Some days I wake up and all I can think about is going back to bed. Especially at this time of year, especially on a day like today, when it looks like it doesn’t know what it’s going to do, and you just know it’s going to err on the side of gray rubbishy crap weather.
So, see here for a whole bunch of night cream options to send you and your skin nicely into the dream time.
I’m counting the hours…
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Just because: hilare; from this post.
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I write this with one eye closed, because: denial. I mean, okay, hair thins as we age, etc, etc, but yeah, I’d prefer to go lalalalalalala in my head. My head, which even as we speak is sprouting locks at a slower, thinner rate. Nooooooooo!
This issue wouldn’t have been brought to my attention but for receiving samples for Pantene’s latest collection in the Pro-V vein, Youth Protect 7. The 7 refers to the 7 signs of youthful hair, or less optimistically, the 7 signs of ageing hair. I’m going with the former, thanks, as attitude is everything.
Ageing follicles show more than those pesky grey hairs, and healthy hair is the very picture of shine, fullness, smoothness, strength, resilient ends, damage-free and hydration. Now, I do think it’s arguable that we each have our personal issues with our hair — one woman’s lack of smoothness may be another’s tendency to greasiness — but I do believe that if you make the effort to mind anything about your person, you’ll see improvement. I used to have terrible split ends until I stared using hair masks and intensive treatments. Since I have been, I’d totally forgotten that they were ever an issue, until just this minute.
So! Proof that taking care of business really does work, and further proof that success is due to a commitment over time. It is with that feeling of hope, then, that I tried out Pantene’s new shampoo, conditioner, and their 1 minute treatment.
I am a fan, in general, of Pantene, as far as over-the-counter hair products are concerned. I’ve always been happy with the result I get from them, and at €3.45 each, you’re not going to go too far wrong. Additionally, you can use what I consider to be a pricey product’s amount of either and still get a good result; often, the less expensive shampoos and conditioners require you use more, and then go through it faster, and then mitigate your savings.
Not so here. I got a grand wash outta the shampoo, and I found the conditioner in particular to go a long way. The real eye-opener, however, was the 1 Minute Wonder Ampoule that I used the second time I gave this a go.
You get three minutes for €5.65, and they may be the best three-minute investment you’ve ever made. Now, I am sure I left this on longer than 60 seconds, in the same way that when an intensive mask says to leave it on for 15 minutes, I most assuredly do not. So, I’m not gonna vouch for the time frame, based on actual stop-watch watching. I will say with authority that the texture felt rich, that the contents of the ampoule were sufficient unto my loads of hair, and that when I rinsed it out, my locks felt nice and soft, even when still wet.
Et voilá:
That’s on the day, with no styling. Like, I did the blow dry in my usual haphazard fashion, but put in no styling products, before, during or after.
Shiiiiiiny! And, hopefully, actively youthifying my follicles.
Next up: 7 in 1 Hair Perfector BB Créme. BB Cream for the hair, you gasp? Indeed!
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Because I like red. Loads.
It’s been ages since the World Famous Super Model Thumbnail™ has made an appearance on this page. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Right Red Fred {RRP€8.95} is warm red, and that is the brand’s vaunted one coat > meaning, one coat will get you salon coverage. Perfect for us lazy arses who are bad at polishing their nails.
Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in As You Want Victoria {€6.49} is purely luscious. It feels as soft as a balm, but the pigment! Not what you’d expect from something stuffed full of moisturising vitamins. It isn’t the absolute best for long-wearingness, but blot a couple of times and reapply and you’ll get some mileage out of it.
And here she is again! Giorgio Armani Nail Lacquer in Four Hundred {€24} is a one coat application as well, and a bluer red, which I tend towards. It is so shiny, you’ll be tempted to eschew a top coat; do use one, if only to make it last even longer.
