Canopi is available in three colours, black, grey and white, and in two weights – microfibre for day wear and micromesh for evening wear.  The fabrics are very soft, breathable and crease-free, with elasticity for the perfect fit.  Canopi products are priced at €39.95 and are available to purchase directly from the Canopi website or from selected stockists nationwide including O’Donnell Boutique, Limerick.

CAPSULE WORK WARDROBE – TOP TIPS

• Essentials:  Make sure you have the basic essentials.  These vary from person to person but generally speaking you can’t go too far wrong if you have; 2 x dresses, 2 x trousers, 1 x skirt, 5 x tops, 2 x blouses, 1 x coat, 1 x blazer.
• Neutral basics:  Try and stick to neutral colours for your core garments i.e. dress, coat, jacket, blazer.  Enlive then outfit with colourful or embellished tops, accessories and jewellery.
• Fit:  Invest in clothes with an exceptional cut and quality.
• 5 colours max:  Build your wardrobe around your 5 favourite colours.  This will make it very easy to mix and match.
• Easy care:  Make sure that your clothes are easy to wash and iron.

Reasons why I love Salsa Jeans

• They are sleek and stylish, yet very comfortable.
• They never lose their fit, no matter how many wears.
• Wide variety of styles and colours.
• The fit is as close to perfect as you can get; the measurements (both waist and leg) go up in single inches, rather than the common 2 inch increments.
• They wash and iron well.
• They’re reasonably priced.  The main range is priced between €90 – €125, but their website often has great sale offers and seasonal discounts.

I purchased my original two pairs at Brown Thomas, but they are also available in selected boutiques nationwide (including The K Boutique in my home village of Adare, Co. Limerick).  If you don’t have a stockist near you then I suggest that you check out the Salsa website.  I recently purchased 2 pairs of jeans from their site and was extremely impressed by the service.  I ordered my jeans on a Wednesday afternoon and they arrived by courier to my door (from Portugal) two days later.  As you’ll see in the photos below, they were beautifully packaged, including a lovely wooden hanger and all!  Salsa also promise; free returns, free delivery over €49.90 and a money back guarantee on all returns (within a certain period of time).

Honestly, if you struggle to find jeans that fit and flatter, give them a try.  They have have 10 different cuts and fits within the women’s range alone  (including maternity, curvy, hipster etc.), plus they have a men’s selection also.  Click here to browse the Salsa website.

 Click here to read my guide on finding the perfect pair of jeans. 

You will notice that I haven’t included a recommended product inventory below.  The reason for this is that everyone’s tastes and requirements are different, so what suits me and my clients mightn’t necessarily suit yours.  If you want specifics, simply comment below or send me an email and I’ll do my best to answer.

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CAROLINE’S TOP TIPS 

1.  Avail of Professional Discounts:  Many of the major make-up brands offer a discount service to make-up professionals.  Some will require you to provide copies of your make-up qualification / tear sheets / professional accreditation etc.  Make-upAndBeauty.ie has an excellent post written on this topic.

2.  Research prior to purchasing:  I weep when I think of the amount of useless impulse purchases that I’ve bought over the years.  Literally, money down the drain.  Nowadays I thoroughly research products before I buy.  I trawl beauty blogs (such as Beaut.ie and Temptalia.com) and I watch trusted YouTube gurus such as Lisa Eldridge, Pixiwoo and Wayne Goss.

3.  Set yourself a budget:  When I first started working in the make-up industry professionally I got bit carried away and bought way too much of the wrong things.  Remember, when it comes to make-up, quality always trumps quantity.  Now I focus on key products that are versatile, long-lasting, non-allergenic, highly pigmented and easy to use.   Set out a strict budget at the start, and if you tend to buy bits and pieces regularly, then adhere to a monthly budget so as you’re not tempted to splurge.

