Wanna look loaded without your bank balance eroded? Lucky for us, our beauty guru knows how and even has some tips for Catherine Zeta-Jones.
MOST WANTED
I was kinda over dry shampoo there for a while, preferring to just get on with it and wash my hair for goodness sake, and then this happened! Ouai Dry Foam Shampoo, €28, from Space NK. It makes no mudderfooking sense, but this foam, which is waterless btw, manages to not only give my hair a fresher look, it also somehow reshapes it as well, taking the lank look off it. And, best of all – there’s no telltale dusty powdery residue. You’re welcome!
TRIONA TRIES
Unicorns are big business in the beauty world right now! Rachel McAdams and Hilary Duff are all over it with unicorn hair and make-up, as is Pixie Lott, pictured, but now your nails need to know about it, too.
Let your fingers do the walking straight to the Brown Thomas Beauty Lounge, a seriously chic space. Perfect for some people-watching while beautifying with their magical Nails Inc Unicorn Mani, €49.
Nails are filed, shaped, painted and cuticles are nourished. Skin is treated with a gentle glitter scrub, a hydrating soak and a unicorn polish or choice of colour with glitter top coat.
Brown Thomas Beauty Lounge, Clarendon St, D2, tel: (01) 617-1172
HOW TO LOOK LOADED
Don’t go broke trying to look rich – act your wage, as the saying goes! Well here’s my top tip for looking expensive. Get yourself this NARSissist Loaded Eyeshadow Palette, €55, and it will be the best money you’ve ever spent! Strike it rich with this limited-edition goldmine of 12 velvety, plush shadows to create your richest, most decadent look yet. Because beauty junkies like me know that high pigment means high payoff. #eyesontheprize
TRIONA’S TRICK
I like to use soap. Without water! I pop some in my knickers drawer to make my skin smell extra delicious, as well as my, um, drawers! I guess you could call it the sweet smell of sexcess!
STRUT YOUR STUFF
Can we take a moment please for this divine Limited-Edition Armani Beauty The Runway Palette, €120, from Brown Thomas. Festooned in fabric from the SS17 show, you can recreate the runway beauty look, as it’s divided into two tiers. A silky bronzing powder on top, for a healthy glow, then underneath, three highly pigmented eye shadows in cobalt blue, black and a millennial pink, which also works as a highlighter. Swoon.
TRIONA’S TOP TRENDS
“For marriage to be a success, every woman and every man should have her and his own bathroom. The end.” This quote is courtesy of Catherine Zeta-Jones. Hmmmmm! As my mum would say, “Isn’t it fine for her?” Well, it kinda all makes sense, since she recently posted a pic on her Instagram of her bathroom cabinet.
“My face and beauty essentials. And no, I don’t use them all at the same time,” CZ-J wrote. Well if she was to use them all at the same time it would cost about €3k! There were a lot. It was mostly very high end, luxurious lotions, although I noticed we both use Lancome’s Bi-Facil Cleanser, above, €29, a must-have when you wear as much black eyeliner as Catherine and I do!
There were some seriously spendy serums on the shelf and it made me think she needs to pop over to my place and I could help her save a few quid by showing her my budget buys, such as this serum by The Ordinary I sourced from glamazon.ie.
The Ordinary Advanced Retinoid 2pc, above, is only €9.80, but it’s a serious treatment serum, as it combines two forms of retinol to tackle wrinkles, uneven skin tone, pigmenation and visible pores. I’ve also been getting great results from Eucerin’s Anti-Age Hyaluron Filler Day Cream, below, €26.99. It seriously boosts hydration, leaving my skin super soft, supple and smooth. So, Catherine, if you’re reading this: call me!
*This piece first appeared in the Sunday Independent Life Magazine on May 28th 2017*