{"id":333898,"date":"2026-03-07T14:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T14:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/333898\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T14:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T14:28:17","slug":"you-can-have-it-all-just-not-all-at-once","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/333898\/","title":{"rendered":"‘You can have it all \u2014 just not all at once’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A mainstay in Irish make-up bags, POCO Beauty has grown quickly in the two plus years since it launched. <\/p>\n

Their bestseller, Universal Glow Treatment \u2014 a tinted, serum-based product with SPF 30 \u2014 sold out in just two and a half weeks when it first hit the market. It\u2019s my own holy-grail product, I tell founder Pippa O\u2019Connor Ormond when we sit down to chat in the beautiful office space she has out in Rathcoole. Bright, airy, and impossibly chic, it\u2019s reminiscent of a Kardashian office, and although it doesn\u2019t have an in-built amphitheatre as Kim\u2019s does, it is the perfect place to host staff workshops, shoot content, and plan future launches. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels like the longest time that I\u2019ve been in the industry,\u201d says Pippa, who has been in the public eye since she began dating her now husband, Brian Ormond, aged 22. In the years since, her career has shifted from modelling to media and ultimately, entrepreneurship. It wasn\u2019t part of any grand plan, she says, but rather the result of learning to trust instinct over strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long time to be around,\u201d she smiles, admitting that confidence didn\u2019t always come easily to her. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you’re young and naive and green, it’s hard to have that kind of self-belief. Growing up in the public eye, you\u2019re open to scrutiny all the time \u2014 [it] takes chips out of you,\u201d she explains, adding that you go through \u201cstages of vulnerability\u201d in your twenties and thirties.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PippaPippa O’Connor Ormond: Growing up in the public eye, you\u2019re open to scrutiny all the time<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you have kids, and you feel vulnerable again. You’re like, \u2018Oh God, who’s going to want to work with a pregnant person or a new mother?\u2019 or \u2018What do I look like now?\u2019…I think it\u2019s only really now that I’m past all of those stages that I’m coming into my prime.\u201d\u00a0 (That, as a woman who has just celebrated my 30th birthday, is very reassuring to hear, I tell her).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Being both founder and the face of the brand carries significant responsibility, but working for herself was always something she envisioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never comfortable being at the mercy of other people,\u201d she tells me of her early modelling days. \u201cI was waiting for the phone to ring, wondering what my income for the next month was going to be. It was so uncertain, I hated that feeling. I wanted to feel like I had a bit more security and a bit more control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taking that first step out on her own wasn\u2019t scary, though, as O\u2019Connor Ormond felt like she \u201chad nothing to lose\u201d. She isn\u2019t a particularly cautious person, she tells me, but that has actually played to her advantage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that’s why Brian and I work well together,\u201d says Pippa of her husband, whom she\u2019s been with for over 20 years. \u201cWe’re both risk takers, and we both can see a bigger picture. I have the mindset of, \u2018Well, why not me? If someone else can do it, why not us?\u2019 I think it\u2019s scarier now in ways,\u201d she continues. \u201cThere\u2019s more riding on it because of the number of people we employ now, but I suppose I’ve learned from loads of mistakes and experiences.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"PippaPippa O\u2019Connor Ormond with husband Brian. Picture Andres Poveda<\/p>\n

When we meet, it is a week out from their newest launch, an exciting time for O\u2019Connor Ormond and her beloved beauty brand. But with growing popularity comes rising expectations. Does that concern her? Not especially. The only person she sees herself competing with is herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I always want our next launch to be better than the last,” she acknowledges. \u201cI expect that of myself and of the business \u2014 whatever we do now has to be better than what we did six years ago. It\u2019s dangerous to be complacent. It\u2019s a tough industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the night of Dreamglow\u2019s official media launch, rain buckets down on Dublin\u2019s fair city, but the weather is hardly a deterrent. In fact, it\u2019s a full house at the celebratory press dinner at the RHA Gallery \u2014 the scene of POCO by Pippa\u2019s first fashion show 10 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a weather warning then, too,\u201d she laughs. If it felt like a bad omen at the time, a decade of success has proved otherwise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PocoPoco Beauty’s Dreamglow gel toning pads<\/p>\n

One of the brand\u2019s first standalone products, the new range comprises hydrogel eye patches, a hydrogel mask, and perhaps the most exciting of the three, gel toning pads. Unlike other toning pads on the market, which are astringent and feel drying or sharp on the skin, theirs are deeply hydrating, infused with a powerful blend of peptides, niacinamide and vegan collagen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t scrimp,\u201d says Pippa, referencing the generous amount of product infused into each tub. <\/p>\n

