So, let’s get to it – our beauty buff has brows, masks, hair tasks, and more, as she clues you in with her brilliant beauty round-up.
MOST WANTED
At last! I’d been looking for a foundation in a stick formula, as I travel a lot and hate to check in a bag, or waste space in the plastic bag, but the only ones I tried were a bit chalky and cakey. Then I discovered Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation, above, €50, from Harvey Nichols. It’s full coverage, but it feels feather-light on the skin. The triangular shape is perfect if you’re applying on the go, and for touch-ups.
TRIONA TRIES
Make friends with Geraldine at the La Prairie counter in Brown Thomas, and I’m telling you, your skin, but maybe not your purse, will thank you. I had an ‘Art Of Beauty’ mini-facial with her and I learnt great tips, such as how to do a backwards C shape when applying eye cream – doing it this way results in far less friction on that delicate area.
The La Prairie range is pricey – Liv Tyler, above, is a fan – but if you’re in with Jackie, she’ll organise a facial for you, which is redeemable against product. The latest release, Line Interception Power Duo, consists of two creams – one for day and one for night. These formulas target wrinkles at their inception, and help to smooth them where they have already appeared.
LETTING LOOSE
I – or rather Maxi and Mini, my two toddlers – dumped my last ever lot of loose translucent powder everywhere, and now I’m all about bareMinerals Invisible Light Translucent Powder Duo, €28, above. This is a baked powder duo that creates an effortlessly fresh look that’s not flat.
The matte powder, above left, glides on like silk – it instantly camouflages my pores, sets my make-up and is completely invisible.While the glow side, above right, makes my skin look luminous but not shiny. I use it as an eyeshadow as well.
TRIONA’S TRICK
So my furry Gucci loafers have a touch of alopecia! Seriously, they’ve shed loads of hair. A hair hack for thinning hair on your head is to switch up your parting. You’ll be amazed at how a deep part on the opposite side is like a mini makeover.
CULT PRODUCT
Fancy looking like a fresh-faced French girl? Sisley is their secret weapon. Shhh!
Since 1976, the French luxe beauty brand has combined the best of nature and technology, and my latest addiction is the Deeply Purifying Mask with Tropical Resins, above, €94. It definitely improves the appearance of enlarged pores and leaves my skin feeling really clean. Best of all, it absorbs excess sebum while controlling shine, so my make-up stays put in the sun.
TRIONA’S TOP TRENDS
Forget about smoky eyes, guys, because smoky brows are a thing right now!
I know, right? Like, WTF?
Well, a smoked-out brow is basically the complete opposite of the HD brow, which was all about precision and angles and took aaages to master, and now, well, it’s going straight to style Siberia!
The smokey brow is a softer, more natural brow and it’s not so ‘try-hard’ looking. It’s a little cooler, if you will.
Tinseltown can’t get enough of the new look, with everyone from Sienna Miller to our own Saoirse Ronan rocking the look.
So how do you do this new brow? It’s all about using far less product. In fact, I do mine with Color Wow Root Cover Up, in Dark Brown, above, €35. It’s that powder you use between dye jobbies to touch up grey hairs or roots on your head. It comes in a cute compact, which also has an application brush, and it’s available in six shades, ranging from Blonde to Black. So now I use it on my brows as well as my roots.
If you can’t bear to go cold turkey on the HD-brow sitch, at least ease up on the
Insta brow, as it’s also called, and maybe try the Beautifying Brow Wand, below, €24, from Mii. It’s a 3-in-1 super styler with a tipped pencil, a creamy illuminator and a grooming brush. It has everything you need in the one product. Just remember to be light-handed. No more upside-down Nike ticks, please!
