We all have small insecurities about ourselves things we would rather not have to look at everyday and for me working in the industry I do it means that I’m sometimes in the spotlight a little. Most notably with various events etc I have to attend. I’m no stranger to a little tweak, a ml of filler or anything that’ll help me look good. I have this theory about how looking good makes you feel good. It gives you confidence to go out there and be comfortable in your own skin.

Let’s set the record straight here… I’m not suggesting anybody head out and start getting jabbed with needles for the sake of it ( and believe me I’ve had some offers ) but if you feel in your heart you’d like to make some minor improvements then it’s worth it. You are worth it. I’m not suggesting for a minute that we head on the reality TV bandwagon of just getting our faces injected. What I’m suggesting is realizing the best version of yourself.

I have always worked off the principle that if you’re going to have any procedure done you should rely on experts. So like any good beauty hack I went off and had some consultations and then basically made a decision. Firstly I’d had quite a negative experience in another clinic , but that’s for another blog post. Secondly I used to work in a clinic before so I knew what to look out for.

Let’s start with what you categorically don’t want :

A salesperson ; this is the kind of person that tries to convince you that you need everything filled and frozen and will offer you a package deal … sort of like a multipack of crisps at the supermarket. You need 3 areas of Botox and your cheeks , and lips filled. While I’m at it do you want some lower face Botox you’re looking kinda big in your jaw area..Here is the consent form … woah back up buddy what? No.

A drill and fill : this is the type of doctor that approaches it in a partially agricultural way. Load up the filler and away we go

A backstreet clinic : this is your person that flies in and does the injectables without telling you whether they are FDA approved. You’ll find these people will typically be only present in the premises part time so if you come back there’s nobody to rectify your problem. Once there is a medic ( Dr or Nurse) on hand at all times you’re good. Loads of salons have visiting doctors and that’s perfectly acceptable too. Many doctors travel to inject a list and then leave and come back a few weeks later and revisit. That’s fairly common practice especially in rural areas where demand mightn’t be that much.

Just so you know too … Clinic’s are required to have EPI pens and first aid supplies in case something goes wrong.

Anyway with Eden I have found them to be friendly and warm in their approach and Dr. Emma is kind and caring. She is really honest about expectation and results and will never ” sell” you a service that won’t make you look your best.

I have had anti aging injections ( Botox) lip fillers and Profhilo all carried out over the course of the last year.

My frown lines were zapped and my brow lifted. My lips filled ( twice ) and I’ve had two Profhilo skin treatments which helps with laxity of the skin, to be honest I had been contemplating getting filler in my marionettes ( these are the ones from the corner of your face to your chin) but Profhilo has given the result I wanted.

Let’s discuss the brow lift first … Botox is injected between the brows and just over them to give a little lift. This takes effect 7-10 days post treatment. You then attend for a review and if you need more it is at this point you get a second injection. With anti ageing injections Doctors tend to be ginger in their approach and add. Although not permanent the effects last typically 12-14 weeks so it’s much better to be cautious with a dosage rather than go full throttle.

The lip filler is done with a topical numbing cream to ensure minimal pain. The area is injected then and the filler takes about 24/48 hours to adjust to your body temperature after that it feels no different from your own lips. It’s offers plumping and slighter larger lips. You can only go to a certain size to keep it looking natural. I had recently suggested more filler in my lips but Dr Emma thought it would change the balance of my face too dramatically. As I respect her opinion as a Dr I took her advice.

Make up free

Profhilo is a skin treatment whereby HA is injected into 5 different points on the face to offer a smooth finish. This is a smoothing as opposed to plumping treatment.

I loved the results of Profhilo as it’s an overall treatment that helps you look youthful. For me the over 35’s will love this and I must admit to feeling more confident to going make up free since having it done. This one is more for a fresh face healthy glow look that a filler look. You don’t need to be an injectables person to have this done as its all about giving you a natural refreshed look.

For me the measure of what I’ve had done is that I feel good about how I look. There’s nothing wrong or vain about wanting to look good. It’s a big part of my identity and truth be told I’ve always been diligent with my skin, except perhaps with sun exposure in my youth. Another big factor for me is knowing that people that follow my website or social media have gone to Eden and been satisfied. I hate to recommend anywhere that’s not up to scratch especially for injectables.

This isn’t a sponsored or paid by Eden Medical in anyway. I am happy to continue going there as I feel they know my face.

I’m not chasing perfection but I’m chasing feeling good and looking good. Eden does that in a non pushy way that feels natural to me.

You can contact them by calling 021 2067768

Lipstick is something that I love since getting enhanced lips. I must own over a hundred of them at this stage. I do tend to stick to nudes or reds ( I mean talk about the sublime to the ridiculous ) . And I do really love a good quality matte one. Firstly I’d like to say that I keep my lips hydrated and in good condition.

