Where can you buy Flormar make-up in Ireland?

Ever since I wrote about the relaunch of Flormar in Ireland, I've been receiving questions about where you can purchase the products. I responded to those who asked with the simple truth that I honestly didn't know where exactly, particularly outside of Dublin. Then, yesterday, when I was conversing with one of their representatives via email about a different matter, I recalled all of those messages and asked if they could help me out. Thankfully, Flormar were able to send me a full list of their stockists. This list will be expanding over time so what I'm including here is not nearly an exhaustive list. However, you can always check out their Facebook page for updates in the "About" section.

Hope this helps you guys out!

Adamstown Pharmacy (Wexford)
Adriane Dunne Ashbourne (Meath)
Aghada Pharmacy (Cork)
AllCare Pharmacy (Douglas)
AllCare Pharmacy (Wicklow)
AllCare Pharmacy (Donaghmeade)
Ardiluan Pharmacy (Dublin 18)
Bagenalstown Pharmacy (Carlow)
Ballybay Pharmacy (Monaghan)
Bangor Erris Pharmacy (Mayo)
Barretts Castlecomer (Kilkenny)
Barry's Pharmacy (Dublin 12)
Bradley's Pharmacy Blanchardstown (Dublin 15)
Bradley's Prharmacy Ardee (Louth)
Caherconlish Pharmacy (Limerick)
Clonminch (Tullamore)
Carroll's Pharmacy (Waterford)
Christine's Pharmacy (Navan)
Clonroache Pharmacy (Wexford)
Clonsilla Pharmacy (Dublin 15)
Collin's Pharmacy (Clare)
Corrs Pharmacy (Louth)
Colm's Pharmacy (Galway)
Dalton Pharmacy (Tipperary)
Daly's Pharmacy (Dublin 7)
Donabate Pharmacy (Co.Dublin)
Dooley's Bridge Street (Limerick)
Dorrian Ballyshannon (Donegal)
Drom Pharmacy (Limerick)
Durrow Pharmacy (Laois)
Edenmore Pharmacy (Dublin 5)
Edward McManus Pharmacy (Dublin 9)
Edward McManus Pharmacy (Dublin 9)
Ennistymon Pharmacy (Clare)
Fitzmaurice Pharmacy (Dublin 3)
Flanagan's Clearwater (Dublin 9)
Foley's Pharmacy (Dublin 1)
Foxford Pharmacy (Mayo)
Georges St Pharmacy Dun Laoghaire (Dublin)
Glen Easton Pharmacy (Kildare)
Haven Pharmacy Ballybowden (Dublin 16)
Health 1st Pharmacy (Monaghan)
Heathers County Pharmacy- O'Donnells (Mayo)
Heaven Drimnagh (Dublin 12)
Heffernan's Pharmacy (Tipperary)
Hickey's Pharmacy Rush (Co. Dublin)
Janet Dillons (Leitrim)
Janet Dillon (Kildare)
Janet Dillons (Dublin 7)
Jobstown Pharmacy (Dublin 24)
Kelly's Ardara (Donegal)
Kevin Karey Pharmacy (Wicklow)
Killinarden Pharmacy (Dublin 24)
Lannon's Pharmacy (Sligo)
Lennon's Pharmacy Ballymote (Sligo)
Leonard's Corner (Dublin 8)
Life Pharmacy Ballymun (Dublin 9)
Lismore (Mari Mina) (Waterford)
Lonergans Pharmacy (Dublin 12)
Looby Haven Pharmacy (Dublin 21)
Magners Pharmacy (Dublin 5)
Maxwell Pharmacy (Dublin 6)
McCaffreys Pharmacy (Dun Laoghaire)
Mc Cartan Sutton Cross (Dublin 13)
Mc Cartans's Pharmacy (Dublin 17)
Mc Cormack's (Kildare)
Mc Guinness Dundalk (Louth)
McDevitts Pharmacy (Leitrim)
Mclaughlins Pharmacy (Dublin 12)
McManus Pharmacy Clara Offaly
McMahon Pharmacy (Tipperary)
Medipharm Dundrum (Dublin 14)
Medipharm George's St (Dublin 2)
Mitchells (Galway)
Mullaney's Pharmacy (Portlaoise)
Mulligans Pharmacy (Mayo)
N.McSweeny's (Galway)
O ' Dwyer's (Tipperary)
O'Sullivans Pharmacy (Dublin 12)
Park Pharmacy (Waterford)
Ratoath Pharmacy (Meath)
Robert's Pharmacy (Limerick)
Sk Healthcare (Louth)
Springkeel Pharmacy (Mayo)
Staunton's Pharmacy (Meath)
Strand Pharmacy (Dublin 3)
The Cosmetic Outlet (Dublin 8)
The Link Pharmacy (Mayo)
The Rise Pharmacy (Dublin 9)
Thurlas Phar, Dunnes Stores s/c Thurlas Tipperary
Varden West Clare. Milltown Malbay Clare
Village Pharmacy Dundalk (Louth)
Walsh's Pharmacy (Celbridge)
Wards Pharmacy (Longford)
Waterford Park Pharmacy (Waterford)
Woods Pharmacy (Westmeath)



