Myth Bustin’ Part Two: More Misconceptions Smashed

by Kirstie, July 28th, 2009 in Here comes the science |

wives tales

Yesterday we had part one of our Mythbustin’ duo – we told the truth and shamed the devil about using Lanacane as facial primer, we decreed that the rumour abounding that oily skin doesn’t need moisturiser is a load of nonsense, and we mocked the myth that skincare just stops working.

So if you enjoyed that post, you might like this: it’s part two and we’re laying into FIVE more popular beauty fairy tales. Are any of them true? Read on to find out!

DON’T PLUCK ABOVE THE BROW

A beauty entreaty as earnestly adhered to as the Ghostbusters’ aversion to crossing the streams, we’re often left wondering why this is such a bad idea. It’s not, according to threading guru Shavata, but she does add a qualifier: “it is true that the majority of the hair you remove when shaping your brows should be from underneath the eyebrow.”  Most people don’t need to have too much taken away on top, and you can often get away with doing the minimum here.

FACT OR FICTION: Fiction. Brows need tidying both up and downstairs. “Use a very accurate pair of pointed tweezers so you remove only the hairs that you want to,” advises Shavata.

COFFEE CAN CURE CELLULITE

90s Supermodel Cindy Crawford is said to be a fan of rubbing left-over coffee grounds on her posterior to keep bum and thighs toned and cellulite-free, and in fact, a lot of anti-cellulite products like Shiseido’s Body Creator Aromatic Sculpting Concentrate include caffeine too. But, um, why? Scientists have proven that it can speed up cell metabolism, and that means it can help with the elimination of toxins which are thought to cause the problem in the first place.

FACT OR FICTION: This one is half and half. While we know caffeine can help with the battle of the bulge, there is no topical cream – or coffee pot leftover -  that can cure dreaded orange peel all on its own. Instead, a combination of body brushing and regular massage using a cream containing active ingredients like caffeine is likely to have the best results.

Read the rest of this entry »

Environ Advanced Ionzyme Vitamin Facial at Akina is A1

environ-facial.jpg 

Like most people, when I bother my arse to go for a facial I like to feel that I’m getting something I couldn’t actually do for myself at home. So bog standard facials of the cleanse/tone/exfoliate/mask while the therapist goes off to chat and make herself a cuppa/half-hearted hand and arm massage/moisturise don’t really do it for me. Ok, they’re pampering, and it’s nice to lie back and relax and let someone else do all the work, but an awful lot of facials don’t involve anything out of the ordinary. Unless the therapist’s particularly attentive and really involved in the treatment – to the point where she nearly has her knee in my chest to really give good extractions and maybe goes with an actually beneficial shoulder massage rather than a limp-handed rub of my arm while a mask sets – I’m often left thinking “Sure I could shaggin’ well have done that myself!”

And I’d have had a cup of tea for my troubles, too.

No such thoughts about DIY crossed my mind after having an Environ Advanced Ionzyme Vitamin Facial (€86) in Akina in Dublin’s Temple Bar, I can tell you. Environ facials are all about maximising penetration of advanced active vitamin formulas, especially Vitamins A, C and E, into the skin, and the particular version that I had involved the use of the Environ Ionzyme-DF machine. That’s a magic little box that uses active sonophoresis (sound waves) and intensified iontophoresis (an electrical current, a.k.a. galvanic therapy) to drive your prescribed cocktail of vitamins deep into the skin to improve cell renewal and stimulate collagen and elastin production for firmer skin. The combination of this sonophoresis and iontophoresis business means that vitamins can penetrate the skin skin a whopping 4000% times more effectively than if simply applied topically (regular galvanic therapy on its own would be about 400% more effective).

This facial is recommended for the treatment of blemishes, scars, uneven pigmentation, premature ageing, lack of skin tautness, excema, and psoraisis, and aims to restore normal blood flow and encourage proper oxygenation and maximum thickening of the skin. It can also be adapted for use on the body to treat pigmentation problems and stretchmarks, making it an impressive all-rounder. 

So it sounds totally fantastic and mad scientist-y and do-it-all, but was the facial actually any cop? Well, yes – after one treatment, my skin looked significantly brighter and clearer and more plumped up, the appearance of fine lines around my eyes and not-so-fine lines on my forehead was impressively diminished, and areas that had been as congested as the N7 on a Bank Holiday Friday looked like Operation Freeflow had done a number on them. A course of facials is recommended for optimum results, but I have to say that even the single treatment I had yielded fairly long-lasting fantasticness: my skin was glowing for nearly a week afterwards and I found that I was suffering far less than usual with spots popping up on my chin.

Thumbs up!