As a brand Note is freely available in pharmacies and is a really accessible price point which I think is important when you are trying a new brand. They are under two years in Ireland but are now well established and a favourite of many a blogger and beauty editor.

The lip cream were the ones I loved opaque and king wearing they passed both the coffee test and the wine test. You do need to let the cream settle on the lip and if you’re over 25 , a liner is essential, Note do have full range of lip pencils too which is handy. On a side note I feel that lip pencils are really versatile and you only need a couple of them in your collection. I like a traditional style one that you have to sharpen as opposed to an automatic one as they are slightly more precise

The mineral lip creams are easy to apply and contain a sponge like applicator,

If you prefer a more traditional lipstick then I took this shot for Instagram and one of my favourite pinky nudes in the matte moist lipstick in the colour Miss Kiss which is really good at making your teeth look whiter.

You can purchase Note in Sam McCauley from €5 and the colour payoff and wearability on the full range is incredible

The news over the last number of weeks has been pretty grim and the general narrative is in no way gender neutral. Women by our very nature are nurturers, we make things better, try to cope and see apparently better at ” coping”. We are expected to be paragons if virtue and keep our knickers on whilst still being expected to give birth and keep everyone happy. It’s a mans world was something my mother regularly said.

She died when I was 21 and really it’s only taken me nearly 20 years to realise that she was right. My dad was a modern man at the time , they both worked , he did his fair share of the housework etc so my perception growing up wasn’t that Mum did everything ..

Let’s start with Ant McPartlins drink driving just weeks after an exit from rehab. Pictures emerged of a man broken desolate and looking rather contrite. Sympathy was rife for the poor victim of alcoholism and his apparent slip off the wagon.

Anybody remember Amy Winehouse being afforded the same sympathy ? No, me either. Labelled a druggie and an alcoholic shambles in every publication was the course of action shown to her. Immense ridicule and it totally overshadowed her brilliance on some level.

And poor Dec being left to do the Saturday night takeaway alone prompted worldwide support. Even old high waisted jeans himself Simon Cowell took to Twitter to offer his support. Outpouring of love for this pro who without his buddy was deemed half a man. Cop on.

Remember when Kurt Cobain died? And left Courtney Love a widow with a small child? The only thing she got really was her face plastered on tabloids and her ability as a mother questioned. Can we see what’s happening here?

Men that don’t want marriage or kids are seen a bachelors wanting a quiet life and no nagging. Women choose it? They are viewed as career women that are selfish and cold. If I were a man there is no way people would question my childless status but because I’m a woman , they do it constantly.

Twitter for me was a bad place after the recent Belfast Rape trial. The lad culture that we have become conditioned to.

This culture isn’t a new phenomenon I’m afraid.At 19 I worked in a bar and on a Sunday night this group of ” lads” came in. It wasn’t their first stop of the day and their order was always the same , Four vodkas , two red bull and two pints of Heineken. One of them in particular used to regularly make remarks sexually at me, and I used to just ignore them. One night though I had enough and said to him ” since you think I want it so much and you’re so proud of it why don’t you take it out!?” Show me this amazing appendage that you want me to experience because I am sick of hearing about it. I said it loud enough for everyone to hear. One of his friends said to me ” fair play you don’t deserve that filth ” and I looked at him fairly murderously and said : ” it’s s pity you didn’t tell him shut up then isn’t it? ” I was a bit mad at myself for allowing the creep to do what he did for months without taking him to task. I was proud that I hadn’t used any sexual words to describe his ” manhood” though because he was so vile I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t get off on me swearing at him.

I had always refused to wear the women’s TShirt to work , opting instead for a size large in the Male polo shirt . I hid beneath baggy jeans and buffalo trainers. I tried to make myself blend in with the boys. I wanted to do my job and have a good time. There was only one other girl working there. She was as much of a lad as I was. That was 20 years ago now. Time flies but unfortunately the same lad culture still exists.

While nobody can be jailed for a what’s group chat , or ” lad banter ” we need to look quite closely at the type of macho bull that is prevalent among some men these days. The belief that women that find this attitude steeped in misogyny are “feminazis” is completely ludicrous.

Women indulge in sexual talk of course they do, they discuss their sexual lives and partners just as much as men , probably more. But that group chat was discussing a girl leaving a party hysterical and bleeding, and all the while being perceived as a merry go round and a spit roast. I’m not sure how proficient these guys are in bed but generally if a woman is enjoying it she doesn’t leave with a vaginal laceration because vaginas are designed to accommodate sex. When it’s consensual.