I have been going-to my L’Oreal Paris GlamShine Stain Splash in Juliet {€12.29} since I got it, and it may be the first lippy installment in I Used It All Up. As shiny as gloss, as light and yet not nearly as drying as stain, this is a spectacular red, and the look will last through hours of talking and drinking. I did quite selflessly put that to the test — anything for you lot.
There is a smaller version of the latest It bag, Louis Vuitton Capucine {£3,250*} that does not look as if Michelle Williams could fit her entire self in it, with room to spare for her keys and cell phone. This snap of the page of Vogue is likely as close as I’m going to get to this, but oh! The silhouette! The brazen redness of it! I die.
‘Why is everyone staring at me?’ I wondered grouchily — then I looked down. I had forgotten I was walkin’ around in my FitFlop Super T Sneaker in Flame {£34.99 via clogg.co.uk}. Red shoes make peeps very starey! {These are, in fairness, very much an orangey red…} I had a pair of red patent leather Doc Martins that inspired New York drivers to shout ‘Nice shoes!’ out their windows as they passed.
I got these in a larger size than my usual, as my previous pair of Super Ts still has not broken in properly. I am not super mad, as it’s not really that FitFloppy in terms of support, not old school FitFlop, in any case. Still, it gives good sole, and had I bought the Gogh Moc Snake clogs in Snake Jam (red) instead of Choclate (self explanatory), they’d be featured here to much greater acclaim. Nice wedgy sole, great to walk in, and they make my ankles look skinny!
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*AHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA
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My Tried & Tested Column seems to be making a regular appearance these days over at herald.ie, which is great news for those who’d like a quick blast of info as regards a weekly category of beauty and skincare products!
This week: brow enhancing make up. See here, m’dears!
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If you’d like to mooch around the archives over there, best to search ‘Sue Conley’…
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Ah! There’s a wee bit left! I didn’t see it ’til I tilted it for the photo! I am just mad enough not to bin this now, in order to squeeze out the very last drop!
I am sensing a trend here, as it seems that the stuff I use all up seems to be focused on the area comprising my head. Well — maybe not entirely true, as I don’t ever seem to use up lippy, and definitely not eyeshadow, and deffo-definitely not nail varnish, ever. I do seem to use up allll the toners and shampoos and such. Just as matter of interest — I’m not gonna go all psychobabble on myself.
I approach make up removal products with caution because I have found that four out five are crap. This one? Not at all crap, and in fact, was thorough, gentle and comprehensive. In practice, I really don’t think I ought to use more than one cotton pad per eye, and this respected my boundaries. Even with a Smokey Eye, this did the biz, quickly and efficiently.
I don’t ever wear waterproof mascara, but if I had to, I’d run out and pick me up another of there bad girls.
It is a tiny bit oily and made for somewhat blurry bedtime reading, but would totes use again.
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€13.50/£8 < That price differential is appalling, Body Shop!
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I LOVE this time of year. Love. It. Here’s a bunch of things that make me feel even more of the love.
Just everything in Dealz. Everything. This is the sort of stuff you can buy in a pound shop < using this as the catch-all term for ‘value-priced product store’ and not get The Rage because you don’t need it to last more than a day. Photo slightly blurry due to excitement.
My lil’ LUSH Pumkin Bubble Bar 
{€3.50} didn’t make it through the post in one piece, but he was fated to be merciless crumbled under hot running water anyway. He made a glorious, orange-coloured, orange flower absolute and ylang ylang scented bath, full of froth and refreshment. The little guy on the right is the Soot Ball Bath Bomb who apparently will not turn the bath black. I don’t think I would have minded, just for the sake of novelty. He will, in fact, turn the water gold, and the scents involved here are frankincense, tonka and sandalwood. I may run out and get one while they last!
Oh, if only I was capable of doing these super fantastic imPRESS Nails {€8}! My nail beds are so unsuited to these long and thin shaped yokes — I’ve tried, I’ve tried! May this inspire you to do a ghoulish manicure that you can then peel off as if it had never been there, just like a ghost.