4.  Spend money on creams/liquids:  An excellent make-up artist once told me to spend money on liquid and cream products and save on powder products – a piece of advice which has served me well.  I always buy high quality foundations, concealers, cream blushes and lipsticks as I find that they offer a long-lasting, non-drying finish, which is essential in my business (mostly weddings).   Unfortunately my expensive tastes mean that I have a lot of high-end powder products too, but I also have lots of cheaper brands in my kit such as Inglot, Sleek and Bourgois.  Incidentally, it’s worth having a bottle of white MAC Face and Body Foundation in your kit which you can mix with your own foundations to create bespoke shades.

5.  Get samples:  If you can, try and get samples of products to try out before you buy.  That way you can determine whether you like the product or not.  I also carry samples of uncommon foundation shades in my kit, rather than buying a full-size bottle which would never be used.

6.  Get high quality brushes:  Bad brushes will drive you demented.  Save yourself long-term hassle and money and buy good brushes from the start.  If you can, buy a few of your most-used brushes e.g. eye-shadow blending brushes, stippling brushes etc.  You don’t have to spend a fortune on brushes;  I have some excellent ones from Inglot, Sigma and Real Techniques, which are more than a match for my posh MAC ones…although if I won the Lotto in the morning I would buy these Rae Morris brushes…so luxurious!

7.  Save money on equipment:  Make-up equipment is ridiculously expensive, in Ireland at least.  Think outside the box.  When I first started, I bought a tool box (€33) and a tool belt (€12) from B&Q to store my make-up products and brushes respectively.  Click here to watch a video.  When it came to buying a chair (an essential!), I was quoted €300 in Ireland – way out of my price range –  so instead I bought this excellent chair from Amazon.com ($68, but I bought it for $99 from a different supplier – darn).

8.  Buy a good quality make-up case:  After a year or so my make-up collection outgrew the above-mentioned B&Q make-up box so I bought a larger one on-line…which turned out to be a complete disaster.  The quality is terrible, the retractable handle can’t support the weight of the case, it’s very difficult to manoeuvre, impossible to lift etc.  And it was expensive too!  I keep saying that I’ll have to buy a new one before I do my back an injury.  I have my eye on this one. 

9.  Keep your receipts:  You will be able to claim make-up purchases as business expenses.

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SPEAKERS 

Sonya Lennon – Dress for Success Dublin:  You may know Sonya as a presenter of the popular RTÉ series Off The Rails, well did you know that she has another feather in her cap?  Today, she spoke with great passion and pride about her charitable organisation, Dress for Success Dublin.  The idea is simple, yet the impact is enormous; by providing professional clothing, career coaching and a support network, Dress for Success empowers women living in disadvantaged situations to secure employment and achieve economic independence.  The service is run by volunteers and relies on the goodwill of financial benefactors, clothing donors, and pro bono professional services.  For information on donations (clothes and money) and volunteering, visit the website or Facebook page.  (The charity is presently based in Dublin but nationwide expansion is anticipated in the not-too-distant future.)

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Denise Brady – Teamworx Recruitment & Retail Consultants:   Denise is the co-founder of Teamworx.ie, a successful agency which sources high-calibre candidates for some of the biggest names in retail.  Denise spoke with passion about the importance of continually growing and adapting your business so that you maintain your competitive edge (particularly during lean times) i.e. adding value to your core product, refining your own skills, and delivering your service to the best of your ability.

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Heidi Higgins – Fashion Designer:  Irish fashion-designer Heidi Higgins has been enjoying great success of late; she has a flagship store in her home town of Portlaoise, her designs are now for sale in Brown Thomas Dublin and numerous boutiques nationwide, her pieces are regularly featured in fashion magazines and newspapers, and she now has her sights set on the international market.  Her success is all the more remarkable for the fact that she is in business less than 3 years!  Check out her beautiful designs here.

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Aoife Horgan – The PR Boutique:  Whilst working at a large multi-faceted PR agency, Aoife found herself increasingly occupied with beauty and fashion brands.  Recognising that there were no existing PR companies in Ireland dealing exclusively with these industries, Aoife set about co-founding The PR Boutique.  Did I mention that she was just 24 years of age when she did this!  The PR Boutique has since amassed a large number of industry-leading brands including; Rimmel, Trilogy and Sally Hansen.  Check out her funky website here. 

