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They say never meet your hero. Their hero must not have been Mr. François Nars, I got invited to meet him yesterday in Brown Thomas for the official launch of the new NARS boutique, which is amazing but I will get to that later.

François Nars has been one of my makeup heroes since forever, his work is both exciting and super simple. His super light touch when it comes to skin has shaped how I do makeup. Everyone will know his work even if you are not into makeup. His work features in some of the most iconic images from the 90’s. Although French he moved to New York in the mid 80’s and was literally at the epicentre of the fashion explosion in the early 90’s. Working with all the super models when they were just becoming supermodels, before they had the title. Mr. Nars moved to New York with hair legend Odile Gilbert, they shared an apartment, can you imagine that apartment, two creative masters in the one space! It would have been golden. Apparently they worked hard and played harder, going to mega clubs nightly and working long days, oh to be young and able to stay up after 11pm and go to work the next day.

  Mr. Nars has literally worked on every major fashion magazine on the planet, on faces have graced the cover of those magazines and Hollywood stars. In 1995 seeing a gap in the market for lipstick the NARS brand was launched in Barneys in New York, I was there a few months later and bought all 12 shades, I still remember how the almost rubber packaging was uber luxe and so different to anything available on the market and the actual product felt like nothing I had ever felt, heavy with pigment yet moisturising. It was a game changer in the lipstick world.

When the brand was launching as with all new brands they had zero money for things like photographers so Mr. Nars picked up a camera and shot the first campaign for the brand, and has not stopped shooting. The brand has gone from strength to strength since then and is sold all over the world. His blusher Orgasm is iconic it has the perfect amount of pink and peach for Irish skin and has a subtle sheen that makes skin look so healthy.

His beauty photography is astounding. It is really special and his understands light like a painting master. I think makeup artists and photographers look at the same things on jobs, we kind of understand what the other are looking for, but to be able to produce the images that he does is next level talented.

The new boutique in Brown Thomas is beautiful, it is so bright the lighting is incredible just like the products. My favourite products are The Multiple’s, these are sticks of colour that can be used for cheeks, lips and eyes, they come in 13 shades which of course includes the iconic Orgasm. The NARSassist Wanted palette is dreamy, this seasons limited edition palette has the most beautiful peachy shades, wonderful to make pale eyes really stand out and perfect for brightening dark eyes. The Longer than life eye liners are a staple in most makeup artists kits, super long lasting and they blend like a dream. And pretty mush all of NARS foundations are beautiful, I particularly love the stick foundations and the Radiant Longwear foundations. Also their brushes are stunning! Get yourself into the new boutique and have a play with the products in Brown Thomas Grafton Street.

Yesterday I met my makeup hero and it was amazing! Thank you @narsassist for the opportunity #NARS #Francoisnars They say never meet your hero. Their hero must not have been Mr. François Nars, I got invited to meet him yesterday in Brown Thomas for the official launch of the new NARS boutique, which is amazing but I will get to that later.

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YSL Touche Éclat All-in-one foundation

the new @yslbeauty #allInOne foundation is mega! I hope you love it as much as I do! #YSLBeautyIreland

I actually can not believe that I have not written since March 3rd, that is an absolute disgrace and I am sorry but the good news is I have literally been too busy to write. I have not been this busy in quite a while, with lots of early mornings and very late nights. It hasn’t been all work and no play, myself and Glenn went to Budapest for a few days to hang out with my friend Sara, which was…

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  Jo Malone started her business in her kitchen making up fragrances for her clients, pretty soon she was inundated with orders and her first brand Jo Malone London was born. Which as we all know was a phenomenal global success. She created some of the worlds most recognisable scents while heading up Jo Malone London. Lime, Basil & Mandarine is an iconic fragrance that both men and women love. In 1999 Jo sold her company to Estée Lauder Companies and she continued to be the creative director until 2006.

If you read my Christmas Gift guides you will remember that I wrote about Jo Loves in one of the. With candles, fragrance, body wash, hand wash, hand & body lotions and the first ever paint on fragrance. Before Christmas it was not available here but you can now get the brand on SpaceNK and it will very soon be available in-store if it has not already landed.

