"Holidays are coming," as a famous brand says at Christmas time. We've been doing a great job this year so far at supporting each other. This Christmas, Irish brands need a helping hand. I've put together a list of 22 Irish brands to support this Christmas.
You'll be able to find something for everyone from these Irish businesses. Whether it's skincare, clothing or even accessories for your dog, these Irish brands have you covered. Or you might just want to treat yourself to an early Christmas present. That's okay. You've a wide array of things to choose from, courtesy of these 22 Irish brands. I’m looking for: Casual wear Formal wear Winter wear and accessories Skincare Fragrances Watches Home décor Books and stationery Alcohol Audio
freshcutsclothing.com
The retailer is based on Drury Street and prides itself on stocking sustainable brands. It caters for men, women and children. I quite like their knitwear but they cover all the bases when it comes to casual style. Fresh Cuts also has its own clothing line, catering for both men and women. You are bound to pick up something for Christmas with this brilliant brand. jillandgill.com Jill Deering and Gillian Henderson founded the fashion brand, Jill & Gill. The Irish brand produces pretty colourful unisex pieces including t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies. They pay homage to famous women in their designs like Grace Jones and Anna Wintour. Jill & Gill have sustainable production methods in place and use materials that are better for the environment too. So, you will not only look good in Jill & Gill clothing but you'll be doing good as well. tampandstitch.com Staying with the whole quirky vibe, Tamp and Stitch has you covered if you are looking for t-shirts for men or women's sweatshirts that are a bit different. They also sell pretty cool looking face masks. The sweatshirts and t-shirts would definitely make a good Christmas gift.
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We know that it’s important to wear a face mask at the moment as it helps to keep others safe. I noticed after a few weeks of wearing my face mask that it was causing my skin to breakout. Regular face mask wearing and acne has become an annoyance for some people I’ve been talking to over the last few months. Someone even gave it a name, ‘maskne’. I’m aware it’s a minor issue as a result of the pandemic and I’m not undermining doctors and nurses who are doing a stellar job, while wearing full PPE. I’m curious to know how we can wear our face masks while keeping other people and our skin safe. “Choosing the correct fabric for your mask is important. You want to go for a breathable fabric like cotton,” says Stephen McEvoy, owner and sole therapist of Stephen Thomas Male Grooming and Skin Clinic. “Breakouts are happening to people with all skin types because the bacteria from our breath is landing on the mask and face. The bacteria makes its way into the pores where they multiply and can infect them. Polycotton, nylon and polyester face masks can cause the covered area to sweat, compounding the problem because synthetic materials are not breathable. Those with sensitive skin especially should opt for breathable fabrics as they’re more prone to breakouts.” McEvoy advises that a reusable mask should be washed daily and to dispose of a single-use mask after four hours of continuous use.
You’re sitting at home running out of things to do. You walk around your humble abode, hoping that an idea will pop into your head of something that you can do to pass the time. When ambling past the mirror, something gets your attention. You ask yourself, ‘why is there a nest on my head?’, until you realise that it's actually just your hair. It's gone out of control since your barbers or hairdressers had to close. You then decide that it’ll be a great idea to get a home haircut. A lot of guys have either experienced this situation or know at least one friend who has felt like this. I wanted to get a hair professional’s view on the average person taking the scissors into their own hands.
So, I caught up with hairstylist, Ryan Cullen for a chat. Ryan has been cutting hair for the past 15 years. Ryan’s love for art, fashion and people made hair dressing a no-brainer as a career choice. He specialises in men’s hair but also enjoys cutting women’s hair. When he’s not working at his salon (which is normally fully booked), he gets to travel around teaching his trade. Ethical and sustainable fashion is on the rise which is great because we as humans should be looking out for each other, as well as protecting the environment. 75% of consumers are more mindful of environmental and social responsibility according to the Global Fashion Agenda’s Pulse 2019 survey. However, only 61% of companies are investing in sustainable fibres and just 5% can show that they are paying workers a living wage at the final production stage according to The 2019 Ethical Fashion Report: The Truth Behind the Barcode by Baptist World Aid Australia. I am now making a conscious decision to buy more ethical and sustainable brands.
The words, ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ are used interchangeably at times which is wrong because they have different meanings. Ethical fashion is to do with the workers who are involved in the manufacturing and supply of fashion apparel. It refers to their wages, working conditions, working hours, their human rights, as well as their health and safety. It also has to do with minimising environmental harm. Sustainable fashion covers the life cycle of products, the raw materials used to make them, the methods used in the production stage, transport, storage and how easy it is to reuse, repair, remake and recycle the product and its materials. I put together a list of ethical and sustainable brands for you so you can make this your go to guide. Seasonal changes can wreak havoc on your wallet if you don’t have those staples in your wardrobe that can be worn through most of the year. Going from balmy summer days into autumn where you’ll require something more substantial than a t-shirt and shorts can be troublesome if you’re someone who just updates your wardrobe to only suit certain seasons.
So, I’m going to share with you some pieces you can wear in the autumn, as well as summer. When the temperatures begin to fall, and you notice the days getting chillier you know that summer has departed. You adapt your wardrobe so that you’ll be able to take on the elements and some think it stops there. Hair care is sometimes forgotten about and as a result the products you use may not be appropriate for the weather.
Marco Dias is the owner of The Studio hairdressers in Dublin and winner of the Creative Vision Ireland Heat at the Wella TrendVision Awards 2018. He gave me his top tips and product recommendations on how to keep hair looking healthy and stylish this Autumn/Winter (A/W). It can be tricky to know what to wear to a wedding as a guest because the meaning of certain dress codes change overtime. I’m going to take you through the stylish ways to dress for a wedding, that'll make other guests jealous of you.
Not only can double-edged (DE) safety razor blades give you a great shave, but they can also save you money too and are more environmentally friendly than other shaving options. The fact you’re using just a single blade, means that it’s less harsh on your skin compared to disposable and electric razors with multiple blades. You’re less likely to get shaving bumps, irritation and in-growing hairs as a result of shaving with a single, DE blade.
You can pick up a pack of Tesco 10 DE safety razor blades for around €2.85, which means one razor is around 29c and you get four to six shaves out of one DE blade. You get a nice, clean shave from these blades and I’d recommend them. I discovered that you can be paying up to €35 for an eight pack of cartridge blades in the same supermarket for an electric razor by a well-known shaving brand. That’s €4.38 per blade cartridges! Trends change over time. It’s kind of the whole point of them. However, some trends can carry over from season to season. We do like to get our money’s worth from our purchases, and fashion is no exception. So, it makes sense to go for trends that aren’t too over the top, that won’t look out of place six months later. If a certain trend catches your eye that you think may be a fad than either don’t invest in it at all (duh) or take a visit to a trendy high street retailer that won’t break the bank like, Zara, H&M, H.E. Mango, Uniqlo or Penney’s and see if you can pick up something there.
Here is a list of five trends for autumn/winter 2018 that are worth investing in, that will last the test of time. |