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NETWORK DIRECTORY

I also had the pleasure of meeting some (but unfortunately not all) of the creative professionals present at the event.  I found it really encouraging to meet so many positive and engaging businesswomen, many of whom have set up in the past 3 years.  Here is a brief summary of the businesses I encountered.   Do take a look at their websites and see what they’re about!

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Christina Belle Jewellery:  I saw Christina Goldston from afar wearing these earrings and made a beeline for her to find out where she got them, only to discover that she designed them!  They form part of her ‘Americana’ collection, one of three stunning design collections that she retails from her website.

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Miglio Designer Jewellery:  Noelle De Barra retails the beautiful Miglio designer jewellery range via her website.  As an added service, she also offers jewellery parties and one-to-one consultations.

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Mes Petits Chapeaux:  I’ve known Loraine Domican for a few years and have watched her business grow from strength to strength over the past few years.  She designs and makes a spectacular array of headwear, including the stunning Golden Flutter headpiece (see photo below) which I am dreaming of owning!  Visit Loraine’s website. 

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Rebekah Patterson Milliner:  Rebekah nearly had to chase me across the car-park to retrieve one of her headpieces, so taken was I by it!  Rebekah has a flagship store in The Parade in Kilkenny City, and also retails from The Loft in Dublin.  Visit her Facebook page. 

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Ivory Silks:  Ivory is an Irish company which designs contemporary, elegant silk designs for women (mostly shirts, blouses and jackets).  I particularly like the Dragonfly Shirt Dress (pictured below).  View the collection online. 

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Emma Farrell – Make-up Artist:  I’ve followed Emma’s excellent blog for some time so it was great to meet her in person.  Check out her amazing portfolio on her website – the body painting in particular is incredible!

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Bagsitt:  One of the major talking points at the conference yesterday was the unusual display sign stands which were positioned among the seats.  From a distance they looked like small coat stands, but in actual fact are an invention by Jill Aston called Bagsitt (pictured below).  These stands have a dual purpose; they can accommodate A5 size signs plus they hold bags too.  I expect to see many of these in retail stores soon.  Visit Bagsitt online.

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Miinto.ie:  Miinto is a soon-to-be-launched Irish website which aims to bring independent Irish boutiques together onto one site, thereby enabling them to compete with large multi-label websites.  I can’t wait to see it when it rolls out in May 2012.  Click here to visit Miinto.ie. 

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If you happened to be at the event yesterday and I didn’t get to meet you. please do say hi in the comments below and link to your business.  This blog post is ridiculously long so I’ll finish at this point.  I wish to thank Julie and Clara for a great day out, and the sponsors for the very generous goodie bag that I received (€50 voucher from Barbarstown Castle, a copy of this month’s Tatler, a gorgeous mini bottle of L’Eau de Chloe from Arnotts, samples of Philosophy cleanser, moisturiser and eye cream, again, courtesy of Arnotts, and a selection of Rose Oil from Bulgaria beauty products.)  I’m looking forward to the next event already!  See www.stylenetwork.ie for more.

Top:  Savida at Dunnes Stores (SS12) €20

Cardigan:  Savida at Dunnes Stores (SS12) €18

Jeans:  Salsa (‘secret’ fit) €95 from Brown Thomas (currently on special offer for €60 on Salsa website)

Runners:  Dunnes Stores (men’s department) €10

Necklace:   Dunnes Stores (a few years old)

About GLOSSYBOX

I’m referring to GLOSSYBOX - a mail-order subscription service which sends you a selection of sample-sized beauty products every few weeks.  It commenced in the UK in May 2011 and has since spread to 18 countries, including Ireland.   GLOSSYBOX was pretty much an instant hit with beauty fans – and I can see why.  I used to love luckybags when I was a kid and GLOSSYBOX has the same element of surprise as you don’t know what you’re going to get until you receive the box.  Also, for the most part, the sample sizes are very generous and the products are quite high end.  If you like what you get, you can order full-size products at a discount.