Jo Loves is just as luxurious as Jo Malone London but it has a super minimal quality to it. Red Truffle 21 is absolutely stunning, a light floral scent but lasts for hours.

  @JOLOVESofficial is the new brainchild of @JoMaloneMBE and it's perfect! Check it out in @spacenk this month. #JoLoves Jo Malone started her business in her kitchen making up fragrances for her clients, pretty soon she was inundated with orders and her first brand Jo Malone London was born.

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Urban Decay in the past few year has really come into its own. With mega textures and colours this brand is quickly becoming the makeup artists go to for funky colours. I am fully aware that I should like my mum, lets just move on. Their most recent collaboration is with Kirsten Leanne a YouTube sensation, now in fairness the type of makeup that Kristen does is not my bag, it’s the new wave of makeup where there is a lot of product used. So I wasn’t expecting much from the collection. But I was pleasantly surprised. You don’t have to use the collection like the kids do. The Golden Highlighter is beautiful, it actually just gives your skin a beautiful healthy glow, perfect for nights on the tiles or red carpet.

The Kaleidoscope Dream eyeshadow set is full of colour, and the pigment in these is outstanding. Adding a touch of a strong colour to your makeup instantly makes it more modern and cooler. An almost navy electric blue can look amazing with brown eyes. Just a hint of the lime green where your pupil would be if your eye were open can add drama and make your eyes look huge. The brush that comes in the kit is fab, with longer hairs than the one that comes with the Naked Palette i rather this one as you can get a super soft blend.

The Daydream eyeshadow palette is fab, all matte colours, but not too matte. And with a warm undertone to them all with look amazing on 90% of people. Be careful if you have green eyes they just may be a little too warm for them, have a try on in-store before you buy. I particularly love the orangey tone in the centre, I used this along the brow bone to add a warm flesh tone, it looked so beautiful, it may be my new favourite.

There are lipsticks and a single yellow almost mustard eyeshadow in the collection, which I love but it is not for everyone. All of the lipsticks are matte, so not my favourite but there is a really cool almost grey Liquid Vice lippy, that I will surely buy and quite possibly never use! But how often do you get your hands on a grey lipstick???

Available in the Urban Decay store on Grafton Street, online at UrbanDecay.com and at selected stores nationwide. Go have a play and have fun!

  Check out @Kirstenleanne x @urbandecay new collection. It is fun colourful and not just for kids! #udxkirstenleanne Urban Decay in the past few year has really come into its own. With mega textures and colours this brand is quickly becoming the makeup artists go to for funky colours.

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Nude lips have always been and will always be in fashion. Since the days of Spice lip-liner from MAC in the 1990’s women have been in search for the perfect nude. There are so many great brands that really good nudes, but there are so many terrible nude lipsticks around, too many! For me the perfect nude has to have some colour, I hate nothing more than a lipstick that is the same colour as your skin, it makes you look dead people. Colour is needed to make your pout look full and youthful.

Chanel make some of my favourite lipsticks on the planet. You’ll notice that none of these are matte, again you want your lips to look hydrated and full. Starting from the top left I ave Rouge Coco, an ultra hydrating lipstick in a brown/pink colour called Marie, this literally suits everyone. Then the very top right corner is Rouge Coco Shine in Rendez Vous, this is almost a hybrid of a lipstick, gloss and balm in a traditional lipstick bullet, easy to apply and perfect for these cold days and dehydrated lips. Under that is Message from the Rouge Cococ Stylo again a hybrid of lip care and colour but its almost like a crayon and so easy to apply. Finally from Rouge Coco is Rouge Angélique a super hydrating yet hugely pigmented lipstick that glides on your lips with a full coverage yet super soft finish. All of the Chanel lipsticks are €35.00.

When it comes to lipstick texture very few can rival YSL’s Rouge Pur Couture. No. 9 is a wonderful deep nude. But this set exclusive to Brown Thomas has one of my favourite reds ever made no. 9, I know it is not nude but it’s a beauty, give it a go. This set comes in at €60.00 and is only available while stock lasts so get your skates on.

Tom Ford make great lipsticks. FACT. And colourise they are so exciting with perfect nudes for deeper skin tones, which are hard to find. The texture and feel of them is amazing with so many to choose from you really can’t go wrong. The cost is €48-€49 for the full size one but also available are mini sizes that cost €33. Perfect for your handbag, I always use these for clients that are going to a red carpet event or wedding the lipstick takes up zero space in their clutch.