Oh, yeah. I enjoy skulls in the general run of the year, and become fairly delirious around the end of October. This gorgeous piece of statement necklacery is via Helen Galibardy via galibardy.com… Soz, just got lost in the website all over again. C’mere, I think this cost about €50ish, I can’t remember because I don’t care, and I love it, and will wear it all year round, but with especial pride on the 31st.
Have ye childer? And do you suffer from 
procrastination? I’d say you’re probs SOL at this stage, because if the costumes at Tesco haven’t been all snapped up, I’d be utterly shocked. I have a fondness for this Gold Witch Costume {€7} because A} witches; B} the pose reminds me of one of my better efforts at a costuming, which was the year {1999!} I and my pal Ames went as martinis. Simple and effective! We made skirts out of… taffeta? Sparkly something — organza? and I went with a twist, as you can see, made from wire and foam and acrylic paint.
And then we went to a party and we were the only people that had exerted themselves, which at the time hadn’t bothered me much, but I haven’t dressed up since. In the digging through the archive for that photo, I realise that I’ve never actually worn all my showjumping gear — the white jodhs and the shirt and the tie and the jacket. Ah sure: if worse comes to worse, there’s always my collection of crops…
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Happy Hallowe’en!!!!
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You know those really excellent masks you get sometimes, when you’re getting a professional facial? The ones that are actually exactly like masks, that peel off in one go, and feel like they are taking every impurity with them? Our pals at bliss have come up with an at-home version of this via their fabulous skin-reviving rubberizing mask.
You get six mixes in the box, which includes one measuring cup to fill with the amount of water necessary to create each mask, and six spatulas to use in the mixing and application of it. I cleared the decks in the bath and after cleansing my face, I got to it.
I was surprised at the purple hue, which I would not have been had I been paying attention to the ingredients. Bilberry figures largely, as does seaweed and vitamin C. I was already feeling under pressure, even as I mixed, because the packet cautioned me to apply the mask as quickly as possible.
Yeee, there it is, ready to go — get to work!
The impossibility of two things became apparent fairly sharpish:
1} I couldn’t take photos of the application and apply, simultaneously.
2} The spatula was not nearly as speedy and effective as the need for haste implied.
So, I took matters — ha, ha — into my own hands.
When you are lying flat on your back with your eyes closed, certain things may pass you by, like, the texture and appearance of the mask itself. Unless all rubbery facial masks are not like this? It may merely be the result of non-profesh application + gravity. Drippy!
I tidied that up as much as I could, and went into the sitting room to recline.
The sensation of the mask on the face was cool and invigorating> a word I use when product is tingly, but not in an irritating sense. Although I don’t mind an irritating tingle every now and again.
It did eventually dry, without drying out.
TIME TO PEEL.
I have always wanted to ask to see the mask that the aesthetician peeled off, sure I was going to see every single thing that had had the potential to criminally block my pores, but I’d be so zoned out at that stage, I’d always forget to ask. I was eager to see what my DIY efforts would yield!
Hmmm.
Those lumps are not oogy bits of sebum*, they are proof of my inability to mix anything well by hand, and why I don’t bake. Needless to say, this didn’t come off all in one go. I left the flakes of mask to collect in the sink…
… and hopped in the shower to wash off the rest.
Which I possibly should not have done, as there are two warnings regarding the disposal of the mask, right there on the packet, which say not to send it down the drain. This stuff is not the most dissoluble in water: I got some of it on the fleece I was wearing during the treatment, and the bilberry mix didn’t come off in the wash.
Luckily, I had wiped up the main bits of it, post-treatment, with some kitchen roll, and put it in the trash.
So, was the mess worth it?
I gotta say yes. Under the circs, as ever with an iPhone in the bathroom, the image is not A1, but oh! my skin felt so soft, and clean, and my pores felt tight, but not too tight, and I just felt all glowy and fresh.
