From everyday essentials to the best beauty investments, here’s what’s on the Ayurvedic holistic health coach and yoga teacher’s bathroom shelf …
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Key beauty staples/old favourites I’m never without include a retinol product, muslin cloths, an LED mask, a skin supplement, Vaseline and an amazing antiseptic cream I buy in India called Boroplus (@boroplusindia). Everyone who has tried it raves about it. You can use it on anything from bites to cuticles. I have tubes of it in all my bags and drawers.
Best beauty investments – what I spend a bit more on that’s worth it Oral care as part of beauty and general wellness is huge for me. As an ayurvedic practitioner, I begin my day with tongue scraping (find one at www.ecostore.ie, €6.40). I then use the Spotlight Sonic electric toothbrush. The cost of dentistry services in Ireland has risen, so it pays to look after the teeth. I am prone to teeth grinding, which knocks my fillings out, so the occasional Botox in my jaw is actually an investment. Yes, I get Botox in other places, too! I go to Dr Michelle Westcott of Nu Youth Medical Aesthetics Clinic (Swords, Co Dublin).
My most recent purchase: the Dyson Airwrap. I procrastinated for a long time and when I won €500 recently, I took it as a sign. As I ordered it from Boots, I got a ton of points, so I feel like I was clever about the purchase.
Favourite places to shop for beauty: includes department stores – I practically grew up in Clerys – and chemists. I love a good nose around when travelling: you can’t beat French chemists, Spanish supermarkets or tiny Greek stores! I always try to find a cult or special find when travelling.
I’m coveting: staying healthy and feeling good as I move into the perimenopause years. Supplements are so important to me, even more so than skincare. So, if I am coveting anything, it’s the means to keep myself in good food and great supplements rather than adding in more beauty creams.
My favourite Irish beauty product: it’s hard to choose because there are so many amazing ones now. I have to say Seabody though, as they use seaweed as the basis for their products, and I am a huge sea lover. A lot of their products are multifunctional too; for example the cleanser is also a mask, the SPF is also a primer. I enjoy using the products and love their heavy containers which I recycle with my glass recycling.
The loveliest perfume bottle on my dressing table: Sisley Eau de Soir, €264. It’s my “going out” scent, but I am trying to actually use it more as life is too short! I also adore Bronze Goddess by Estee Lauder as I first wore it in Kos years ago and it reminds me of that trip, as well as subsequent sun holidays including my most recent trip to the Maldives. For me, it’s sunshine and good memories in a bottle.
My home fragrance: as a yoga teacher I burn a lot of incense sticks (a favourite choice is Be Kind Industries, a Wicklow-based company). I also like to spray my porch with Karma room spray by Rituals, so both guests and clients are welcomed by a nice fragrance upon arrival to my home. I love scented candles. Since Covid, my sense of smell is not the same, so sadly I can no longer smell some brands. They have to be strong enough for my nose: La Bougie, Somas and Brooke & Shoals, all Irish brands, fit the bill.
One foundation I swear by: an inexpensive chemist brand. I am happy with Rimmel or Catrice (€8.50 at pharmacies). After suffering from acne for most of my adult life (it still comes and goes), I no longer feel the need to hide behind my foundation. I no longer cake on thick Clinique or Estee Lauder. Maybe I am just happier in myself as well, so I don’t feel the need to completely wipe out my face and start again! But I am happy to spend more on skin prep, for example masks by Ella & Jo, and then spend just around the €10 mark on foundation. I also add radiance and glow with Dr Hauschka Illuminating Fluid (€29.95) – a world away from when I used to mattify myself to the nth degree.
For hair: I enjoy the Moisture Melt mask (€33.95) by Irish brand Sea + Solu. I also like using oils on my scalp overnight and then washing in the morning. This makes me then follow through on my promise to wash my hair first thing. In an ideal world, I would get a boho blowdry at least once a week. I am hoping the Airwrap can give me the same effect. I am lucky that my hair holds a curl well, as it’s naturally wavy. I have had just two GHD straighteners over the years as they are so hard-wearing. I am so over my hair being straight now, but at least I can be frizz-free and smooth while I am manifesting curly blow-drys on-demand.
My beauty routine: is very simple and I spend as much time on my body as my face. I massage in oils every day. Every so often, I spend an afternoon clearing out my beauty stuff, and donate any unwanted unopened items to hygiene poverty charity Hygiene Hub.
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