Clinique’s colour cosmetics are forgotten about all the time, people just think of them as a skincare brand. But no their lipsticks are fab. I particularly love Chubby Sticks, almost like a mix between a thick liner and a lipstick, makes for easy peasy application. Their pep-start lip conditioner is my new favourite lip balm, hydrates your lips perfectly! Best news is that their lipsticks only cost €20.

L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Nudes are genius, six nude shades for all skin colours, I am not a fan of the palest colour but the rest of them are a hit for me. Best bit, they cost just €10.49 or if you buy in Boots you get 3 for 2, so basically they are free!

  My perfect nude lipsticks. With my favourites from @chanel @yslbeauty @cliniqueuk @tomford @lorealparis Nude lips have always been and will always be in fashion. Since the days of Spice lip-liner from MAC in the 1990's women have been in search for the perfect nude.

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Skin issues

How Your Skin Type May Impact Your Skin Tightening Choices

If you are upset because your skin is starting to sag then you are in good company. Many people just like you and I struggle with sagging skin all the time. That is why the skincare industry has created so many different ways to treat skin sags over the years. However, just because many treatments for skin sagging exist, this does not…

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What’s better than one Alpha H Liquid Gold??? Two that’s what! This month on Cloud 10 Beauty when you buy one of the iconic Liquid Gold from Alpha H you will get another one absolutely free. I have been using it for years, I have wrote about the brand many many times and basically tell everyone to at least get Liquid Gold. I am a mega fan of the Liquid Gold body-wipes too. They do for your body’s skin what the original Liquid Gold does for your face. Unfortunately they are not included in the sale.

What makes Liquid Gold so dam good is the incredible ingredients that are inside. With 5% Glycolic Acid, Silk Protein and Licorice Root Extract, Liquid Gold exfoliates, firms and brightens to tackle common skin concerns like dullness, sun damage, hyperpigmentation and fine lines. This one-step overnight treatment delivers the benefits of a toner, exfoliator, serum and moisturiser to give your skin an amazing boost. It is basically 5 products in one.

I pretty much love anything this brand has to offer, from hand cream, it’s proper amazing to their beautiful lip balm. So if a Liquid Gold is out of you budget you can be sure to find something from the brand that fits your purse strings. But if you can stretch the budget and get two for one, your skin will thank you!

  Who doesn't love free stuff when you buy skincare?? @cloud10beauty have a buy one get one free on @alphaH Liquid Gold What's better than one Alpha H Liquid Gold??? Two that's what! This month on Cloud 10 Beauty…

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Now, if you read my blog you will know that I am not a fan of primers. I generally don’t like how they feel, I think they are another expense that is unnecessary and a lot of them feel terrible on the skin. I barely ever use them, unless a client has serious acne scaring then I will use one….. until now!

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The new SOS Primers from Clarins are more like skincare than a traditional primer. With a slight tint to deal with skin issues, a green tint for people that suffer from redness in their skin, perfect for people that suffer with rosea. If you suffer from pigmentation spot the coral one is perfect, if you’re feeling tired, hello January, the pink one makes your skin look rested and healthy. For radiance get the white one, not so much a colour corrector then a instant lighting effect on your skin, I applied this first and then added some to a foundation that was one shade too dark for the model and the result was beautiful luminous skin, like really beautiful skin. For sallow skin that you want to brighten up get the lavender shade and your skin will appear brighter instantly. Finally for imperfections like dark circles or thread veins try the peach one. I have used a couple of different ones on clients that had red cheeks and dark circles, so I used the red one on the cheek and the peach one on the nose and under eye and then the white one on the rest of the face and the results were beautiful. The skin felt fab, there is zero residue of product that can effect the performance of makeup that you apply on top. Do gives these a go if you have any skin issues.

  Fancy covering any redness or other irritating skin issue before you start your makeup?? Check out @clarins new #SOSprimers Now, if you read my blog you will know that I am not a fan of primers.

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For years I used the mint & rosemary shower gel, but somewhere along the line I forgot about it and never bought it anymore. On a recent trip to London I got reacquainted with the brand and my love affair with Aveda has begun again.

