I Used It All Up: John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

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01 JF DUO
‘Ha, sezs she!’ sez you.

Intervention was required to prove that I did, indeed, use these all up.

Or did I?!?! O.o

02 SHAMPOO
That’s the shampoo, all gone.

03 CONDITIONER
Nooooooooo! That was enough conditioner for — no, there isn’t actually. Not enough for a treatment. Having said that: the shampoo-to-conditioner ratio being what it usually is, which is twice as much of the former to not as much of latter, I think I did really well, getting the full value out of this duo.

This was my go-to for perfect second-day hair, meaning: I used this post-horse of a Wednesday night, and wokeon the Thursday refreshed, and with fresh looking locks. Ah, well. At €6.31 {RRP} apiece, it’s great value that went a long way.

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I am also a fan of the line’s Blow Dry Lotion Root Booster {RRP €6.31} which adds lift when using this combo for first-day hair.

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New and Spectacularly Improved: Colorsport Eyelash & Brow Dye Kit

/ brightandbeautyfull / 19 Comments

In between HD Brow sessions at Carter Beauty, Blackrock, I daren’t try to tweeze because I am useless at it, but I do find that a dye job goes some way to keeping the look going without too much drawing-on-the-brows error. I hadn’t been terribly impressed by Colorsport the the first time I tried it; I gave another brand a go, which shall remains nameless {okay, not: 1000Hour} and disliked it mightily. It didn’t mix up well at all, and I ended up sacrificing a lip brush to use as an applicator.

I was on the hunt for yet another brand to try, but there is a dearth of brow dyeing kits in Ireland — dare I say, the world? Googling comes up with nothing. SIGH. I found myself, as I often do, in Boots and thought I’d trust the packaging — IMPROVED & FASTER FORMULA — and give their Dark Brown dye another chance.

Glad I did! Look:
COLORSPORT 30 DAY KIT

Thank you, genius, who thought that an actual mascara wand would be a good idea. Seriously! This makes it fairly foolproof — a designation I almost proved false, as I was going to take out the paper things and start mixing up the stuff for the bottle with the stuff from the tube in that little well, until it occurred that perhaps the instructions might best be consulted…

Right. Those papers are for when one dyes one’s lashes. Otherwise, this now could not be simpler, and less messy: apply the Eyelash Colour Solution directly to the brows with a cotton bud {or pad, if you’re me}; then, squeeze some of the Eyelash Contour Gel onto the wand, and brush it on. My first squeeze was, er, robust, and I got enough for a brow and a half, so easy does it.

One thing that is unclear is how long you are meant to keep it on, and how you are meant to remove it. Not great to be desperately scanning the directions when you’ve got this stuff working away. Somewhere it said 2-3 minutes; I’ve just looked back and actually can’t find that information again. Really not great!

I decided that the time it took to take a couple of photos was long enough.

30 DAY BROW DURING

Insert Groucho Marx impression *here*

That mascara wand applicator is the biz. I coated every single hair.

30 DAY BROW DURING 2

Lydia, oh Lydia, oh have you met Lydia…

Just about there ^ I started getting worried that it was going to be too much…

30 DAY BROW ACTUALLY AFTER

Nope, not so much! I mean, I could have groomed them before I went deliriously snapping away, but honestly, that’s exactly what I was looking for.

So, no messy mixing up of the two potions, and this dye job happened in 1/5th the time it took in the unimproved and slower version. Sold!

! I did it AGAIN: ‘before’ pictures might have come in useful! Argh!

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€8.50; also comes in black.

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Snap! Judgement: Pixy Soothing Body Balm

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First thought: This is only small.

Second thought: Smells nice, though.

Third thought, as applying to skin: Ohhhhhhhhhhh — !

PIXY SOOTHING BODY BALMI like me a balm, but find that on the bod, they can be a bit greasy. This has all the qualities of a balm, and finishes with a glow, but it doesn’t feel at all slimy. Its mousse-y texture feels very, very gentle, and you absolutely don’t need all that much to get excellent coverage.