I didn’t really mind making a mess, and reckon I’ll get better at this with practice. At €49 for six masks, that’s about €9.80/mask — that’s good value for the very spa-like result.
As ever, when you use a high quality product, the aftereffects last that much longer. I didn’t put on makeup for days afterwards, and when I did, it went on like dream — meaning: it didn’t feel like my foundation looked like a mask.
So: do it at home? DO ITTTT.
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See blissworld.co.uk for more information.
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* I wish they were oogy bits of sebum.
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I have booked my Christmas ticket back to the States; this seems cray, but it really is not. Given the way this year has flown, I wasn’t taking any chances of it suddenly being, like, 12 December and me without my arrangements made.
Involved in that arranging is, of course, whatever gifts I can transport without setting off sirens at the bag drop. I am generally an early bird at the airport, and there’s nothing I like better than a roam round duty free, but around this time of year, you don’t want to be panicking in the aisles. If you are the same, then may I direct your attention to theloop.ie?
The Loop is the premiere shopping area in Dublin T2 and Cork airport, with all manner of fancy brands, and the vibe is that of a very fancy high street. It’s taken some time to find its feet, but it feels now that it’s got everything going on — except for a blow dry bar, which would be a great feature, to which I can personally attest: the day I was taken through as a guest of The Loop, with a flying visit to London as well, the electricity in my flat exploded, and I was plunged into darkness with wet hair. Disaster! I was ragin’ that I was going to be swanning round London with less-than perfect locks, and was further dev when I found that the blow dry bar had packed it in.
I chose not to focus on the negatives of such an epically bad hair day, and instead dwelled on the fact that I would have some delightful Jo Malone products awaiting me on my return, which I had bought via theloop.ie’s shopping facility. The general range of product is pretty good, although sadly lacking in electronics. Last year, I had tried to do my Christmas shopping via this portal, and was not permitted to buy alcohol — which had been the guts of what the lads were getting — and I was not best pleased. That’s not an issue now, however, which is fantastic, and there are several ‘airport exclusive’ deals of which to avail. There’s a great selection of whiskey, with a special offer on Tullamore Dew Phoenix going for €49.95, and keep an eye out for offers on champers, the like of 75cls of Moët & Chandon for €36.50, or the same amount of Bollinger for €46.50. I certainly feel welcome over any threshold with either {or both!} of those in hand.
You can browse whenever you like, which is dead handy, but you need to buy 48 hours before you fly. This is worth noting in your diary, or putting a reminder in your phone, because it is so simple, and you can get loads done, and again, avail of many special offers, some that put your regular high street to shame. This is particularly true when it comes to fragrance and skincare. I was drawn to the Clarins offer of 400mls of their Moisture Rich Body Lotion for €20 — over 50% off the department store price.* And! If you buy three Clarins products, with one to be for the face, you can get a free 20 Minute Mini-Facial. This would suit me down to the ground, espesh before a transatlantic journey.
Your plinth awaits: the Clarins Treament Room in Terminal 2
Right so: off to London we went, me with my manky hair. A quick zip into Soho and Liberty London, a coffee with a dear pal, then a fab lunch, then it was time to go home. This was indeed what is meant as a flying visit! Because The Loop provide their signature — and free! — Shop and Collect service, my goodies were waiting for me when I landed, so there was no hassle with carrying the stuff around all day.
Have you been to Liberty London? It is amazzzzzing, the building itself is spectac, much less what is in it. I bought myself a Liberty Patchwork Bundle, which is in advance of my purchase of my mobile holiday home, which I am going to turn into a totally contempo-country chic little party wagon. And this is gonna help immensely:
Between the electric explosion and the amount of travel in one day, plus the great craic, I was in bits the next morning. I skipped horses, much to my chagrin, but inspired by the Clarins offers in the The Loop, decided to give myself the treat of the brand’s Skin Smoothing Eye Mask. Applied thickly around the very place that all other masks tell you to avoid, this is a superb gift to give your peepers: slap it on, lay on some dampened cotton pads, and lie back for ten minutes. Don’t think about anything, much less England.