WIN! A Fabulous, Organic Vani-T Revolution Spray Tan

by Kirstie, December 5th, 2008 in Beauty News & Links |

Vani-T tan

We’ve told you a little before about Vani-T, a new-gen self tanning brand who specialise in products that’re nasty-free and which give a smooth, golden tan to suit our Irish skin. They’ve a range of self-tanning products like Liquid Sun Organic Tanning Mist which give great at-home results, but did you know you can head-in salon to try pro spray tanning too?

Uuhuh, indeed you can. The Revolution tan uses skin fusion technology to bind intense colour to the skin, and that gives you a longer-lasting result. Plus, it’s packed full of skin-kindly antioxidants like Australian Kakadu Plum Extract, which contains 50 times the Vitamin C of any other substance, as well as dead-skin-sloughing lactic acid, for a smooth result.

Sounds ace, doesn’t it? And FIVE of you lucky beaut.ies can experience it for yourself, as we have vouchers on offer for Revolution at either Akina in Dublin’s Temple Bar, or Carter Beauty in Dun Laoghaire. Each is worth a cool €45 and entry info is present and correct after the cut.

Read the rest of this entry »

Organic Tanning with Vani-T

by Kirstie, September 3rd, 2008 in Ethical & Organic Beauty, Hands, Body & Feet |

vani-t

Summer’s very definitely on the wane. The schools are back, the nights are drawing in, and if you were lucky enough to have gotten a bit of colour this summer, you’re probably miserably contemplating it disappearing with the quickness. Want to keep it a bit longer? We told you a year or so ago about the Australian Vani-T range, and the good news is that it’s now much more widely available here.

There are in-salon treatments – Marissa Carter at Dun Laoghaire’s Carter Beauty offers spray tanning with the brand and reckons it’s a great choice for Irish skins, as it’s very customisable – as well as take-home products like  a gradual tanner, €20.33, and Liquid Sun Organic Tanning Mist, €31.10, above.

But possibly the most interesting thing about the brand is that it’s organic. It contains no parabens, petrochemicals, artificial oils, colours or preservatives, making it a spot-on choice for gals who like what they put on their skin to be good for them.

Want to know where to buy? Check after the cut for stockists.

Read the rest of this entry »

Eucerin Not Cutting the Mustard? Try Environ’s Derma-Lac Lotion

by Kirstie, June 27th, 2008 in Hands, Body & Feet, Lotions, Potions & Scent |

environ derma lac

Lynnie’s posted a couple of times about the amazing results she’s gotten on her keratosis pilaris – you know, those sort of goosebumpy lumps on the upper arms that are caused by rough, sometimes itchy keratin plugs? She’s using a Eucerin product and found it to be brilliant.

But it hasn’t done the job for all of you, so I thought you might like to hear about Environ’s Derma-Lac Lotion, €51.75. The brand’s founder, Dr Des Fernandes, says that, “the solution is to use a neutralised lactic acid based product to increase hydration as well as to exfoliate the area”. Enter Derma-Lac. Containing neutralised lactic acid (a natural AHA derived from fermented sugar) to exfoliate and refine congested or dry skin, it helps to clear the problem by gently dissolving away the dead skin flakes – keratin – which block the follicles in keratosis pilaris, and it will also help out if ingrown hairs are causing you a further problem.

Dr Fernandes does recommend that you stick with it though: “Apply this daily for about one month and then introduce a vitamin A based oil. This can be mixed with the other lotion in equal quantities and within six months the arms will be beautifully smooth. Maintain the treatment for a year and you should never again get this problem”, he advises.

Right so! Where to buy? Environ products are available through salons nationwide, including our fave, Akina. Call 44 (0)20 8450 2020 to find the nearest stockist.

Eyelash extensions at Akina: beyond fabilis

by Aphrodite, April 15th, 2008 in Brands, treatment & product reviews, Eyes, Lips and Cheeks |

eyelash-extension.jpg

On Saturday morning I had myself a little enhancement.

I’ve been DYING to get eyelash extensions for ages. So off I went to Akina and in an hour and a half Barbara had transformed me.

“Would you like a dramatic or more subtle look?” she asked me. “Ooooh, dramatic definitely” I said.

A soft pad is placed over your lower lashes, so the top and bottom eyelashes don’t stick together when the glue is applied. Then you close your eyes for the time of the treatment. The extensions are glued on to your natural lashes. It’s a painstaking process. Each extension is applied separately and dried with a little puff of air.

Not painstaking for me of course. Nope, I just lay on the heated bed and drifted off.

And then it was time to see the result. I loved it! There’s nothing fake looking about these Xtreme extensions at all. They look really natural. You look like you… only better.

The extensions last for the lifetime of the eyelash. Each person has a different lash lifecycle of course, but generally speaking you can expect to get weeks or months out of this treatment. It costs €130 and if you go back in two weeks for your “top up” treatment that costs just €60.