My first order

After months of watching videos and reading blog posts on GLOSSYBOX, I took the plunge for the March 2012 box.  The sign-up part was easy – you input your personal and payment details via this form, complete a beauty product profile, et voila, you’re done.  You can sign-up for a 3/6/12 month subscription or a rolling subscription which can be cancelled at any time.  As luck would have it, I signed up just in time for the special edition collaboration with Harrods – hurrah!

Lost shipment & delayed delivery

I received an email on 9th March saying that my GLOSSYBOX had been dispatched and would arrive within 5-7 working days (UK is 2-3 working days).  However, I subsequently received an email on 16th March (Friday) advising that there had been an problem with the labeling of some Irish shipments and that if I hadn’t received my delivery to let them know.  I hadn’t received mine so I duly emailed them on 17th March (Saturday) advising of same.  They came back to me first thing the following Monday (19th March) and said they would dispatch a new one to me immediately and that if the first one arrived in the meantime that I could keep it.  The wayward box never arrived but the replacement arrived on Thursday March 29th.   I was satisfied with the efficiency of the GLOSSYBOX customer care service and didn’t mind the extra wait; however, I was a bit disappointed that the discount code expired on March 23rd which meant that I couldn’t avail of the 20% off at Harrods (applicable to featured products only).

What I received

I had looked at a number of videos and reviews online prior to receiving my GLOSSYBOX so I knew what products were in the mix in advance.  There were some variations from person to person (depending on their GLOSSYBOX beauty profile, I assume) and certainly I was hoping to get what I considered to be the ‘better’ samples.  Luck was on my side; when I opened my GLOSSYBOX I was excited to see generous sample sizes of the following:

• Eau de Toilette | Fendi “Fan de Fendi”
• Lipstick | Burberry ”Lip Cover (Rosewood N°4)”
• Hair Oil | Ojon “Damage Reverse™ Instant Restorative Hair Serum”
• Body Cream | Clarins “Extra Firming Body Cream”
• Face Creams | Erno Laszio “The Hollywood Collection: 5 Piece Cream Gift Set”

Coat:  I have quite a few formal occasions and weddings to attend this year and while I have plenty of suitable dresses, until now I didn’t have a formal coat having purchased this gorgeous cream dress coat with pearl embellishment by Fee G last week.  I forsee this coat being worn to every formal engagement that I  attend for the coming years!   Purchased at Isobel Boutique (SS12 collection).  As my photograph is of poor quality, I’ve also attached the brand’s press photo (although it doesn’t show the colour correctly – the coat is actually cream).  You will notice that I had the sleeves taken up to 3/4-length, as the original sleeves were a too short for me.

Dress:  I’ve had this beautiful pink silk dress by Ann Louise Roswald in my wardrobe for a few years and it has been one of the best investments I’ve made.  It has a beautiful cut and fit and it’s a joy to wear – ideal for a Spring wedding.  Purchased at Isobel Boutique (SS10 collection).  Pardon the poor image quality – I forgot my camera so the images are from a phone.  I’ve attached a brand press photo so as you can see it in more detail.

Shoes:  A classic pair of  nude, patent, mid-heel courts by Nine West (‘Applaud’ from the SS12 collection) completed the look.

Jewellery:  I wore a beautiful bespoke pearl earrings and necklace set from Carol Shaw Jewellery (similar to those pictured above), a cubic zirconia costume ring and pearl hair comb from The Gift Box Adare, a sparkly watch and bracelet given to me as gifts, plus my wedding and engagement rings.

Hair & make-up:  I tied my hair up in a simple bun, and wore ‘strawberries and cream’ make-up i.e. bright pink cheeks and lips, minimal eye make-up and lots of mascara.

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