An Introduction to Eve Lom

Eve Lom is a brand that I just came across recently and from the very first product I was hooked. Here, I look at a couple of their most renowned products and fill you in on why they are cult classics.

Eve Lom's products really are a thing to behold and their famed Cleanser really is a wonder. You have to try it to really understand why there is so much fuss about a simple cleanser but simple it is not and little pot of magic is a lot more suitable description. Everything I have tried from the brand is the best version of each particular product on the market and here I take a look at the Eve Lom Cleanser, Kiss Mix lip balm and the Morning Time Cleanser. Once you discover the brand it's very hard not to want to try everything they produce to be quite honest and see what other wonders they are capable of.

Sizzling Summer Skincare from Nuxe, Kiehl's, Nivea, Eucerin, Erborian & Bioderma

There is nothing quite like the feeling of warm summer sun on your skin and how great it is for body and soul to get some Vitamin D and a little bit of a glow. However sun care skincare is so vital and finding the right products to look after your skin during the summer months to protect and hydrate is essential. I've been researching summer products for the last couple of years and here is my essential edit of the very best sunshine skincare.

When it comes to taking care of your skin during the summer months two aspects are vital to prevent skin damage and even skin cancer. First and foremost sun protection. Whatever your skin type you have to use an SPF. No potential tan is worth the consequences of sun damage. If you are fair and don't tan, just accept it and relish your beautiful pale skin and never forget to pack your SPF50. If you do tan you still need to protect your skin from the harmful sun rays and you can still get a great colour while wearing high sun factor.

Erborian BB Creme Au Ginseng

After hearing so much praise about Korean French brand Erborian, trying out their most renowned product, BB Créme Au Ginseng, I could see after just one use what all the fuss was about making it an absolute staple in my skincare and makeup regimes.

Erborian was born of a meeting of minds between Korean scientist Hojung Lee and a French beauty expert and globe trotter Katalin Berenyi who came together through their quest for finding the best beauty solutions across the world. The product that caused such a stir in the beauty world that was a result of their creative collaboration was the Erborian BB Créme Au Ginseng which is known for being the perfect alliance between skincare and cosmetics.

Tailor made skin care

Tailor-made! Beauty made for you 

Kiehl’s Apothecary Preparations

Urban Decay brand new Naked Foundation range - widest range of skin colours which UD rep will find exact match for, like the original palettes as close to no make up make up you can find for perfect skin

Clarins Booster range -  one or more can be added to any skincare treatment product to meet exactly your needs in one fell swoop, Repair, Detox, 

In all the time I’ve been writing about beauty, a delight and passion I developed after a serious illness that caused my whole system inside and out to all drastically react in a way I’ll never forget, but what ended up beginning as a purely practical thing to make some very brutal scars, one after the other, look a lot less angry and scary, to two very serious periods of malnutrition (an unfortunate side effect from certain, as far as I’ve experienced, situations that lead to dramatic, extremely urgent emergency surgeries, experiencing dry skin for the first time, and add to the mix massive weight loss when, for someone already almost always about two stone under their BMI, went as far as four stone under the bare minimum then and a very boring series of variations of this for years that between drastically losing a stone or two within a week to ten days, again like the facial skincare, for the first time, I had to deal with a body that was yo-yoing up and down so dramatically, the effect that has on your body; especially particular areas familiar to most women i had been fortunate enough in so many regards to also never have to think twice about when all of a sudden, after alontcaused so much comfort 

An Introduction to Malin + Goetz

It's pretty wonderful when you can tell from the first time you try a brand you're going to love all of their products and Malin + Goetz is certainly one of those brands. Here I take a look at their stand out products.

I originally discovered Malin + Goetz during a stay at the remarkable Marker Hotel in Dublin who use exclusively Malin + Goetz toiletries in their rooms. Quite the treat! It was love at first use with their hair and body care products and, after reading so many good reviews of their cult Lip Moisturiser and Vitamin E Face Moisturiser I had to try them out too and they certainly didn't disappoint. After using the brand for a few months it's plain to see that Malin + Goetz strive for simple, well researched, and highly effective products.

Give it a Glow! An Introduction to Apivita

It was just by chance I came upon Greek Brand Apivita a couple of months ago and in it I found one of the most glowingly effective,immediately revitalizing skincare products.

While in Spain with a friend before Christmas we constantly had our eyes open for quality skincare brands that either we'd never heard of before or brands that we had heard people rave about but hadn't been available over here in Ireland or in the UK where my friend lives. It was a pampering and relaxing holiday, badly needed by both of us, so we had a lot of fun popping on face masks and trying out new products but one in particular really surprised us both.

Stranger Than Fiction: The Story of Eliza Lynch

After learning of one of Ireland's most colourful emigrants of all time I spoke to co-author of The Lives of Eliza Lynch: Scandal and Courage Dr Ronan Fanning upon the release of this engaging biography about the fascinating story of an Irish woman who was virtually unknown in her home country, but made a huge impression to this day in South America, and of the dramatic tale of how the book was written.

When former diplomat Michael Lillis was first regaled about the story of the fascinating but almost completely unknown in her home country Irish-born Eliza Lynch by the then Paraguayan President General Andrés Rodríguez while on a visit to the country, little did he know the following ten years or so would become something of a treasure hunt to find out the truth behind one of the most revered and loathed women in South American History. He was also unaware of how the process of researching and writing The Lives of Eliza Lynch: Scandal and Courage would become something of a gripping tale of its own accord.