You have to take special care of the extensions though – so I’ll be telling you all about that in the next couple of days.

I definitely recommend you get this done if you have an event coming up. Or even if you don’t.

A real feel good beauty treatment. Fabilis.

If you’re based in Dublin we totally recommend that you check out Akina – it’s a firm Beaut.ie favourite.

IBPA Awards: Ones to Watch, The New Beauty-Central and Beauty-Voids

by Kirstie, April 11th, 2008 in Beauty News & Links |

Monart

On Monday we brought you the winners of this year’s IBPA Irish Beauty Awards. But there was more to the night than just those 16 winners. Above is a fab pic of Monart, which deservedly won the gong for Destination Spa of the year. The majority of the winners had reached a shortlist of 5, and from those lists we noticed some interesting things. We picked out ones-to-watch, areas that are beauty-central, and we also identified somewhere that seems to be sadly lacking in excellence. The results may surprise you!

Read the rest of this entry »

Stockists

by Admin, March 15th, 2008 in |

We know you love your products – and we also know how frustrating it is when you can’t seem to source them anywhere in Ireland. So to help you find yer goodies we’ve put together this stockists page.

But it’s not complete so:

  • Please email us if you know of a stockist that we don’t have on the list
  • If you’ve seen a product anywhere else that’s not mentioned here, let us know!
  • Distributors, please feel free to contact us with stores who carry your brands
  • As this is a product stockist list, we can’t list every individual salon or store who carries a brand. This is to keep the list helpful and easy to scan

A

  • Alchemist Earth, 10, Sarsfield Street Limerick, or call 061 404218
  • Alqvimia, at Alchemist Earth
  • American Crew,  01 886 9300; www.americancrew.ie
  • Anatomicals, at Arnotts and www.anatomicals.net
  • Anne Marie Borland, at Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary
  • Annick Goutal, at House of Fraser, Dundrum
  • Anthony Logistics, at Space NK
  • Anthousa, at Space NK
  • Apivita, at Shaws Department Stores and pharmacies nationwide
  • Apothia, at Brown Thomas Dublin
  • Aromatheraphy Associates, at spas, including Muckross Park, Killarney, The K Club, Pink Beauty Boutique Dundrum, 01 205 1022, and Space NK
  • Armani, Giorgio cosmetics, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork, and Dublin Airport
  • Arnotts, 12 Henry Street, Dublin 1, Ireland, 01 8050400
  • ArtDeco, at Shaws, Debenhams, selected beauty salons and other selected salons nationwide. Call 01 2864770 for one near you.
  • Aveda, at Brown Thomas, House of Fraser and Whetstone salons; at Carton House spa, Maynooth
  • Aveeno, at supermarkets
  • Avon, www.avon.ie or call 01 870 6540
  • Au Courant,  online at www.aucourant.ie or call for stockists on 01 205 1022

B

  • Babyliss, at Argos and department stores
  • Balm Balm, at Boots, Lovelula
  • Balm, the, at chemists including branches of Sam McCauley, or call 045 897 769, Arnotts, Make Up For Ever Clarendon Street, Dublin 2, Harvey Nichols, Dundrum
  • Barbara Daly, at Tesco stores nationwide
  • Barefoot Botanicals, at Alchemist Earth, Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary
  • Becca, at Mise Beauty, Dundalk, Arnotts
  • BeneFit, at department stores nationwide, and direct from Benefit
  • BarryM, at Superdrug stores, and selected Boots. www.barrym.com
  • Betty Beauty Cristalle Beauty & Day Spa, Mayo, 096 77391
  • Bharti Vyas, at Tesco stores nationwide
  • Biotherm, at Debenhams Henry Street, Dublin 1 and selected national pharmacies
  • Blinc, at Harvey Nichols
  • Bliss, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Limerick, BT2 stores and Harvey Nichols, Dundrum; also at Strawberrynet
  • Bloom, at Arnotts and Debenhams branches
  • Bobbi Brown, at Brown Thomas branches
  • Body Shop, stores nationwide
  • Bond No. 9, at Harvey Nichols
  • Bourjois, at chemists and Boots
  • Boylan & Balfe, www.boylanandbalfe.com
  • Brown Earth at LoveLula
  • Brown Thomas, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway, www.brownthomas.com
  • Brown Sugar, 50 South William Street, Dublin 2, 01 616 9967
  • Bumble and bumble, Peter Mark Salons, Space.NK, Harvey Nichols, Dundrum Town Centre & branches in Belfast, Sobe Brown, Cork city
  • By Terry, at Space NK