I feel itchy all over just thinking about wintertime: this is a combination of both cocoa and shea butter, which just sounds like a total itch-buster. It’s also got calendula, ylang ylang and lavender oil in there, which contributes to its balm-y qualities, and its lovely fragrance.

I am sold on this little tin of goodness, and am sure it is a future candidate for an I Used It All Up post…

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€12.99; free delivery in Ireland for orders over €10!

http://www.pixy.ie

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Sneaky Peeky: T3 SinglePass Straightening & Styling Iron

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Okay, here’s me, with what I considered to be straight hair.PRE-T3 Try to ignore the half-asleep vibe — which is ridic, as it was like 11.20 when I snapped that on the 46A — but that’s hair I’d straightened, or as an American, I always want to say ‘ironed’.

In fairness, there were a couple of things I didn’t do:
1} I didn’t spray it with any shine-inducing, frizz-flattening product.
2} I didn’t go, like, lock by lock with the straightener. I did my usual four clumps of hair, and dragged the device down each clump several times.

Still, on a normal day, I do get asked, ‘Did you get a blow dry?’ and I smugly say, ‘Oh, no, I did this myself.’

Well, I didn’t do the following myself, but I absolutely could, with the new T3 SinglePass Straightening and Styling Iron. About to roll out in Brown Thomas, Dublin, the American brand has found a UK distributor, and is ready to hit our shores, along with a fancy hair dryer and styling wand.

T3 — Arnold Schwarznegger is in no way implicated in these tools — incorporates Tourmaline and Ionic Ceramic technology, which results in an improved sealing of the hair cuticle as imparted by the heat. Every single dryer and iron are made from parts that made from actual tourmaline, so every element of each tool is imbued with the essence of the semi-precious stone.

And when it comes to your fully-precious locks, you want the heat you use to be effective, on contact. I don’t like to feel like I’m burning my hair, you know? That’s where the SinglePass aspect comes in. I availed of the offer of the stylist giving my hair a going over and I… I don’t know that there’s any going back. Every single tress was swiped through the straightener, and then it was done. That was it. And look!

T3 IMMEDIATELY 2
T3 IMMEDIATELY 1
It took, like, ten years offa me!

Two hours later, I’m on my way home.
T3 two hours later 2
T3 two hours later 1

More words to follow — I think I really want to give the hair dryer a go, it’s meant to dry hair even as long as mine in around seven minutes — but the proof is in the pictures…

Brace yourself, bridies: it’s €157.50. I think the words that will follow will be a forensic breakdown of why this is excellent value…

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Seriously, between the flat hair and the pixellation, maybe even as many as fifteen years offa me.

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Déjà Vu All Over Again: Giorgio Armani Flash Lacquer

/ MANY BRAVE FOOLS / 1 Comment

Here I was, posting away, when it occurred to me that I’d already written about the blandly desginated, but oh-so-shiiiiiiiny 250.

*Searches own blog*

Dammit. Well, the prices &tc are here, but better photographic representation of the shiiiiine are below.
ARMANI GLOSS deja vu

ARMANI GLOSS redux

If anything deserved to be double-posted, it’s this.

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€25.50/£23.50/$29

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B&B! Q&A: Emer Gillen, and Ten Years of Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream

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EMER GILLENEmer Gillen is originally from Sligo; based in London for the last four years, she trained as a beauty therapist in the Georgina Price College of Beauty Therapy in Galway. Having had an equal passion for spa therapy and travel, she pursued the opportunity to work on a cruise ship with Steiner Leisure Ltd. “This was my first introduction to Elemis products and treatments, and was where I made such a strong connection with the brand,” she explains.

She was part of the management team that launched the Spirit One Spa when it opened in the Radisson Blu, Galway, and considered it a natural progression to join the Elemis training team 8 years ago as an International Trainer. “I have such a varied spectrum of responsibilities with my role,” Emer says, “from spa, salon and retail courses, alongside working with our Elemis Day Spa, SpaSpecialist and British Airways Travel Spa teams. Globally, I work closely with our distribution teams developing their training divisions and I also present Elemis on QVC UK.”