(Thanks to Rebecca from Flormar for passing this information on to me)

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Urban Decay - Time To Start Composing Your Christmas Wishlist

Whether you're naughty or nice, Urban Decay has got you covered. With new launches and old favourites reimagined and repurposed, there are plenty of great gifting or self-gifting options coming from our go-to make-up brand this holiday season.

Yesterday, I attended an Urban Decay Make-up Masterclass with MUA Danielle Roberts in the Drury Buildings. I was so busy taking notes and photos that I forgot to actually eat anything so the make-up itself stood in for nutritional sustenance instead. But I felt pretty nourished by the end of it and left with a pretty long wishlist.

As Danielle completed her look, she talked us through the products, what was on trend and how to reuse old favourites in new and unexpected ways. She had so many nuggets of make-up wisdom that I wouldn't do a blow-by-blow account of the full process justice. Instead, I'm just going to highlight some of the points and products I found most interesting.

Now, the Vice 4 palette (RRP €48.00) was the clear star of the show and little really needs to be said about it. As insanely anticipated and popular the Naked Smoky (€46.00) might have been, this latest palette release from UD has been turning a lot of heads lately. While the Naked range is packed full of wearable neutrals that are often perfect for the everyday, go-to routine, the Vice 4 is all jewel tones that warrant a special occasion or a wearer who embraces colour. Both are stunning but the Vice 4 is majestic enough that it has swayed the heart of at least this minimalist and neutral devotee.

One of the things that Danielle kept talking about was incorporating UD's prep and setting sprays - not just at the beginning or end of the process, but throughout to bring in the skincare goodness that is infused into each one and to transform products into something new. For example, her tip to get the glowy, luminous skin that is so on trend, was to spray a little of their hero spray, the B6 Prep Spray (€14.00 for the travel size), into the palm of your hand and mix it with the foundation that you're going to use. This warms the products up so that they melt into your skin better and it gives your skin an extra boost of moisture and vitamins. Similarly, if you want to turn your favourite powder blush into a cream blush, just mix a little of the pigment with the Naked BB Cream (€30.00) and voilà!

One of the new launches that caught my eye - if you'll excuse the pun - was the Waterline eye pencils ($20.00). These are designed, you guessed it, for the waterline and offer a subtle enhancement to the eye, stay put and don't budge (seriously, I had to take my Clarisonic to the swatches on the back of a hand I had washed multiple times that day) and are also suitable for sensitive eyes. Which is all good news to me as my eyes water like crazy and tightlining my eyes is nigh on impossible.

The new Brow Beater (€18.50) brow pencil and Brow Tamer (€18.50) gel also got some love for being just the thing to create the imperfect, tousled and just wild enough brows that have been all over catwalks of late. I'm already a big fan of the Brow Tamer and the Brow Beater seems to do a great job of giving you thin lines to build up a natural-looking brow.

Another product, or range, that you might want to keep an eye out for (I apologise for that one), is the new line of Primer Potions. In addition to the original, beloved primer are ones for targeted concerns; Anti-Ageing (€21.00, Eden (a nude matte with full coverage, €21.00) and Minor Sin (sheerer version of the champagne-toned Sin, €21.00). All with the addition of a new applicator to help the product glide on more smoothly.

Finally I have to give a shout-out to the new matte lipsticks (£15.00) which are pigmented and bold with a lovely matte finish while still managing to be creamy and not too heavy - the best of all worlds! Plus, in the matte finish, the shades look truly gorgeous!