Referring to women as sluts isn’t ok. Men are never given this title but apparently ” top shaggers” is how we ought to refer to them. This double standard seems to indicate that women are there for male pleasure. Top tip… women enjoy sex. Women are every bit as sexual as men. Women have needs too. If you are in an intimate situation with a woman you’ll know if she’s enjoying it. Any good lover is attuned to the other regardless of their connection.

Nobody knows what happened apart from the people present and while we may not agree, a verdict has been reached and we must respect it. Not guilty.

The complainants life is changed forever. So are the four men that were found not guilty. All five were given the trial by social media and there is no doubt that there’s a lot more to come out. Statements . Regret. Shoulda, woulda coulda. Too late.

Which brings us to the question of consent. Consent is something we deal with daily .. want a coffee? No thanks, no coffee is presented. Someone looks hungry ? You offer them food , they take it great they don’t no biggie. Sex is the same. You don’t need a questionnaire or disclaimer which has been the suggestion by some. A simple ” do you want to” or ” are you ok with this ” will suffice. The same thing applies whether it’s a one night stand , some al fresco heavy petting or in a long term relationship. People shouldn’t be pressured in to consent. If the urge is really that bad? You can relieve yourself at a later stage. If in doubt don’t whip it out. That’s a mantra right there guys. If it stops at a certain point that’s ok. There’s no obligation.

There are no good rapists or bad rapists, it happens under differing circumstances but… if you don’t get consent you’re no better than someone that sets out to attack or rape someone. There’s no grey area around consent. Educate yourself.

As for the concept of ” buyer remorse ” the next day? That’s a society led thing which has conditioned women to think that they are Harlots for having a one night thing. Before I get abused for this belief , falsely accusing someone is despicable , no doubt. I think anyone that would accuse someone out of regret is wrong on every level. There’s no excuse.

But what about the children? I’m afraid my son will grow up and have too much to drink and get himself in trouble, here’s my advice :

if you would talk to your daughter about safety then talk to your son about consent.

Lastly let’s look at our constitution and the eighth amendment. Having autonomy over your body is a human right. Being able to access modern healthcare in your country where you pay tax is a human right. Men don’t have to travel for healthcare so why should women ? This isn’t about Ireland becoming a nation of murdering lunatics. This is about accessing a service that some people need for a variety of reasons. Morals don’t come into this one. It’s to repeal the 8th. Whether you believe in a virgin birth or you are an atheist your personally held beliefs are not relevant.

Trust me when I say this, the decision to end a pregnancy , viable or not isn’t an easy one. Very often external circumstances make the decision for the person. Nobody wakes up and says ” oh I’ll just casually do this “. For the record I have lost a baby , a baby that would now be almost of school going age. I had to sign the consent forms to bury him or her in an angel plot with other angel babies. My termination wasn’t my decision. I had to have it or I could have died, and all I could think of at the time was ” please don’t make me go to England” . Hysterical , distressed in a maternity hospital with newborns in the corridor. That was my fear, the stigma I might have to go England. My baby was essentially a time bomb in my womb waiting to erupt. For 12 hours that is how it felt while I waited for theatre. Safe in Cork, near my family if anything happened. Recovering , in Cork with my loved ones there for support. Others aren’t that fortunate. Can you see how wrong it is to go through that … and still count your blessings that there were no airports , no taxis to strange places and no hotels. I don’t know of a man that’s ever had to endure such atrocity. They never will. Women are human beings. Living breathing human beings. Let’s start treating them as such.

Itchy atopic skin is part of life for me everyday. While I control my Psoriasis quite well using a little prescription product the rest of my body is still dry. Bearing in mind I’m a slave to the shower I had to look to a range that was a good emollient and not over the top expensive. Off to Holland and Barrett with me and an introduction to Pure Potions, a cruelty free vegan range suitable for my skin, and face and body.

Out of all of the products I tried I loved the bath and body oil, which can be added to a bath or applied directly to the skin post shower. It smells fresh and quite natural so it’s not for anyone that loves a deep floral scent. It’s designed to be unisex so the scent is definitely not overpowering. The intensive moisturising is really great to apply to the scaled areas or the soles of your feet. This requires some heat to melt it into the skin and is a bit like coconut oil in texture.

The scalp oil is a great product for anyone that suffers with dry or flaky scalp. It’s a great alternative to some of the over the counter tar rich products that are really smelly. I can’t use it at the moment again because I’ve got hair extensions but I did give it a good road test and it’s honestly perfect for mild cases or patchy bits. It washes out well although I’d be inclined to shampoo it twice.

The face cream I gave to a friend with Eczema and the reports I received were very positive.

The while range started out in the founders kitchen when she sought a treatment for her toddler who suffered with eczema. The integrity of the brand is preserved to this day and although it’s not fancy or opulent it is practical and really soothing for dry skin.