Batten Down the Lashes

 I’ve never been a fan of fake eyelashes but maybe it’s just my own experience. Though anyone who knows me and this blog will know I’m not the biggest fan of fake anything; from eyelashes to fake tan (which is, I admit very unreasonable considering how the real tan can be so damaging in your skin... I just had a bad first (and at rhe same time last) impression where I was sitting there minding my own busuness enjoying my glass of wine when my roommates friends (UCD Commerce students) who had made the point several times about how my dark features would really suit a fake take while I politely said no thank you, out of nowhere I was suddenly being slathered in what looked like gravy (I don’t feel like I need to explain this but I have an irrational fear or cost gravy. Honestly the thought of it makes me gag. So I,  á usually very quiet pretty chill person, 

L'Occitane's Amande Collection

L'Occitane's Almond Shower Oil is one of my all time favourite products, an instant classic, and the most pampering, luxurious, effective skincare products you could ever use. The entire Almond Collection is body care of the highest quality and shows L'Occitane at its very finest.

Ever since I started using L'Occitane's Almond Shower Oil I have encouraged so many friends to try it out and the results have always been the same. Love at first use. Ever since I started using this collection I have not been able to stop going on about how wonderful it is. It's the biggest treat you could give your skin and the perfect pick me up when you need a pamper.

Complexion Perfection from YSL, Giorgio Armani and Chanel

A good complexion is hard to find but at your fingertips with a little guidance. Here is my handpicked edit of the best products for gorgeous, flawless skin from Chanel, Giorgio Armani and YSL.

Having the best base possible for your makeup look makes all the difference and I have noticed certain brands are a cut above when it comes to creating the perfect complexion. Vitalumiere Aqua by Chanel is a fairly new classic while the latest releases from YSL and Giorgio Armani are of such beautiful quality and make such a huge difference to how your skin looks and in turn how confident you feel leaving the house. Here are my tips for a flawless, healthy and natural looking glowing base you can wear alone or dress up.

Mum's The Word

Of all the people in your life, few deserve to be treated and pampered more than your mum. Here's a list of products, many approved by my own mother, that may help guide you towards either the perfect treat for your mum whatever the occasion!

It's an understatement to say how much mums do for us over the course of their lifetime and, of all people, they deserve a pampering what ever the occasion. This is a list of tried and trusted skincare treats for any type of mum.

1. 

Rescue Me - Kiehl's Skin Rescuer

Kiehl's Skin Rescuer is effectively a product that does exactly what it says on the tin, but could also be called Skin Comforter too. I carry a bottle of this around in my bag at all times for long days that cause skin hydration and irritation and it really is the perfect go-to for stressed, out of sorts skin.

This cute little green bottle is yet another class act by Kiehl's, creating a specific cream for a specific problem. Containing soothing ingredients Rosa Gallica Botanical Extract, Chamomile and Mannose, Kiehl's Skin Rescuer promises to reduce visible signs of stress and flare-ups including skin fatigue and redness. It also professes to address both the short-term visible signs and long-term premature aging effect that stress can have on skin.

I personally don't suffer from major stress flare ups with my skin so I got this for the calming effect on irritated skin and the cool hydration it provides but I can see so easily this is a bit of a find for anyone who suffers from skin fatigue, blotichiness and redness. The texture of the cream is not too thick not too thin, you don't need to apply a huge amount at a time but the best thing about the cream is the stress-minimizing ingredients that really do make your skin feel so much calmer. It's such a great product to carry around in your bag and apply it as required. It's not one of those absolute necessities for me since I don't suffer from redness or major flare ups but it's so comforting I absolutely love how it makes my skin feel so I hate to do without it now the bottle is almost empty!

Kiehl's Skin Rescuer is €35.00 and is available from the Kiehl's section of Arnott's and at Kiehl's on Wicklow Street and Dundrum Town Centre.

Simply Divine

Perfect Harmony

L'occitane is one of the most consistently effective and reliable beauty brands on the market since day one and its latest skincare innovation, the Divine Harmony Collection - containing a serum (€185) and moisturiser (€168) - that, with regular use, remarkably improves the quality of your skin and is an excellent investment for brides with dull, lifeless, ageing skin who are striving for a flawless and youthful complexion on their wedding day. With astonishing studies showing over a three month period over 80% improvement in skin radiance, fine lines, facial contours, and volume, this brand new range is bridal beauty at its finest.

She Came to Stay: Simone de Beauvoir and Dorothy Parker

Simone de Beauvoir was born and lived in Paris and rose to prominence in the 1940s while Dorothy Parker lived in New York city and began her writing career in 1914 when she sold her first poem to Vanity Fair. Although these outstanding women shared very different styles and lives they represent two of the strongest female voices of their generations.
 

Simone de Beauvoir, an important figure in both the existentialist and feminist movements, was born in Paris in 1908. Following an education in a Catholic girls’ school she entered the Sorbonne in 1926 where she studied philosophy and literature. Her first book, entitled She Came to Stay or L’invitée, was published in 1943. The novel was said to have been written as an act of revenge towards Olga Kosakievicz – to whom the book was dedicated. The story goes that the novel also had a deeply negative impact on her long-term relationship with the philosopher John Paul Sartre, which began in the 1920s. This relationship was hugely important throughout de Beauvoir’s life; both writers made a huge dent in the world of philosophy and political thought throughout the middle section of the 20th century.