So much to look forward to! Will anything be getting a spot on your letter to Santa?

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REVIEW: Olympia by Pygmankenstein at The New Theatre

I review things a lot. I try not to do it too much. But I do review things on a regular basis. These are usually product or collection reviews. This time, however, I've got something a little different. I was asked along to the opening night of "Olympia" in The New Theatre in Temple Bar. Intrigued, I agreed, even though - and, perhaps, because - it was well outside of my comfort zone and what I'm used to doing.

Firstly, I'd like to confess that I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a regular theatre-goer or someone particularly well-versed in the artform. However, I've been a student of literature and a lifelong lover of storytelling in any form. When I learned that this particular play was a proper Gothic tale, took inspiration from Gaiman and promised to be scary, it sealed the deal.

Bringing along my best friend, Sarah, who has the best reactions ever to anything frightening, we ventured into the theatre, which is fronted by Connolly Books. Upon entering, I had a burst of social anxiety and embarrassed myself while trying to explain who I was and why I was there. Memo to self: just give people your name in future, you'll be on the list, no further explanation is necessary.

Moving on from how excruciatingly embarrassing I am...I didn't really know what to expect. I came in with the prejudice that a play wouldn't be able to be really scary but a recent theatre experience that had me looking forward to what was about to happen, none-the-less. Plus, I always hear such great things about the scene in Dublin.

Very quickly it became apparent that I was, indeed, going to be frightened. Nothing beyond what I could manage but there was a note of that Gothic sensibility that pervaded and wasn't merely an aesthetic but an eerie atmosphere that left the room heavy with tension. The combination of lighting, visual effects projected on a screen at the back of the stage and sound effects á la American Horror Story's title sequences, a few minutes in set my heart pounding. I was immediately uneasy and the recurring motif of eyes didn't help with this. They are so precious and delicate that anything to do with them is utterly terrifying, especially for someone who has had their eyes cut up by lasers - even if it successfully gave me perfect vision.

The lead, Nathaniel, (as played by Michael-David McKernan) is a young medical student who is a typical figure in such tales; talented, intelligent, too Romantic for his own good, obsessive - in this case about the well-being of his eyes. McKernan embodies the nervous, single-minded energy of such a character to a tee, though seemed shaky in moments. A nervousness that seems to be his own, at times, lends to the tone of unease but, ultimately, only helps in building tension. His best friend, Lothaire (Shane Robinson), as the comic relief, is brilliant, charismatic and the ideal counterpart to Nathaniel. He steals the stage every time he steps on it.

Nathaniel and Lothaire meet Professor Coppola (Aenne Barr), an expert in transplantation and Nathaniel is taken on as an assistant in her research. Her motivation is the ethereal Olympia (Claudia Kinahan), her daughter, who lost her sight in an accident and who the research ultimately aims to cure. Clara (Erin Gilgen), Nathaniel's fiancée and Lothaire's sister, rounds out the cast as one of the voices of reason and one of the heroes of the piece. Barr is perfection as Coppola, a grand dame who seems to have it all together but slowly unravels, and upon her introduction it seems obvious that something is amiss.

The tale is set up nicely with immediately identifiable "types" of the genre, yet Pygmankenstein (the writing duo of Nora Kelly-Lester and Lauren-Shannon Jones) make sure that we're constantly surprised and guessing. And, yes, very afraid. I was genuinely scared several times and, in a relatively quiet theatre, Sarah gasped pretty damn loudly. I would definitely recommend giving this a goo, especially for the season that's in it!

(Thanks to Insight and the company for having me!)

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Pamela Scott AW15 - "The Collection"

One of the most admirable things that a brand can do is take a new direction without leaving loyal customers behind or losing their identity. It's a difficult line to tread, indeed. Yet, Pamela Scott seems to have managed it.

As I walked into the press day, I noted the garments that my aunt or mother would normally visit the store for were still present on the racks; classic, warm coats, elegant knitwear, dresses fit for the office and weddings. Pamela Scott, after 40 years in business, knows what their woman wants and makes sure she'll keep returning to get it.

But they're also opening the door to a younger woman who they say is in her forties. One look at "The Collection," however, and I find I could wear much of it myself. In fact, there are some crisp pieces that I've been keeping an eye out for elsewhere to no avail.