Emer took some time to talk about a mainstay of the Elemis brand, followed by my review of the Spirit One experience…

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ELEMIS PRO COLLAGEN ANNIVERSARY EDITION
It’s the 10th anniversary of the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, and I think it says it all in the name. Can you talk about the properties of both the collagen and the marine aspect, and how they are so effective in anti-ageing?
Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is about working with the skin’s natural functions to assist in improving collagen and elastin production, which leads to stunning long-lasting results.

The results really speak for themselves: the Marine Cream has been clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkle depth by up to 78%, and increase hydration and moisture levels by up to 45%.

The composition of the cream challenged traditional anti-ageing skincare by combining ground breaking natural marine ingredients Porphyridum and Chlorella seaweeds along with Padina Pavonica, which is central to the cream’s activity; a fan shaped brown algae, it is handpicked daily by scuba divers from the temperate waters of Malta, and left to dry under the sun’s warming rays. This dynamic anti-ageing cream gel helps to dramatically increase skin elasticity, suppleness, firmness and hydration levels.

How does the new cult fave Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm complement the cream, and how does it work?
Make-up, sweat and pollution build up in the layers of the skin. Oils and waxes are naturally compatible with sebum, easily breaking down excess pore blocking oils. Theses oils and waxes protect the skin from being stripped of its natural lipid layer and essential skin protection. Make-up micro particles left in the skin result in a long-term dulling of the complexion and may also lead to other skin problems.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is a beautiful texture for an exceptional treatment experience, preparing the skin brilliantly which complements Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and enhances its anti-ageing effectiveness.

Cleansing balms seem to be all the rage at the moment. What are your top tips for using a balm?
Scoop a small amount of Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm with dry fingertips, and massage directly into the skin. Then, wet the fingertips and continue to massage as the balm transforms into a beautiful milk. Remove with a very warm cleansing cloth, both morning and evening.

For a special treatment, smooth a generous amount over the face, neck and décolleté with dry fingers. Massage to warm the skin and loosen the balm. Leave for 10 minutes. Hold a very warm, damp cleansing cloth over the skin, practice abdominal breathing and inhale the exquisite aroma. Gently wipe away.

The Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift facial in Spirit One Spa was gorgeous. How do people go about designing facials, and what are the specific benefits of this one?
The Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial for fine lines and wrinkles was designed by Noella Gabriel, Director of Elemis treatment and products development. Through Noella’s vast industry expertise, and therapy background, this treatment was developed to deliver a results-driven sensory experience for the client.

The Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial allows you to experience the ultimate in scientific skin therapy. It’s an advanced anti-ageing facial, clinically proven to reduce the number of wrinkles by 94% and improve skin firmness by 57% after just one treatment. This anti-aging face and eye treatment helps to protect against the signs of ageing, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face and restructuring the eye contour. Specialised lifting massage techniques are combined with Elemis anti-ageing products for maximum treatment efficacy.

Looking over the protocol for the facial, I notice that there are loads of essential oils used — lime, rosewood, tea tree, to name a few. Can you talk about the brand’s use of such ingredients, and what the benefits are?
Each Elemis product and treatment takes you on a sensory journey and the Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial is no different. The use of Lime, Lavender and Rosewood Essential Oils which are anointed onto luxuriously warm mitts or facial compresses are used to enhance the aromatic experience of the Elemis facial. We understand the emotional and physiological response that aromatics have on our wellbeing, and so essential oils, herbs and fruits play an integral role in the fragrance pyramid of each unique product.

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So, how was it?

Spirit One Spa is like a little fairground of therapeutic possibilities: you’ve got your sauna and your steam room, and your bowl of ice to really get those pores breathing, but there are also loads of marble beds upon which to recline, and the Sabia Med, a beach room in which you can lie on sand and relax, from a simulated sunrise to sunset. The spa is also very popular, and was rather busy the day I was there to avail of its benefits — benefits that were somewhat diminished by the chattery hen parties that were roaming about the place. Save it for the pub, ladies, seriously. Manners! One would encourage the staff to gently enforce the rule of silence. It’s only fair.