C

  • Caudalie, at Space NK
  • Cetaphil, at pharmacies, including Sam McCauley branches
  • Chanel, at department stores and good chemists, 01 4637379
  • Chantecaille, at Space NK, Dundrum
  • Clarins, at pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley and department stores, 01 2846477
  • Clerys, 18 – 27 Lower O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, 01 8786000
  • Clinique, at department stores nationwide and pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley
  • Corioliss, at salons, 0044 127346 1111
  • Cowshed, at Harvey Nichols and Mise Beauty, Dundalk
  • Creme de la Mer, at Brown Thomas, Harvey Nichols Dundrum, and Dublin Airport

D

  • Dr Hauschka, at Clerys, Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary, and health stores nationwide, 01 2896990
  • Dr LeWinns, at Arnotts
  • Dr Sebagh, at Brown Thomas Dublin
  • Danné, at salons, 01 2864770
  • Darphin, at Arnotts
  • Dayna Decker, at Space NK
  • Decleor, at salons, 01 72767373
  • Dermalogica, at salons nationwide, 1850 556785, Adonis Grooming
  • DDF, at Harvey Nichols
  • Dianne Brill, at Harvey Nichols
  • Dior cosmetics, at department stores and selected pharmacies
  • Diptyque, at Brown Thomas and Space NK
  • Dove, at supermarkets and pharmacies

E

  • Earth Mama Angel Baby, at Alchemist Earth
  • Egypt Wonder, at leading pharmacies, including Sam McCauley’s, Hickeys, Unicare and McCabe’s, also at Arnotts, Clerys and Shaws (Limerick, Wexford, Athy, Drogheda), Goods Dept Store Kilkenny and Haddens of Carlow
  • Elemis, at spas nationwide. 0044 127 8727830 and branches of Sam McCauley
  • Elemental Herbology, at Space NK
  • Elizabeth Arden, at department stores nationwide and selected pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley
  • Eminence, at Anne McDevitt, Wicklow Street; Castle Leslie Spa, Glaslough, Co. Monaghan
  • Erbaviva, at Space NK
  • Essence cosmetics, at Dunnes, Penneys, Heatons and pharmacies
  • Essential Care, at Nutri Centre, Dublin; Health Matters, Dublin; South William Street Pharmacy, Dublin; McSherry Pharmacy, Kilcoole; Organic Shop, Blackrock; All Things Organic & Natural, Nenagh
  • Essie, at selected salons nationwide
  • Estee Lauder, at department stores nationwide and selected pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley
  • Eucerin, at pharmacies
  • Eve Lom, at Revive, Milltown, Dublin 6, 01-2604781, and Harvey Nichols, Therapie, Molesworth Street and Space NK Dundrum
  • Eve Taylor, for stockists call 086 3247704

F

  • Faces cosmetics, at Arnotts and Navan Shopping Centre
  • Face2 cosmetics, At Make Up For Ever, Clarendon Street
  • Frederic Fekkai, at Space NK branches, Belfast, and Brown Thomas, Dublin
  • Fusion Beauty, at Mise Beauty and House of Fraser, Dundrum

G

  • Garnier, at supermarkets and pharmacies
  • GHD, at Peter Mark salons, nationwide
  • Giorgio Armani cosmetics, at Brown Thomas Dublin, Cork, and Dublin Airport
  • Girlaktic, at Queen Beauty Emporium
  • Givenchy, at department stores including Debenhams
  • Gosh, at pharmacies including City Pharmacy, Dame Street, Dublin 2
  • Green People, at Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary
  • Guerlain, at Arnotts
  • Guinot, at salons, 0818 719303

H

  • H2o+, at Clerys; O’Connors Pharmacy D4; Donaghmead Pharmacy D13; Barna Pharmacy; Health Express, Whitewater; Health Express, Scotch Hall; Montekins Pharmacy, Drogheda; McGuiness Pharmacy, Roscommon; Ferrybank Pharmacy, Arklow; McGreals Pharmacy, Blessington & Wicklow Pharmacy; House of Fraser, Dundrum.
  • Hamilton, at Rafferty’s Pharmacy Stillorgan, Murray’s Pharmacy Ballsbridge, Cabinteely Pharmacy, St Gabriels Pharmacy Clontarf, Slievemore Pharmacy Stillorgan, Dunville Pharmacy Ranelagh, Koolskin 2 Kingram Place Dublin 2, Laser & Skin Mullingar
  • Harvey Nichols, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16, 01 2910488
  • Hei Poa, at Harvey Nichols and HQhair
  • House of Fraser, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16, 01 2991400

I

  • Illamasqua, BT2, Grafton Street, Dublin 2
  • INA Crystals, at Space NK
  • Incoco nails, at pharmacies and Dunnes Stores
    Inglot, Unit 23A (beside Starbucks), Liffey Valley SC, Dublin 22, 01 6269 290 / 087 250 0260
  • Instiut Esthederm, at Space NK
  • Image Skincare, call 01 832 1412 for stockists
  • Isadora, at Arnotts; Shaws Department Stores; Debenhams Henry Street, Blanchardstown, Tallaght, Waterford, Blackrock, Tralee, Limerick, Patrick St Cork; (mineral makeup stocked at Debenhams Henry St, Tallaght, Waterford & Limerick); selected Unicare pharmacies; McCabes pharmacies and McCauley’s pharmacies.