The Collection offers pieces that look and feel much more expensive than they are. There are some pretty dresses - some exceptionally pretty dresses - suitable, again, for both office and party alike but there are also some separates that are seriously cool. One of my favourite looks from the whole collection is a pair of black, clean culottes with a floaty cream pussybow blouse. The blouse hits at the 70s trend that is everywhere but is simple enough to outlive the trend. The culottes are the perfect shape and length and utterly wearable - something I've been trying and failing to find. Pamela Scott knows real women and real bodies and these clothes are easy to put on without stressing about careful styling to make trends designed for models work on shorter or curvier forms.

Another highlight are the coats - one in camel and another in a deep, rich green. Tailored and neat, they are the perfect piece to dress any outfit up for any occasion. These are wardrobe staples that will earn their keep rather than gather dust.

Capes also appear. One is navy and structured - a little Gossip Girl, in that regard - and the other is a big, drapey knit piece in grey tones. Both are timelessly chic and on trend.

After viewing the show and being impressed by it, I ventured upstairs, at their encouragement to become better acquainted with the store at large and was taken aback by the quantity and range of formalwear. I was unaware but if you're after a Debs or bridal party dress, they've kind of got you covered!

Pamela Scott knows Irish women and a much wider cross-section of the population than I previously thought. They know how to dress our bodies and what we want and how we celebrate. And now they're also being a little more fashion-forward. They'll probably never make faddy, super on-trend pieces but, rather, garments that you'll cherish and wear over and over again with just enough awareness of current taste to be fashionable and enough timelessness to remain relevant for years to come.

Here's to the next forty years of this great Irish institution of fashion!

(Thanks to Pamela Scott, Sorcha and the team at Elevate for inviting me!)

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The Zipyard

More and more, I feel smothered by things. More and more, waste terrifies me. More and more, fashion can seem overwhelming.

Don't get me wrong. Fashion is still my first and greatest love but I've come to realise that I can appreciate things, recommend them to you, enjoy them, without owning them myself. Eventually, I'd like to curate a key wardrobe which I switch things in and out of seasonally and if there's a particular trend I like. Until I get to that point though, I've been trying to be better about buying, reusing and waste.

When The Zipyard approached me, asking me to a press day and to bring along an item in my wardrobe that could do with being revitalised, I was intrigued. It was only when I went and saw their showcase that I realised that this collab was exactly what I'd been craving and where my interests had been diverting lately.

The chain of alterations stores has 26 branches around Ireland and offer basic tailoring and alterations, dress-making and, best of all, upcycling of existing garments. They showed us how they bought pieces in the likes of Primark and made them look more expensive and unique, how they duplicated favourite items from customers who wished they had bought multiples as they loved and wore things so much and how they made old, tried pieces into something fresh and new.

Sometimes these alterations were simple; adding length to a dress that someone no longer felt comfortable wearing, turning a coat into an on-trend sleeveless jacket or embellishing an old top to make it more interesting or formal. Other times, this meant making entirely new garments like a coord from a shift dress.

I was fascinated by it all - and so impressed! This is what more of us need to do instead of being wasteful and buying more and more stuff to weigh us down. Or instead of merely throwing perfectly good garments away!

For my item, I brought in an Avoca jacket that I bought with a skirt as a suit in a charity shop for five quid. The fabric was good, and the construction fantastic but it was tired and old-fashioned. I liked the idea of the jacket and wore it a few times but it needed careful styling to work. I wanted something I didn't have to put so much thought into.

So, they patched up the worn areas so neatly you wouldn't notice it. Added length to turn it into a coat instead of an awkward, in-between length jacket. Used the same leather from the hem to trim the sleeves and pockets - to tie it all together. And then changed the buttons into something cleaner to make it look more contemporary.

The result is a McQueen style coat that is utterly unique, infinitely more wearable and very special to me.

I urge anyone looking a piece that they love, no longer wear but cannot part with to pop into one of The Zipyard's branches and see what they can do for you! Their teams are not only tailors but also have been trained in styling and will be able to make sure all garments fit to perfection and look awesome. They'll even be able to give you great ideas on how to change up a piece!

Before

After

(Thanks to The Zipyard for this experience - it was amazing!)

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