Women to Watch: Jennifer Rock on why success is loving your job

Jennifer Rock, skincare expert, founder of skin consultation service The Skin Nerd, and creator of the Cleanse Off Mitt is the third extraordinary subject in our Women to Watch series.

If you don't recognise Jennifer Rock, this must be the first time you've been on the internet in about five years. The genius behind The Skin Nerd is an everyday presence in Irish life now. Not only is she our resident skincare expert, she also frequently appears in probably all other Irish women's interest publications, on and off-line. But she's not just a digital entity; she appears on panels, on tv, at roadshows and events. Jennifer Rock, in short, is the hardest working woman in the beauty industry.

If you have been on the internet for the past five or so years, you won't remember a time when Jennifer wasn't a presence. But, like all business triumphs, Jennifer wasn't an overnight success. She worked and worked and worked some more to establish her skin consultation service, the Cleanse Off Mitt and her reputation.

I'm genuinely lucky. I've been one of those really annoying people who'd known all my life what I wanted to do. So I've always wanted to work with skin and I know that from my thirteenth birthday.

The path to becoming the Skincare Queen of Ireland began with a facial on her 13th birthday. Fascinated, she pestered her facialist with questions about why she was doing something, why was it sore - and she was hooked. Her career started with a stint as a spa therapist, and her passion for skincare grew with the more training she got. Soon, she was working as a trainer herself in advanced skincare. She developed the Cleanse Off Mitt. She won awards as a facialist. TV3's Ireland AM can claim her as their skin and beauty editor. She was the ambassador for IMAGE Skincare.

But Jennifer is not known not only for her expertise and trustworthy advice but for her lovely, bright personality. It's helped her with her extensive media work - and I can confirm what you see on screen is what you get in real life. But even though you rarely see her without a smile and despite her insatiable drive, it hasn't always been easy for Jennifer. Her son was very small when she began her career. She was a single mother paying a mortgage. Things didn't quite happen at the right time. But she persevered.

I think [success] is having a bit of a life balance and it's creating a role that you can get up every morning and go "Holy Mother of God, this is my job. Like, I'm lucky to call this my job."

One of her most ardent supporters was her father, who stayed by her side from Day One. He passed away suddenly earlier this year, prompting Jennifer to take an essential but rare social media break. And again, proving to be the ultimate advocate for perseverance, she returned, after taking the time she needed to grieve, with tributes to her father and a promise to continue with the business he helped her start.

The only way is up for Jennifer Rock. She has a book out this autumn, and The Skin Nerd service continues to grow. You'll see more of her right here giving her inimitabe skin advice every month, and she'll be in magazines, papers and TV. And mark our words, this extraordinary woman will soon be a household name.

Follow Jennifer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

See our Women to Watch profiles on wellness expert Caroline Foran and author Louise O'Neill.