J

  • James Brown haircare, at larger Boots stores
  • Jan Marini, www.dermico.co.uk
  • Jean Patou, at Brown Thomas and House of Fraser
  • Jemma Kidd, at Boots and Space NK at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum
  • Jergens, at pharmacies and supermarkets
  • Jessica Nails, at Queen Beauty Emporium, and salons
  • John Frieda, at supermarkets and chemists
  • John Masters Organics, at Alchemist Earth, Auriga Spa at Capella Castlemartyr, Space NK
  • Jo Malone, at Brown Thomas Dublin
  • Joico, at hair salons, 045 856 487
  • Jurlique, at Space NK

K

  • Kanebo, from Strawberrynet
  • Kath Kidston toiletries, Dundrum Town Centre, Avoca stores, and www.kathkidston.co.uk
  • Keraskin, at Mizu of Riverlane, Dundalk and Adore Salon, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork
  • Kerastase, at L’Oreal Professionel salons, including Peter Mark branches, 01 6045935
  • Kevyn Aucoin, at Queen Beauty Emporium
  • Kimberly Sayer at Lovelula
  • Kimia at LoveLula
  • Kohl, at Brown Sugar
  • Korres, at Harvey Nichols

L

  • La Prairie, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Nue Blue Eriu
  • La Roche-Posay, at chemists nationwide
  • Lancome, at department stores and pharmacies  including branches of Sam McCauley, nationwide
  • Laura Mercier, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Space NK
  • Lavera, at health food stores nationwide, www.evenone.com
  • Leighton Dennywww.beautydevil.ie, The Leighton Denny Nail Bar in House of Fraser 01 299 1429 and The Beauty Parlour in Terenure. For all other nationwide stockists phone 01 492 9977 for details.
  • Lipstick Queen, at Space NK
  • Liz Earle, QVC Beauty, www.lizearle.com and Wilde & Green, Miltown, Dublin 6
  • L’Occitane, branches nationwide. www.loccitane.com
  • L’Onglex, available nationwide at Dunnes, Superquinn, Spar and lots of smaller outlets
  • L’Oreal Paris, at chemists and supermarkets

M

  • MAC, at Brown Thomas, selected BT2 stores, and Dublin Airport
  • Matis, at salons. Phone 01 460 5055 for your nearest location
  • MD Formulations, at Queen Beauty Emporium and The Bodyclinic, 24a Wicklow Street, Dublin 2;
  • MD Skincare, no current known stockists;
  • Make-up Boutique, 585a Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7GS, www.themakeupboutique.co.uk
  • Make Up For Ever, 40 Clarendon Street Dublin 2, 01 6799043, Health Express Pharmacy, Whitewater S.C., Newbridge. 045 437728, Health Express Pharmacy, Scotch Hall S.C., Drogheda. 041 9844112
  • Mama Mio, at Alchemist Earth, Bump and Beyond, Swords, plus selected stockists nationwide, phone 01 4610 645 for a full listing.
  • Matis, 01 4605055; www.spi.ie
  • Maybelline, at chemists and supermarkets
  • Max Benjamin, at Brown Thomas, Avoca stores
  • Max Factor, at chemists, and Debenhams branches
  • Mise Beauty, Dundalk, www.misebeauty.com
  • ModelCo, at Space NK, Arnotts
  • Model.Me, at Boots
  • Models Prefer at QVC Beauty
  • Molton Brown, at spas, and shops at Dundrum Town Centre, Kildare Village, 21 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2, QVC
  • Murad, at Carter Beauty, Dun Laoghaire, Nue Blue Eriu and www.murad.ie

