Want to smell good, rock beach-babe hair and feel fantastic? Triona McCarthy shows us how with her best tips, tricks and product picks.
Most wanted
I was more excited to meet Philippe Starck, the pure-cool designer, than some silly sleb! In a sea of sameness, Phillipe was so refreshingly different. He didn’t trot out the usual marketing malarkey and was actually amusing and irreverent! As for his three fragrances, below, from left, Peau De Soie; Peau D’Ailleurs and Peau De Pierre, €125 each, available exclusively at Brown Thomas, expect the unexpected. For the first time ever, my favourite was the ‘men’s one’ of the trio, Peau de Pierre.
Triona Tries
Fancy looking as fresh as Julianne Moore, above, with a nonsurgical solution that lifts and tightens the skin on the face, neck and decolletage? Then you need to go to Neelu’s Beauty Salon on Liffey St.
The non-invasive skincare expert’s fab new treatment, the Collagen Wave Facial, is a skin-tightening treatment that uses radio frequency energy to tighten skin tissue, helping to contour and rejuvenate the skin.
Neelu’s Beauty Salon, 25 Liffey St Upper, D1, tel: (01) 878-8132, or see neelus-salon.com
Head over heels
Calling all Louboutin lovers! Your eyes will pop out of your heads with the new Christian Louboutin Eye Collection! Everything is exquisitely packaged as expected, while the formulas are fantastic. I’m in love with the Oeil Vinyle Luminous Ink Liner, above, €68. It comes in black; navy; and red! That’s the colour to put on your peepers this season. To avoid a myxomatosis-looking eye, the trick is to trace a line of red on top of your usual black for a pretty pop of colour.
Triona’s trick
De-puff eyes with your digits! Simply feel for the bony socket around your eye and, beginning at the outside corners, use your third fingers (to avoid using too much pressure) to press down gently along the socket rim, right around the eye.#you’rewelcome
Face off
Just when you think we’ve reached peak mask, Charlotte Tilbury brings out a DRY mask! How the hell does that work? Fifteen minutes is all it takes the Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask, above, €24, which is imprinted with a cocktail of intelligent ingredients, to instantly hydrate, brighten, smooth wrinkles, and even out your skintone. And it doesn’t drip or destroy your hair, and can be worn over make-up, although I prefer clean skin. Best of all, it’s reuseable! Up to three times.
Triona’s top trends
Have you noticed that as soon as the weather starts to warm up, all the cool gals go beach-wave crazy!
Seriously, I’m just back from town and every sassy lassie was sporting some sort of shaggy do.
FYI, it works for the more, em, mature lady as well, as fuller hair looks more youthful and can distract from the flipping frown lines!
Even though the look is casually disheveled and perfectly imperfect, there’s a lot of work required, but I have the fastest way to achieving those waves.
Redken’s new Volume Range – Beach Envy Volume and High Rise Volume, below, are key! The High Rise Volume Lifting Shampoo, below centre, €17, adds lift and body, while the High Rise Volume Lifting Conditioner, below left, €19, is a detangling conditioner, providing root lift with a polished finish.
But it’s the High Rise Volume Duo Volumizer, above right, €22, that’s the hero hair product. It’s two products in one – a lightweight volumising cream with a high-lift gel, to create big, voluminous style.
It creates definition, hold and boosts volume and defines waves.
Separate hair into six sections with a middle parting. Then split each section in half, plait each one, and blow-dry the plaits on a warm setting. If you’re really short on time, plait your hair and run your straighteners over it!
Gently unravel each dry plait and comb it with your fingers, adding serum such as Mixed Chicks Hair Silk, above, €15.99, Boots, to tame any flyaways. The messier the finished ‘do’ is, the sexier it will look.
*This piece first appeared in the Sunday Independent Life Magazine on April 16th 2017*