The brand which is so well known as a hair brand, their shampoo’s and styling products are beautiful, has so much more going on. It has been cruelty free since its conception in the 70’s, they do not test on animals, I have verified this on the PETA website. Their packaging is made from 100% recycled material, the reason that they don’t have highly coloured packaging is because they don’t like to use too much dye when making their packaging. The packaging is also 100% recyclable so can go string into your green bin. They use natural ingredients whenever possible, a lot of their products have a massive 98% of natural ingredients. And finally the smells, oh the smells are divine.

The Chakra body mists are wonderful. I am not sure if I believe in chakra’s etc but I do believe in aromatherapy and how certain scents can make you feel different. I got Chakra 4 which is all about harmony, I keep it at my desk and spritz it every time I think of it, almost like a room spray. I am sure the good people at Aveda will be raging!!

The Be Curly range was a definite favourite of mine when I didn’t tie my hair up. There is something about it that just works for curls, there’s a wheat ingredient in it that stops any moisture from the atmosphere from getting into your hair, moisture is the enemy for curly haired people, moisture = frizz. Now that I tie it up I don’t have use for the curl cream, which is magical. But they launched the Be Curly co-wash which is a conditioning light shampoo, perfect for me, I don’t have the time or will to be using a conditioner in the shower but this does everything. I wouldn’t recommend using this alone if you have long curly hair, get the conditioner!

They have just relaunched Invati, which is a 3 step programme for thicker fuller hair. I just got this yesterday so have not tried it yet but will do a post in a few weeks when I can tell the results.

I have managed to get my hands on the Rosemary Mint shower gel as yet but as soon as I am in Brown Thomas it is coming home with me!! It has a slightly cooling feeling in the shower, nothing dramatic like some of the brands just a refreshing hint of mint.

  My long lost love @avedaUK has been revitalised. Check out some of my favourites. For years I used the mint & rosemary shower gel, but somewhere along the line I forgot about it and never bought it anymore.

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Before Christmas I wrote about a Frederic Malle fragrance in one of my Christmas Gift Guides, and I promised to tell you all more about the brand, sorry it took so long! Frédéric Malle was born into dynasty of French perfumers, his grandfather, Serge Heftler-Louiche, founded Parfums Christian Dior before passing on its direction to Frédéric’s mother. While working in the prestigious perfume laboratory Roure Bertrand Dupont he acquired extensive knowledge of raw materials and olfactory balance. It was while he worked here for twenty-five years that he became with the leading perfumers in the industry. When Frédéric Malle set up Editions de Perfums these elite perfumers all accepted his invitation to join and they set out to revive the luxury perfumery industry. Set up in the mid 90’s when we all bought fragrance because of who was on the posters, not what they smelled like. If Kate Moss was not the face of Obsession would 90% of girls have worn it? Maybe not. In the past perfume was a whole different experience, yes it was not as affordable as it was not mass produced, the ingredients were rarer and more difficult to cultivate, all this meant that the scents were interesting and would stop you in  your tracks when you got a whiff. I will never forget being in a 90’s rave and the smell of Dior’s Fahrenheit and sweat was all you could smell, it was very sickening.

With the imminent demise of the perfume industry, Frédéric Malle decided to bring back what the industry used to be and make it great again. Giving creative freedom to the perfumers that joined him to create some of the worlds most beautiful fragrances. What is different with the brand is that the creator/perfumer who designed the fragrance is front and centre, they actually have images of them on the boxes. No other brand celebrated the perfumer like this, even now most brands do not publicise who created the fragrance. In essence he created a publishing house for perfume, where perfumers create a scent and get full credit for their work, it is a genius idea. My personal favourite is Dominique Ropion who makes the most incredible and complex floral fragrances.

Another thing that I think is great is that the fragrances are priced individually, so depending on the cost of the raw materials the price can change. All too often we are charged the same price for a fragrance from a house but some of them would be far less expensive for them to make. We are paying for the brand name, the celebrity who is endorsing it, the beautiful packaging even the uber famous singer who is singing on the ad.