N

  • Nadur Organics, at health stores, boutiques and pharmacies nationwide, www.nadurorganics.ie
  • Nails INC, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork
  • NARS, at Brown Thomas Dublin
  • Natura Bisse, at Space NK
  • Naturelle D’argan, at pharmacies, call 01 845 5632
  • Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary, Duke Street, Dublin 2; www.nelsonshomeopathy.com
  • Neostrata, at chemists
  • Neutrogena, at chemists, supermarkets and Boots nationwide
  • Nivea, at supermarkets
  • Nix’ie, at The MakeUp Room, 7 Pembroke Place, Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Tel: + 353 1 678 5968; La Belle Dame 3 Stanhope Street, Athy, Co. Kildare. Tel: + 353 59 8632 982; Pearl Beauty Salon, 2 Thosel Street, Carlingford, Co. Louth. Tel: + 353 42 9373 799; Utopia Beauty Salon River Court, Paynes Lane, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. Tel: + 353 090 6450 111
  • No Scream Cream, at salons including Akina in Temple Bar
  • Nubar, at salons and pharmacies (pharmacy listing is available here)
  • Nude, at Space NK
  • Nuxe, at Mise Beauty, Dundalk, Arnotts, Clerys and pharmacies nationwide
  • NV Perricone, at Harvey Nichols
  • NYC (New York Colour),  at Sam McCauleys and selected pharmacies nationwide
  • NYX, at Flair cosmetics, www.flair.ie

O

  • Olay, at supermarkets
  • Ole Henriksen, Spirit One Spa, Galway and www.4men.ie
  • Omorovicza, at Harvey Nichols
  • OPI, at salons
  • Organic Surge, Boots Liffey Valley, Clerys, Dunnes, Hickeys, McCabes and Unicare pharmacies. You’ll also find it in independant pharmacies nationwide
  • Origins, at Arnotts, Clerys, House of Fraser, Boots Liffey Valley and Dublin Airport
  • Ormonde Jayne, www.ormondejayne.com

P

  • Pai, at Mise Beauty, Dundalk
  • Pangea, at Alchemist Earth, Nelsons Homeopathic Dispensary
  • Pantene, at supermarkets
  • Paul & Joe, at Seagreen, The Makeup Boutique, Belfast, Purity Everyday Elegance, Ballina and HQhair
  • Perron Rigot, at salons, 01 2864770
  • Peter Mark, nationwide, www.petermark.ie
  • Pevonia Botanica at Monart Destination Spa, and the Spa at the Heritage, Co. Laois
  • PFB Vanish, at Meaghers Pharmacy on Baggot Street, Barrow Street Pharmacy on Grand Canal, Prices Pharmacy on Clare Street/Nassau Street, Donnybrook Pharmacy
  • Philosophy, at Strawberrynet
  • Philip B, at Space NK
  • Pixi, at Mise Beauty
  • Poppy Organic, at Alchemist Earth
  • Prestige, at Boots
  • Proto-col, at Sam McCauley pharmacies
  • Pro-Ferm, at Space NK
  • PureLogicol, www.purelogicol.ie
  • Pureology, at salons nationwide including DUBLIN: Cats, Toni & Guy, Lime Hair Design, Kris Morton Hair Design. GALWAY: Red Cats, The Hut. CORK: Darcy’s Design. TRALEE: Patrick Hair Group. DUNDALK:  Colour Code. WATERFORD: Toni & Guy. LIMERICK: Cats hair salon.

Q

  • Queen Beauty Emporium, 66-67 Aungier St Dublin 2, 01 4789 633

R

  • Redken, at salons, 01 6045920
  • Revitalash, at www.dermico.co.uk
  • ReVive, at Space NK
  • REN, at Clerys; Nue Blue Eriu; Alchemist Earth, or call 01 4610645, also at Space NK
  • Revlon, at larger Boots stores (inc. Liffey Valley), Debenhams branches and indepedent pharmacies nationwide
  • Revlon Professional, 01 886 9300
  • Rimmel, at supermarkets and pharmacies
  • RoC, at pharmacies nationwide
  • Rodial, at Mise Beauty, Dundalk and Harvey Nichols, Dundrum
  • Roget and Gallet, at pharmacies 1890 812 741