Once the hens went on their way, the place achieved the kind of serenity it aims to provide. And once I was lead away to enjoy my treatment, it was like being transported to another world. A world of seemingly endless double-cleansing, toning, exfoliation, massage… and every Elemis product known to woman. Okay, not every, but all the best ones.

As mentioned above, the use of essential oils in tandem with the glorious signature scent of the products was almost enough to send me into bliss, just on their own. It all started off with a  Hot Lime Foot Cleansing and Thai Foot Ritual, and progressed through the use of Japanese camellia oil, rosewood, more lime, and lavender, this last in the form of an eye pillow that did its work whilst I received a hand, arm, and décolleté massage.

It’s amazing how relaxing it can be for the face when your hands are getting a good going over…

Amongst the products used were, of course, the piéce de resistance of the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, but also in play was the Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum, the Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Peel Off Mask and the Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment. And the Eye Renewal. And the Wrinkle Treatment. And the Rehydrating Ginseng Toner! This too is like a little fairground, a little fairground of renewal and utter, utter relaxation.

The best thing was that, even after a night of gorgeous food and plenty of bubbly, my visage was not ravaged. In fact, the glow lasted the guts of a week, and as ever, my make up looked all the better for having had the canvas primed, as it were. Nothing like several hours wrapped in a spa robe and a fab facial to put all things right in the world.

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The Elemis Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift Facial is 1 hour 10 minutes, €95.00. See spiritonespa.com for details

spirit one spa, Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa Galway, Lough Atalia Road, Galway, Ireland
T: +353 91 538 462 

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ALSO: Some of the best sushi ever is available at the Radisson Blu’s Japanese restaurant, RAW: sushi in the sky. SERIOUSLY. And I have enjoyed sushi in both NYC and LA (admittedly not in Japan) and both of those places have the best sushi, but this sushi in Galway not only holds its own, but also beats the competition! Seriously!

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Pretty In: NYC Appelicious Glossy Lip Balm, Pink

/ brightandbeautyfull / 1 Comment

This was on the Bitchface of the Yesterday, whenever that yesterday was, and it deserves a post of its own. Is so pretty:
NYC Applelicious Pink 1

It’s so light, too and yet the pigment is robust, and it feels like a balm even if it looks like a lippy. I have APPLELICIOUS PINKalso tried Caramel Apple which conveys the lightest layer of glittery reflection, but it doesn’t have nearly the heft of this.

Which is grand: it is a balm after all. I find coloured balms to be attractive in that they do impart both healing qualities, and a bit ‘o tint, but sometimes… sometimes you just want your cake and apply it, too. I like the soft feel of this, but also like that it looks like something as well.

Look at the little apple! That smears away fairly sharpish, but as signature touches go, it is adorbz. The apple itself is the balm-y bit, and even if it gets all covered in the outer core of colour, it still works.

Staying power? Pretty good, considering that any balm isn’t generally known to, or wanted, to linger on the surface.

These are a snip at €2.49! And perfect for the lowering weather. And again: such a pretty colour.
NYC Applelicious Pink 2

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At chemists nationwide, and other places where you’d think to find it, in fairness.

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Haaaaate Being Sick? Pukka Organic Elderberry Syrup Sorts it Out

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I haaaaaate being sick, and I haven’t suffered a cold in yonks. PUKKA elderberry syrupI’ve got all sorts of bits and pieces about the place – one decongestant pill in a blister pack, some throat spray, and loads of arnica due to horseriding — but I hadn’t any cough stuff, which I wanted to take as a preventive measure. If I haaaaaate being sick, the thing I hate even more is coughing in the night.

And then lo, and behold: I found a bottle of Pukka Organic Botanicals Elderberry Syrup in the press in the kitchen! I had interviewed Sebastian Pole here, and when we’d met, had not only been gifted with skincare products, but also some tea, and apparently, this!