Now with all the beautiful and rare ingredients this brand is not cheap, it is definitely an investment. There is one scent called The Night which has a heavy oud fragrance and it costs €650. This fragrance was not for me (thank goodness) but I had smelt it on one of my clients and to be honest didn’t really like it. It has a definite audience and a gay makeup artist is not part of it! Now they do have the most beautiful fragrances, Carnal Flower being my absolute favourite, with Tuber rose being the main star of the show but it also has a warmth to it that most floral fragrances don’t have, I was actually stopped in a shopping centre and asked what I was wearing, I almost didn’t want to tell them what it was as I don’t want anyone to have my fragrance!! But here I am telling y’all about it so of course I did tell them. The cost of the fragrances range from about €100 to €250, excluding The Night, so be sure to ask what the cost is before you commit to purchasing it. There is one guy who works on the counter in Brown Thomas who has incredible knowledge of the brand and fragrance notes.

If you are sick of just buying the same fragrance as everyone else you have to check out Frederic Malle. Before Christmas I wrote about a Frederic Malle fragrance in one of my Christmas Gift Guides, and I promised to tell you all more about the brand, sorry it took so long! 

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In 2016 The Natural Sleep Company did a survey of over 1800 people (79% female and 21% male), and the results are so interesting. As it happens our bed is from The Natural Sleep Company and it is so comfortable (just to be very clear this is not an ad and I didn’t get my bed for free, but I will be needing a new mattress in about 5 years if anyone wants to donate :))

A staggering 56% of people are kept awake at night by a racing mind, that’s far too much worry for my liking. While you can’t change some of the factors that hinder our sleep like dreams and babies, even noise can be difficult to change if you live in an urban area. But most things we can help figure out.

    Room and bed temperature is easy to fix, once your bed partner is on board with any changes. If you and your partner feel the cold differently you can wear more clothes, wear pyjamas or ever a pair of fluffy socks. I don’t feel the cold especially when in bed but poor Glenn can be frozen, I would have the window open 365 days a year but we came to an agreement that it had to be closed from December to March, but in fairness the window has been open for the last week. I have gone to bed and found Glenn in a hat and many layers of clothes in the past, I agreed that he could close the window that night. When it comes to dreams there is really nothing you can do. Where noise is concerned you can get ear plugs if you can’t make the noise stop, I got earplugs that you mould to your ear so they are comfortable. I have unusually small ears, I can’t use earphone that you put inside the ear as they literally kill me (I may be being a tad dramatic). These mouldable earplugs are magic, I find the foam ones to be too big and always fall out of my ears during the night. There are loads of brands available in your local pharmacy. Discomfort is an easy fix, get a new mattress, we are supposed to get a new mattress every 8 – 10 years, that’s far more frequent than I expected. When buying a new mattress be sure to proper lie in the bed in the store, have a good aul toss around the bed, I rather a hard mattress but lots of people prefer a soft one that hugs your body. Every bed shop will have all of the different firmness options available to test out. The best news is that with the arrival of huge stores like Ikea you can get a good quality mattress for a good price now, so be sure to shop around and find a bargain. Now for the massive 56% of you who’s sleep is interrupted by a racing mind there are lots of things you can do and products that you can use to help calm the mind.

After the breakdown of the relationship with my business partners me and sleep were not on speaking terms, I basically didn’t sleep any more, I was worried sick 100% of the time. I read on a blog somewhere to keep a notebook and pen by your bed, if something pops into your head write it down in the notebook, get it out of your mind. I know this sounds super simplistic but honestly it really works, I think the physical writing it down makes your brain think that you have dealt with the issue, that it is sorted. It really worked with the majority crazy that was in my mind. A friend bought me Neom’s pillow spray, I was doubtful if a spray would change my sleep pattern, I am an awful doubting thomas, but it genuinely does help. A few sprays onto the pillow a couple of minutes before going to bed and you’re sorted for a good deep nights sleep. Also dealing with issues and not, like me make like an ostrich and put your head in the sand, will calm your mind. Talk them out, be them small or big you have to off-load. There are so many services available to us now that are free and super easy to get in contact with. I am lucky that I have so many people that I can talk to, but many are not that lucky. The Samaritans are an incredible service and you can contact them free of charge on 116 123.