Because I was still a bit giddy from all the flying and the fun, I decided it was a good idea to take a selfie without looking. This still makes me laugh, and it actually came out, although it looks kind of like I am falling down the side of a building or something.
This one, however, is even funnier for being a complete fail.
So keep an eye on theloop.ie for retail travel specials and the like — if you’re travelling anyway, you may as well multi-task!
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*Ends at the end of October, so if you’re travelling now, stock up! Also: ring ahead to Clarins to check on the availability of the facial, on 01 944 0759.
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Also: Lads. airportgenie.com. Seriously. €5.95 buys you an individual pass, which lets you jump the mad queue for the X ray, and also avails you of a free coffee. Seriously: the best fiver-and-a-bit you’ll spend.
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My favourite term of endearment is ‘honey’. I don’t know why, it just is! And it’s not something I ever gave much thought to, until I was lucky enough to avail of allll the bits of the Honeymania line, that The Body Shop have recently laid on.
Made from Fair Trade honey sourced in the Ethiopian rainforest, this honey has a social conscience, and also exhibits the benefits of the natural moisturiser, without being sticky and unwieldy. Here are the products, in descending order of love.
Many have raved about the brand’s body butters, but this is the Body Butter {€18.95} that has convinced me. It has just the correct amount of honey fragrance, so you smell inviting, much like the original blossom to the original bee, but you won’t be walking around making people wonder if they’d not like a nice cup of herbal tea. Fantastic coverage and day-long softness — this claims to impart 24hr hydration, and it’s one of the few that I’ve tried and tested that comes close!
This should have probs come before the Butter, in the interest of fragrance layering, but the Bubble Bath Melt {€13.95} isn’t something I’d avail of every day. Just writing about it now, when there is manky raining pouring down, makes me want to fire up the immersion and run myself a tub. This is as near a dammit to the texture of edible honey; it froths up fantastically under running water, and the bubbles last for ages. Heart this deeply.
The Soap {€3.95} is great for the fragrance layer-ers amongst us, and this too bubbles up nicely on your exfoliating mitts or your shower puff. Again, not so overwhelmingly honey-scented — just the correct amount. It has the added bonus of being glycerin-like, so when it dries, it doesn’t leave much residue, which doesn’t leave one with a sense of waste and mess. I have three soaps on the go at the moment, and I keep reaching for this one. I will use this until it is the very sliver of its former self.
We all now about my issues with baume pour les levres, so no one is more surprised than I that I am not completely mad about this Lip Balm {€7.50}. It is good, once applied, but I am having an issue with the texture — slightly gritty — and the scent — it is a bit much in this incarnation. Once it gets where it is meant to go, it feels soft and lovely, and will probably pay dividends under the mistletoe this holiday season. Is your Honey a sweet-aholic? They will be very happy. {The restraint I have exhibited just there!}
My least fave: I found the Body Scrub {€18.95} to lack enough scrubby bits in it, and its texture was far too slippery, under circumstances that were slippery enough already. If your skin is so, so sensitive to a common-or-garden scrub, I think you may find this to be gentle enough.
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See thebodyshop.co.uk or thebodyshop-usa.com for prices in £ and $.
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> Seven shampoo & conditioner duos
> One conditioner on its ownio
> One tiny shampoo & conditioner sample {Kevin Murphy? Which is fabbilis and I don’t know where to get it?}
> Three bars of soap
> Four shower gels
> One in-shower body moisturiser
> ONLY TWO BODY EXFOLIATORS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME.
This does not even include the five facial exfoliators, the two cleansers, and the three intense conditioning treatments.
If you look up ‘first world problems’ in the dictionary, etc. etc.
On the other hand, I am hard at work!
Right. See above.
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How much stuff have you got in your bath? I would welcome photos of baths that are not quite as populated as mine…
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Bright & Beautyfull! 