An ice roller and no-crease hair clips are also included in the collection \u2014 the brand\u2019s first foray into accessories. Pippa advises keeping the former in the fridge, freezer, or even \u201ca bucket of ice with your champagne\u201d. That last recommendation gets a cheer of support from invited guests, all impatient to get home and try it out for themselves. Described by Pippa as \u201cextra special additions to your skincare routine\u201d, the new products were designed in Ireland and developed with skincare experts in South Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re lightyears ahead in terms of skincare,\u201d says O\u2019Connor Ormond of the team there, noting that while the quality of the products speaks for themselves, nothing beats word of mouth from existing customers.<\/p>\n

\"PippaPippa O’Connor Ormond: \u201cOur heroes are the skincare products. They\u2019re the products that people want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the beginning, skincare has always been the brand\u2019s fort\u00e9, and their latest launch is no exception. For Pippa, the goal was simple: elevated, easy-to-use pieces that don\u2019t sacrifice on that sense of luxury. \u201cOur heroes are the skincare products. They\u2019re the products that people want. They buy them over and over and recommend them to other people. We\u2019ve started off really strong in that category, and it\u2019s given me so much confidence to develop it out more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Coming up with the idea and the formulation for new products, understandably, takes time; Dreamglow was approximately 14 months in the making, and the process involves multiple steps with lots of back and forth between Pippa and her international manufacturers. \u201cI work with cosmetic chemists between Italy, Korea, and Germany, and we literally sit down and talk about how we want the range to feel. I’ve learned so much. They\u2019re the experts, but it is very much a partnership in how we develop things from scratch,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

From the outside, Pippa\u2019s social presence might give you the impression that her life is an endless succession of fancy dinners and glitzy events, but the day-to-day of running a business is far less polished. \u201cI don’t think it’s glamorous at all,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople might think that, but I suppose they’re the bits that you see\u2014finance meetings are not glamorous!\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the less publicised part of the job, she agrees. \u201cI’ve been in business for 10 years now. I’ve experienced so many highs and so many lows and so many times when I was like, \u2018Jesus, this is hard\u2019. There were times when there was more money going out than there was coming in, and you have wages to pay. It\u2019s stressful and unglamorous\u2026 but I think experiencing things like that is really important because if you’re constantly on a high and constantly just rising, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself. It’s all part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PippaPippa O’Connor Ormond: I’ve been in business for 10 years now. I’ve experienced so many highs and so many lows<\/p>\n

Her best advice for anyone hoping to emulate her success? \u201cDon\u2019t dwell on anything. You have to get up straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNobody cares about you the way you care about yourself. Get over yourself and just do it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tough-love philosophy, but one that\u2019s served her well thus far.<\/p>\n

On the enduring narrative that women can \u2014 and should \u2014 be able to \u2018have it all\u2019, Pippa takes a pragmatic view; it\u2019s possible, just not all at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n I think you can have kids, you can have a successful business, you can have a good relationship, but maybe not all at the same time.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can’t spread yourself three or four ways,\u201d she clarifies. In simple terms, if she\u2019s at the office, then she\u2019s relying on someone else to mind her kids and make them their after-school snack or do their homework with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t like when people ask me, \u2018How do you do it all?\u2019 Please don’t think that I do, or that anyone does. Delegating is an important skill to learn. I don’t think you can do anything successfully, especially if you’re a mother, unless you’re delegating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mum to three young sons \u2014 Ollie, 12, Louis, nine, and Billy, four \u2014 motherhood has inevitably shaped how she thinks about the values she wants to pass on. I wonder whether raising boys has shaped how she thinks about masculinity, particularly as they watch their mother build a business of her own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad that they see both mum and dad go off and work hard. I’m very conscious that they understand that if I’m not at home, it’s because I’m working. They’re so proud of Brian and I and the business. When they see POCO Beauty at the airport, they\u2019re delighted. Or if one of their school teachers says, \u2018I wear your mom\u2019s makeup\u2019, they come straight home, and they\u2019re like, \u2018Guess what?!\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I’m always reminding them that they can do whatever they want once they put their mind to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PippaPippa O’Connor Ormond: Delegating is an important skill to learn.<\/p>\n

Although 2025 was a strong year for the business, it was more challenging personally, with Brian in and out of the hospital multiple times for back surgery. If anything, the hard times have brought the family closer together and redefined how Pippa thinks of success in this phase of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw something online recently that said a good life is when you can pick your kids up from school whenever you want. I really feel that now. I’m committed to everything here [at work] and obviously if I\u2019m in London on a shoot, I can\u2019t just go and collect them at the drop of the hat, but the majority of the time I can. If I\u2019m at the office and I decide I want to leave at one o’clock, I can. That\u2019s success to me. That brings contentment. I’m just so lucky that I can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A mainstay in Irish make-up bags, POCO Beauty has grown quickly in the two plus years since it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333899,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[55560,93,61,1693,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-333898","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-iestyle","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-insight","12":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}