Now for the beauty bit, there are two brand that I use all the time. Neom and This Works. Both of them are amazing and totally work, I promise. Neom is an organic range that was set up in 2005, using the best possible ingredients and highest quality oils the products are simply beautiful. When I burn the candles in my sitting room the scent is strong, never overpowering, and it travels throughout my house. I only ever buy the Scent to Sleep range, all of the fragrances are beautiful but I love the Scent to Sleep. I always have a candle in the sitting room, the bath/shower drops in the bathroom and the pillow spray in the bedroom. I had not been using the pillow spray for a while as my sleep pattern is okay at the moment, after not sleeping right for over a year with my gallbladder issues after I had it out in December and got over the second unplanned surgery and bloodless and transfusion, my sleep was great. But Glenn sprayed it last Friday night on both our pillows and we were asleep until 11am the following morning from before midnight, over 11 hours sleep, it was magical and I felt the benefits for days. They have just launched a new Scent to Sleep face oil, that you apply to you face, hint is in the name, every night and it a) helps you sleep with its powerful formula of antioxidants, omega complex and oils rich in vitamins.  It works hand in hand with your pillow spray to give you the best nights sleep whilst working hard to restore skin overnight. I love a double jobber when it comes to beauty!!

This Works is the other brand that I have a long standing love affair with, last year they launched Sleep Plus+ which is proper magical and knocks you out in minutes. It does have a stronger lavender scent than Neom, but I love the smell of lavender so it works for me. Burning the candle in the sitting room for at least an hour before you go to bed really sets you up for a good sleep. And the new Sleep Plus spray works throughout the night, every time you move in bed the movement releases the scent and keeps you in a deeper sleep than normal. The whole lot can be used together or just one, I find using the candles and the pillow mist is more than enough, but if you are a troubled sleeper you can try the lot!

  Want a better sleep??? In 2016 The Natural Sleep Company did a survey of over 1800 people (79% female and 21% male), and the results are so interesting.

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2017 was a pretty shit year to be honest, we had a death in the family that shook us to the core and left us all broken. And then to finish the year off I had to have a routine operation which turned into major drama with internal bleeding and a rush to emergency surgery the following morning. It was zero craic. But I am feeling better now and ready for the new year to start.

Ref: Bridal Beauty #2 MUA: Leonard Daly Hair: Lydia Hair Pro Model: Blathnaid for Distinct Date: 17/07/2017 BRYAN JAMES BROPHY – PHOTOGRAPHER studio: [phone] mob: [phone] bryanjamesbrophy.com

Ref: Bridal Beauty MUA: Leonard Daly Model: Abi Duffy for Morgan The Agency Flower Crown by Florist AnnaJoy O’Gorman Date: 17/07/2017 BRYAN JAMES BROPHY – PHOTOGRAPHER studio: [phone] mob: [phone] bryanjamesbrophy.com

Last year I set up The Beauty Agency with my friend and mega hairdresser Lydia O’Carroll, our aim is to provide a hair and makeup service for weddings, events, parties really anything you need makeup for. But the difference is that both myself and Lydia work with a very light hand. Our style is to make you look like the best version of yourself. I have been to so many weddings and events and seen women who normally wear minimal makeup with a full face of makeup on, more than a Kardashian and with hair so ‘done’ it does not move. Now I understand that this is what a huge amount of women want but for the others who just want to look great and like themselves I didn’t think that it was easy to find a team that does natural makeup and hair. So fingers crossed 2018 will be the year The Beauty Agency makes a splash! The stunning images above were created with the help and talent of some of our great friends and colleagues, thanks so much Sarah Doyle, Emily Quinn, Bryan James Brophy, Catherine Condell, Thalia Heffernan, Rebecca Morgan at Morgan the Agency for giving us all the beautiful girls, Louise Kennedy, Alison Conneely, Mark from Shop the Garden and Elaine Madigan. Who all gave their time and talent for free to create the images, thank you!

2018 we are coming for you!! 2017 was a pretty shit year to be honest, we had a death in the family that shook us to the core and left us all broken.

