There has been an outpouring of grief following the news that Beaut.ie co-found Aisling McDermott passed away.

Aisling McDermott. Picture: Gill Books.

Aisling founded the popular beauty site in 2006 along with sister Kirstie. Together, they were pioneers at a time when blogging was just beginning to bud in Ireland.

Kirstie shared the heartbreaking news on Twitter yesterday.

“This is the story of a hair turban and a beauty-obsessed sister. On Tuesday, I bought [Aisling] a hair turban I’d been promising her. I knew I’d see her the next day. She’s had aggressive MS for 20 years and she was getting worse, but she still looked so glam

“She loved beauty. We both did. Lots of you know us both because we founded [Beaut.ie] back in 2006. Lots of you follow us on Twitter still. The reason I tweet this now is to let you know that a great originator and founder of Ireland’s online beauty blogosphere has left us.

“So I never got to give her that turban. But I raise all the lipsticks in the world to someone who fought so bravely for so long and left behind such a legacy. Sleep well, Aisling. We loved you hugely x,” she wrote.

Hugely talented, Aisling published three books; The Beaut.ie Guide to Gorgeous, Gorgeous to Go, and About Face: The Smart Woman’s Guide to Beauty. She also wrote for the Irish Times.

A touching piece published on Beaut.ie paid tribute to Aisling, who “formed the groundwork for the Irish blogging industry as we know it today.”

“Aisling’s passion for beauty and her immense talent as a writer attracted hundreds of thousands of women to Beaut.ie, to not only learn about the latest in beauty but to read what she had to say.

“Our thoughts go out to Aisling’s husband, family and friends. She will be greatly missed.”

Friends and fans of Aisling’s have taken to Twitter to share their condolences.