S

  • Sam McCauley, for branches visit http://www.buy4now.ie/sammccauley/
  • Seagreen,12A The Crescent, Monkstown, Co. Dublin, 01 202 0130
  • Seavite, Debenhams, pharmacies, Tesco and health food stores
  • Sebastian Professional, at salons, or call 1800 236 303
  • Sheerin’oko, at Space NK
  • Shiseido, at department stores, including Arnotts and Brown Thomas, and selected pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley; or call 01 4569288
  • Shu Uemura cosmetics, at Strawberrynet
  • Shu Uemura Art of Hair, at Dylan Bradshaw, 5 Johnsons Place, Dublin 2 and Hession Hairdressing, Drumcondra, Dublin 7
  • Siana, at Aldi stores nationwide
  • Sisley, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork
  • Skinceuticals, www.dermico.co.uk
  • Smashbox,
    DUBLIN STOCKISTS: Aer Rianta, Dublin Airport, Arnotts, Henry Street, Clerys, O’Connell Street, Doherty’s Pharmacy – Beaumont, Dublin 9, Donaghmede Pharmacy, Donaghmede, Dublin 13, Hickeys Pharmacy, Rush, Co. Dublin, McCabes Pharmacy, City West Shopping Centre, Dublin 24, McCabes Pharmacy, Pavillion SC, Swords, Co. Dublin, Meaghers Chemist, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Meaghers Chemist, Sandford Road, Dublin 6, O’Regan Pharmacy, Clontarf, O’Connors Pharmacy, Sandymount, Dublin 4, Sports Pharmacy, Santry Demense, Santry, Dublin 9, Unicare, Rathborne, Dublin 15, Your Local Pharmacy, Sandyford, Dublin 18; House of Fraser, DundrumREGIONAL STOCKISTS: Aer Rianta, Shannon Airport, Burkes Pharmacy, Naas, Kildare, Cara Pharmacy, Main Street, Co. Cavan, Cara Pharmacy, Bundoran, Co. Donegal, Cara Pharmacy, Quayside, Co. Sligo, Chemco Pharmacy, Sandhill, Co Carlow, Dolans Pharmacy, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Duffys Pharmacy, Arklow, Duleek Pharmacy, Co. Meath, Hanlys, Pharmacy, New Ross, Co Wexford, Health Express , Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Health Express, Drogheda, Co. Louth, Health Express, Kilkenny, Falls Pharmacy, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, Briar Hill Pharmacy, Galway, Medwell Pharmacy, Tuam, Co. Galway. Matt O Flaherty, Moycullen, Co. Galway. Kelly’s Pharmacy, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Leo Walsh Pharmacy, Knocknacarra, Co. Galway, Maddens Pharmacy, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Magees Pharmacy, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, Maguires Pharmacy, Listowel, Co. Kerry, Mallow Late Night Pharmacy, Mallow, Co. Cork, McGuinness Pharmacy, Dundalk, Co. Louth, McGuinness Pharmacy, Roscommon, Medicare, Limavady, Co. Derry, Medicare, Strabane, Mellericks Pharmacy, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Montekins, Drogheda, Mulligans Pharmacy, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Mullingar Pharmacy, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Murrays Pharmacy, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, Nolans Pharmacy, Navan, Co. Meath, Rose Finlay Pharmacy, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ryans Pharmacy, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Sam McCauley’s Pharmacy, Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary, Wades Pharmacy, Gory, Co. Wexford, Martin Walsh Pharmacy, Carrigaline, Co. Cork
  • Snowberry, at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum
  • Soap & Glory, at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum and larger Boots stores
  • Sothys Paris, at spas and salons, or call 01 2864770
  • Space NK, at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum
  • Spiezia at LoveLula and Clerys
  • Stargazer, at New Look stores
  • St Tropez, at department stores and pharmacies including branches of Sam McCauley
  • Suki at LoveLula and Alchemist Earth

T

  • Talika, at Space NK;  Revive, Milltown, Dublin 6 and HQhair.com
  • Tanfastic, at www.tanfastic.net and department stores and pharmacies
  • Teo Cabanel, at Alchemist Earth
  • Tom Ford fragrance and cosmetics, at Brown Thomas Dublin and selected fragrance items at Harvey Nichols
  • Too Faced, at Debenhams and larger Boots stores
  • Trish McEvoy, at Brown Thomas Dublin and Harvey Nichols
  • Trilogy at LoveLula; Arnotts in Dublin, select pharmacies and health stores nationwide
    including Nourish, Unicarepharmacy and www.safiaorganics.ie. For a full list of stockists visit
    trilogyproducts.com.

U

  • Urban Decay, at selected Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser Stores. Ireland: Debenhams Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Blanchardstown, Foyleside, Limerick, Newbridge and Cara and Neary’s Pharmacy. Or, log onto hqhair.com, asos.com, beautyexpert.co.uk and lookfantastic.com

V

  • Vichy, at pharmacies nationwide
  • Vita Liberata, at Arnotts
  • Voya, www.voya.ie; VOYA The Seaweed Baths, Sligo; Dublin Airport; House of Fraser, Dundrum; La Spa Therapie, Dublin; Dunboyne Castle, Meath; One Pery Square, Limerick; BallyGarry House, Kerry; The Cliff House Hotel, Waterford; Cromleach Lodge, Sligo; Lavender Health Spa, Fermanagh; Delphi, Galway; The Twelve Barna, Galway; Dromoland Castle, Clare; Lough Erne Resort, Fermanagh; Bellinter House, Meath; Nue Blue Eriu, Dublin