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Tom Ford is a god! I am a huge fan of his makeup range, like a huge fan! One of his cream shadows are used every time I do makeup, be it a nude golden brown or a strong colour, nobody can touch their quality. If you’re at a loss for Christmas ideas anything from Tom Ford will be met with squeals of excitement. And you don’t have to get the full lip collection, which you can in a beautiful box. You can get a clutch sized lipstick for €35.00 or a full sized one for €49.00.

Above is the Winter Soleil eye & cheek palette, I adored the summer version, this one is a bit more disco with that sparkly purple. It has a RRP of €114.00. The cheek colour and highlighter is beautiful, it is a nude pinkish colour and perfect for Irish skin tones.

Also new to the brand are these individual eye shadows, this is the first time the brand has given us single eye shadows and true to form they launched 30 at the same time, this brand does not do things by half. There is a mix of textured from luxe matte, which is not too dry looking to semi-shine and then full on disco. I have picked out my favourites above. The RRP is €35.00.

This eye gloss is possibly my favourite product launch in years! I love nothing more than wet glossy eye, in shoots I add some 8 Hour Cream on top of shadows but it can get messy and would never work in the real world but this is a game changer. Although it is a gloss and you get that wet look it doesn’t feel too sticky, it almost sets on top of your eyeshadow to a lacquered finish. Works wonderfully on top of a smokey eye to give it that lived in sexy vibe but works equally well on a very nude barely there eye makeup. Actually it’s so beautiful.

Last minute shopping?? @tomford will always make them happy! Tom Ford is a god! I am a huge fan of his makeup range, like a huge fan!

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Christmas Gift Guide #8

@BobbiBrown have the best Christmas gifts that they will love!!!

Bobbi Brown is a powerhouse of a makeup brand. It was the first brand to bring a foundation with a yellow undertone to the market and since then the brand innovate products are firm favourites all over the world. Their Serum foundation that launched last year is incredible, works as both skincare and foundation but neither is better than the other, both are mega!

The centerpiece of their…

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If you really want to spoil someone this Christmas I have the perfect gifts that they will love!

First up is this amazing set from Victoria Beckham for Estee Lauder. It comes with six products from her collection, the instant iconic nude lipstick called Victoria, it is really the perfect nude shade. The incredible pressed powder, one of my clients loved this so much I had to give her one of mine, theres a nude lipliner and gloss and finally the beautiful highlighter, which I have been using as a multipurpose product, as it has a bit of colour its perfect as a light blush or on top of a blusher and blended up towards your temple makes for the perfect colour grade blush. But the best thing about this is the beautiful leather bag that they come with. It is a typical Victoria Beckham bag, stunning leather bulky zip and hardware but so beautiful! This is too nice to use as a makeup bag, it makes the perfect clutch bag. It is exclusive to Brown Thomas and has a RRP of €650.00.

La Mer is always a very welcome gift for anyone, like everyone! For christmas they have limited edition packaging of the iconic Crème de la Mer original cream moisturiser. Also a limited edition of the lip balm which has a soft pink tint to it but still has the fab mint flavour, this is one of my favourite lip balms, I always have one on the go. Glenn is not allowed use it as he digs his fingers in and takes huge amounts of it out and at €60 a pop it’s too good for that!!And finally they have a limited edition Illuminating Powder, a pressed powder that gives skin a healthy glowing complexion, this is the first of this type of powder from the brand but in the summer they bring out a limited edition bronzer which is beautiful so this won’t disappoint! All of the above are sold separately if you want a pre-packed beauty they have five available and starting at €75.00 for the Replenishing Collection which has a lip balm and hand lotion, which diminishes the signs of age spots on the hands, and comes in a really cute bag. To really spoil her The Ultimate Sculpting Collection will have her/you screaming for joy. Inside you get a full size 60ml Crème de la Mer and two editions of the Lifting and Firming Mask – one full-size and the other mini-treatment edition ideal for travel, if I am doing a client for red carpet or an event were they will be photographed lots I always apply this mask.

Blow the budget this year with goodies from @victoriabeckham and @lamer #christmasGiftGuide If you really want to spoil someone this Christmas I have the perfect gifts that they will love!

[leonarddaly-blog]

Everyone loves some home fragrance, like who doesn’t love a good candle burning??? I certainly do, and you will always find my favourites burning in Gleonard Towers. I have three favourite brands, all of which have a variety of scents to choose from, so you don’t have to get the floral scents that I always choose from.

