M&S Beauty

Beautiful: 1. Joanne Ahern; 2. Carmel Breheny and Charlotte Alcock; 3. Aoife Mangan. (Pix. KH)

M&S on Mary St was buzzing with excitement as the new Beauty Boutique was unveiled. Positioned as Your Beauty - the best of nature & science, the brand new dedicated M&S Beauty department features an exclusive edit of some of the leading niche beauty brands from Europe and the USA, handpicked by the M&S Beauty experts.

Beauty advisors were on hand to answer any questions and one-to-one skin consultations were available with beauty consultant to the stars Malvina Fraser, who flew in from London especially for the occasion.

Getting involved were beauty gurus Jennifer Stevens, Shauna O'Halloran and Leonard Daly. Bloggers Lorna-Claire Weightman, Anne-Marie Boyhan, Rosemary MacCabe and Sarah Jane Lanagan tweeted about their favourite brands, while Elaine Butler Doolin enjoyed her Leighton Denny manicure with the man himself, Leighton Denny.

Brands available at the new beauty boutique include Apivita - Greece's top natural skin and hair care range that is derived from Greek honey bees, NeoStem Serum - a ground-breaking new anti-ageing product available exclusively at Your Beauty, M&S.  M&S also launched a new own-brand range called Pure, a skincare and bodycare brand with a natural and eco-friendly proposition.

Cocoa Brown

Tantastic: 1. Nuala Carey and Deirdre Heavey; 2. Aisling Shanahan and Anna Cullen; 3. Sybil Mulcahy and Gary Kavanagh. (Pix. BMcE)

Marissa Carter, who runs the popular Carter Beauty, has just launched a new self tanning range called Cocoa Brown (you may recall she kindly supported the recent Maxtravaganza Ball).

Irish girls have a near obsession with fake tan (probably due to our lack of natural sun) and early reviews suggest this range is sure to be a hit.  Developed by Marissa herself the product is born out of her years of experience in her Blackrock salon.

Residence Club played host to the launch with guests including Marie Hughes and Tara Talbot, Gary Kavanagh, Nuala Carey as well as Tv3's Anna Daly and Sinead Desmond.

Upper Baggot Street

Village people: 1. Charlie Chawke and Nicola Williams; 2. Grainne Murphy and Cyril McAree; 3. Johnny and Maeve Plower. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The Upper Baggot Street area of Dublin is synonymous with writers and artists and now too as a dynamic and thriving hub of retail businesses and professional services supported by financial institutions.  Traders in the area hosted a celebratory dinner at the beautiful Dylan Hotel to launch their newly formed Association.

Proving a long established fact that opening a new business during a recession is not only possible but successful, the last year has seen more than a dozen new businesses open in this historic area, and enjoying successful trading, bucking a national trend. Along with existing businesses reporting an upsurge in trade, a small group of traders and business decided to form an Association calling it The Village at Upper Baggot Street to help strengthen and unify activities and services to benefit all traders which in turn benefits the locale and its customers.

Special guest at the inaugural dinner is Charlie Chawke who has reopened Searson's which lay vacant for over a year.  Charlie had previously bid on the establishment some 20 years ago so this is a personal and business win for him.

Association chairperson Nicola Williams of Bergins auctioneers is supported in her efforts by a panel of representatives from the area, including Karen Kirby, of AIB, Oonagh O'Hagan of Meaghers Chemists, Catherine Doyle of Donnybrook Fair, Róisín Ní Mhórdha of Impression PR, and Maeve Brocklesby of Weirs.

High Style

Leading Irish designer Louise Kennedy showcased her AW12 collection at her flagship store on Merrion Square.  Among those in attendance were: 1. Roisin Murphy; 2. Sonia Reynolds and Laura Keane. (Pix. Leon Farrell / Photocall)

NUXE looks

 All for Beauty: 1. Alison Canavan; 2. Lisa Byrne; 3. Siobhan O'Connor and Kevin Menton. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

French beauty brand NUXE celebrated the 20^th birthday of its cult Huile Prodigieuse product. The chic Mezz Bar at La Stampa played host to the event where guests were treated to champagne and tasty canapés while Elizabeth Whelan shared the success story of NUXE. Huile Prodigieuse multi purpose dry oil is a product loved by celebrities all over the world and NUXE was one of the first brands to create such an innovative product.

So Belle

Ciao Belle: 1. Vivienne Connolly and John Compton; 2. Teresa Rocca and Virginia Macari; 3. Rosemary Duffy and Celine Brady. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

So Belle Beauty Rooms in Castleknock celebrated 10 years in business recently.  All their loyal clients were in attendance to toast the salon including Dublin Housewive stars Virginia Macari, Jo Jordan and Roz Flanagan as well as Vivienne Connolly, John Compton and Theresa Rocca.

Also launched on the night was a new eyebrow treatment called "HD brows" and So Belle is the only salon in Dublin 15 to provide these celebrity accessories.  Expert Nicola Talbot was on hand to provide the glam girls with beautiful brows.

Clodagh's Kitchen

Cooking: 1. Clodagh McKenna & Peter Gaynor; 2. Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney; 3. Mark Schwartz & Tara Fay. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Clodagh’s Kitchen, the top floor restaurant of Arnotts, has just had a complete makeover, following an investment of €300,000 from Capital Foods. The newly refurbished contemporary restaurant/bistro will offer seating for 80 in a warm and inviting atmosphere akin to the kitchen and dining room of Clodagh’s home, which evokes her unique chic style and personality.

Guests at the launch evening included Arnotts CEO Nigel Blow, Arnotts Chairman Mark Schwartz, Adrian Cummins, CEO, Restaurant Association of Ireland, RTE’s Brian Walsh, TV presenters Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney, Peter Gaynor of Capital Foods and Clodagh’s parents Jim and Irene McKenna.

Still true to the ethos of ‘Homemade by Clodagh’ the goodness and warmth of her healthy home cooking is to the fore. Clodagh will offer seasonal and locally sourced menus with a wide variety of choice for every palette. These menus will be complimented with wine suggestions from the restaurant manager, Michael Andrews.

A combination of bespoke materials were used to create the new look and feel of the restaurant including a decorative metal and painted wood panelling throughout. The new cooking area has been redesigned and will open up to address the dining room where diners can enjoy being part of the cooking experience of Clodagh’s working kitchen.