looking for an insightful business and lifestyle read. It has all the tips and tricks you need to organise your life, and pursue your dream business or home. It also doubles as an extremely aesthetic coffee-table book. Who better to take all this advice from than the Social Media Queen herself?
Emma Costigan
Image Credit: Pippa O’Connor Ormond Instagram