W

Y

  • Yes to Carrots/Tomatoes/Cucumbers, at pharmacies, Boots and Shaws department stores, or call 01 2865976
  • Yon Ka, at salons, 01 8321108
  • Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, at department stores including Brown Thomas and Arnotts

Z

  • Zelens, at Space NK at Harvey Nichols, Dundrum and www.zelens.co.uk
  • ZPM, at Harvey Nichols

Microdermabrasion at Akina

by Kirstie, August 29th, 2007 in Anti-ageing, Brands, treatment & product reviews, Skincare |

microdermabrasionI’m a big fan of microdermabrasion, it must be said. For the uninitiated, it’s not as scary as it sounds – and it can be confusing too, because there’s also dermabrasion and dermal peels, and the three often get lumped in together. So what the divil is it, at all, at all? Well, microdermbrasion is a salon procedure that involves using a machine, a suction wand and aluminium crystals to exfoliate off the top layer of skin. You’ve probably also heard of home microdermabrasion products, but to be honest, they’re a thing apart again from a salon job.

I went to Akina in Temple Bar at the weekend to have a go of their new toy, a microdermabrasion machine which uses three types of crystal. The benefit of this is that it’s easier to very specifically target what is suitable for each person’s skin. So if someone is supersensitive, the machine can be calibrated to take that into account. Similarly, if someone has deep lines or pigmentation, and their skin can take it, the machine can be turned up to 11. OK, maybe not 11, but you get my Spinal Tap ref.

Read the rest of this entry »

Akina’s top beauty tips for summer

by Aphrodite, June 21st, 2007 in Anti-ageing, Diet & Wellbeing, Skincare |

Woman in hat environ skincare.jpgEavanna Breen of Akina in Temple Bar shared some of her top tips for summer beauty with me recently. As this is a topic we’ll all be wanting to know more about when our summer finally starts, here’s the benefit of her wisdom. Eavanna uses the Environ range in her salon, a range I’m very impressed with indeed. If you like Dermalogica, you’ll love Environ.

Here’s some of the summer skincare advice Eavanna gives to her clients.

We do need some sun exposure
“The body requires sunlight to produce Vitamin D and we need to be exposed to the sunlight for at least 10 minutes daily to produce it. It takes about 20 minutes to convert pre-vitamin D to active Vitamin D, so the longest one should stay in the sun is 20 minutes. It’s another one of those things in life where you have to find the right balance, too much sun is not good but we do need some.

Tan = long term skin damage
Remember that a tan is a scar! If you are tanning you are doing long term damage to your skin and you are at risk of developing skin cancer and premature aging.

.
Up your antioxidants
UV rays destroy the antioxidant vitamins A, C, E and D and so it is important to use a skincare range that replaces these vital antioxidant nutrients in your skin. Environ creams can replace the Vitamin A that is lost by sun damage within 3 hours. It would take 7 days to replace this through ingestion!

Take 1000mg of Vitamin C daily, it is an extremely important antioxidant and is beneficial in reducing sunburn. Vitamin C is a natural anti-inflammatory, so if you suffer with heat rash take 2-3 grams daily to help reduce it.

.
Protect yourself properly
When using a sunscreen it must be minimum SPF 15 and remember the higher you go does not necessarily mean that you are getting better protection. To be safe, use a sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and reapply every 2 hours when you are in direct sunlight. Even if you are sitting in the shade the reflective surfaces can bounce the UV rays onto the skin. Reapply after swimming even if it says it is waterproof. Wear lip protection, a large sunhat and sunglasses whenever you go out.

Hydrate
Drink plenty of water, in the summer months humidity levels are higher and therefore you loose more fluid through perspiration. A healthy skin is a hydrated skin. Stay away from iced drinks as they affect digestion and therefore build up toxins in the system leading to breakouts. Eating fruit and vegetables daily can also ensure that you are getting adequate water into the body and you are fighting free radicals at the same time.

.
Cleanse thoroughly
The skin can produce more sebum in the summer months. Therefore it is very important that you cleanse thoroughly every night to remove the excess build up of oil and debris. Try the Environ Claytech mask over night, it contains enzymes that will gently exfoliate your skin as you sleep, it also contains kaolin which is soothing and deep cleansing.”

I’ll be writing about Environ again shortly, so stay tuned. In the meantime: thank you Eavanna!

winner best blog and best beauty/fashion blog 2010
beaut.ie is hosted by blacknight

RECENT CHATTER

  • Holly: You should set up a PayPal account, it’s so simple and...
  • gossipgal: Breige Did that but end up looking at his profile...
  • kate: Ooh isn’t it pricey tho?
  • Cremster: Pennys in Henry St has it (i think it’s new enough...
  • Rach: aaagh what a nuisance, because it says it accepts maestro and...
spring summer 2010
makeup swatches

beauty blog network