Neom is my favourite brand at the moment, I recon I will get one more night out of my three wick Scent to Sleep candle. This brand is beautiful, fully organic with the highest quality ingredients and scents that send you to another place entirely. I always buy the Scent to sleep range, the candle has a powerful scent which is never overpowering, it just calms you down and does help bring you to a more serene sleep.  If I am having a bout of insomnia I burn the candle, use the bath/shower oil and then spray the pillow mist liberally just before going to sleep and it genuinely does help. For Christmas the brand always bring out a couple of Christmasy scents, which are beautiful. I really do appreciate them but I always just but my usual fragrance but as a gift I think the Christmas ones are perfect. There is a certain routine in choosing your scent from Neom, so what I need from the range may very well not be what others need, they do scent to calm& relax, scent to make you happy, scent to boost your energy and scent to de-stress. Within the range they have one and three wick candles, I always get the three wick ones as you get so much more value from them, and you genuinely only have to burn them for 40 mins and you get the whole evening out of the scent. They also have a travel size candle, which are a great tester for your home. They have reed diffusers in the range that actually work, I have bought many reed diffusers in my time, some of them mega bucks and they never work, but these do. I still rather a candle or room spray, I like a strong hit of fragrance!! Neom is available in Brown Thomas or online where you can avail of 20% off until midnight tomorrow.

I couldn’t talk about home fragrance and not talk about Jo Malone, these are the original luxury home fragrance. This years Christmas is bright and fun, with candy stripes in really bright colours that will for sure brighten up your Christmas! They are packaged beautifully and everyone loves to get a Jo Malone bag! They have so many fragrances available in home fragrance, Lime, Basil & Mandarin is my favourite. The Christmas scent is Green Almond and Redcurrant and it is delicious! Jo Malone is available in Brown Thomas nationwide, BT2 in Dundrum and now it is in Arnotts!

Diptyque has been one of my favourite home fragrance brands for years, in particular Tubereuse. It is so fresh and beautiful and the room spray fragrance lasts for an age! When you spray it  the fragrance lasts for hours in the room, which is generally not what happens with room sprays. Available from Brown Thomas and Space NK this brand is a beaut! Of course I love Tubereuse, which is Tuber Rose scented which is having a huge moment in fragrance at the moment with Chanel, Aerin Lauder, Estee Lauder and all major fragrance brands using it in recent launches. I have been using it for years!!!

Jo Loves is the new brand from the creator of Jo Malone, after some years not working she has come back to business with a bang and with her she brings her unique sense of smell with some of the most beautiful fragrances I have tried in years! Unfortunately the brand is not available to purchase in Ireland as yet, but they do online sales and their customer service is impeccable. The products come beautifully packaged and well wrapped up for traveling! My favourite is Red Truffle 21, it is floral but has an unusual scent to it, unusual in a very very good way! I have the hand wash and lotion, and I am planning on getting the candle when I run out of the couple that I have ready to go. I tend to buy candles in bulk, meaning when I have money in the bank that is burning a hole in my wallet I buy things that I will use eventually! Candles and room sprays being the ones that I tend to buy mostly! Jo was a guest at a recent Image Magazine event and she had a pop up store at the event which apparently sold out, so I am guessing that a full time store will open in the future or at lease there will be a concession in a department store, please do open one Jo!! As with all of her original fragrances there is a mix of floral, Oud and spice in the list of fragrances so something for everyone. Their website is great and will quickly have you ordering far too many gifts for others so you will have to keep some for yourself!

Home scent is perfect and with the return of @jomaloneMBE @JOLOVESofficial it's getting hot! Everyone loves some home fragrance, like who doesn't love a good candle burning??? I certainly do, and you will always find my favourites burning in Gleonard Towers.

[leonarddaly-blog]

Christmas Gift Guide #5 On a budget under €20

Christmas gifts for under €20!

If your group spend up to €20 there’s literally loads out there.

This Chrome Kit from Sally Hansen is mega! And in the colour of the moment Rose Gold their nails will get plenty of outings over the festive season.

This gift set from Trilogy is brilliant, it has handbag sized products which are perfect for travelling and also great to introduce this product range to someone new. It has the…

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