Elderberry sounds awfully old-fashioned, and something that would pop up in a Regency romance novel — not that I’d know that for sure — and I was afraid that it would taste awful, too. It certainly doesn’t! I mean, you’re not going to slip a bottle in your handbag just in case you get a grá for a snootful, but it is pleasantly fruity, and the texture of the syrup is thick and soothing. It’s also got Manuka honey, ginger and thyme in it, adding to its pleasantness.

And it helped loads. I didn’t get a cough, even when I felt the ick migrating for me lungs, and even though its a bit pricey at €15, it is totes worth it. I’m almost back to 100% brightness, and I credit this with helping the recovery.

I may hide this back in the press, just so I don’t start nipping at it…

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Order from bodykind.ie, or check in your local health food shop.

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The Eyes Have It! And Boy, Do They Need It: New Fave Mascaras

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Just for the sake of argument, here’s my naked lashes.
BYE BYE EYELASH EXTs 2

And so:

CLARINS Length & Curve Mascara, €26
They look pretty clumpy in the first photo, which they really weren’t. The second image shows them to better advantage. That is Intense Brown, which you may not have thought. They look nice and black to me!
CLARINS 3
CLARINS 1

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RIMMEL LONDON Scandaleyes Retro Glam, €8.99
So fake looking, in the best possible sense!
RIMMEL 1
RIMMEL 3

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BOURJOIS Volume Clubbing Blackjack Mascara, €10.49
I heart this a lot because it is so seriously thickening.
BOURJOIS 1
BOURJOIS 2

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LANCÔME Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara, €28
We’ve seen this one before; in this case, I only had time to do one coat, and I think it looks pretty substantial.
LANCOME doll eyes

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Finally, here’s a reminder about the Electric Blue stuff via Maybelline Colossal Color Shock Mascara, €10.75; I wore it out into the world, and it was noticeable in ‘Ohh, like yer blue lashes’ way.
MAYBELLINE COLOR SHOCK 1

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Finally, finally, a shot I like to call Daft Noir Selfie.
DAFT NOIR SELFIE
I am especially proud of the daft shadow of my phone, and my hands holding it.

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How About A Quickie? Lancôme DreamTone Facial at Arnotts

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Is a 20 minute facial enough? It usually takes me a good while to relax into the vibe of a beauty room, but I am willing to train myself to let go faster, if it means enjoying a facial the like of Lancôme’s, on now through September in Arnotts, using DreamTone, the newest skin tone-evening, dark spot-eradicating product on the market. Three tones have been created to suit all skins, which mainly works, as the tone of the product itself isn’t all that overwhemling, which is a good thing. It’s a bit creamy for a serum, in my opinion, but it gives a lovely sheen to the skin while it is doing its complexion enlivening thang.

DREAMTONEThe cost is €40 against purchase, which is great, because I can totally rationalise 50% off the price of the serum {€87}; you can of course, use it against purchase of any of the products. I have to say, I’ve got my eye on the Hydra Zen Neurocalm Moisturiser, as I am very into its gel aspect, and how soothing and cooling it is on my skin.

The protocol packs an awful lot into those 20 minutes, so yeah, it’s plenty of time to do something nice for your skin…
> The facial starts with a double cleanse, using Galatéis Douceur.
> Your skin gets a thorough but gentle scrub with Exfoliance Clarté.
> The Hydra-Intense Masque follow; Sheena, my expert aesthetician, called it a ‘drink of water for your skin.’ {It felt like it.}
> A 10 minute hand massage is administered while the masque is let do its work.
> After the masque is removed, the Dreamtone is applied, also accompanied by a gentle massage.
> The whole biz is sealed with the application of the Hydra Zen Neurocalm Moisturiser.

Don’t worry about going out into the rest of the store, much less the world, with a naked face: you’ll be offered the chance to have some foundation applied, if you wish. Me, I was happy enough to go forth, glowing.

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Ring 01 404 0400 {ext 371} to book.

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