Triona McCarthy: My lowdown of the top Irish beauty products taking the world by storm

With St Patrick’s Day approaching, I’m celebrating Irishness by flying the flag for a fab range of products created right here

"I’ve been championing and supporting Irish brands throughout my beauty writing career, and love nothing more than seeing a host of Irish names in make-up bags and on vanity tables"

Pure Hyaluronic Serum, €43, Pestle & Mortar, pestleandmortar.com

Melt The Day Away Cleansing Balm, €36, Ella & Jo, ellaandjo.ie

Deodorant, €25, Modern Botany, modernbotany.com

Second Skin Foundation, €27, Sculpted by Aimee, sculptedbyaimee.com

Hildun Silk to Set Kajal Liner, €18, Hildun, hildunbeauty.com

Body Blur, €24.45, Vita Liberata, Meaghers Pharmacy; lookfantastic.ie

Face Tanning Serum, €29, Bare By Vogue, barebyvogue.com

Eraser Mousse, €12.99, VeganTan, vegantan.com

"I’ve been championing and supporting Irish brands throughout my beauty writing career, and love nothing more than seeing a host of Irish names in make-up bags and on vanity tables"

Pure Hyaluronic Serum, €43, Pestle & Mortar, pestleandmortar.com

Melt The Day Away Cleansing Balm, €36, Ella & Jo, ellaandjo.ie

Deodorant, €25, Modern Botany, modernbotany.com

Second Skin Foundation, €27, Sculpted by Aimee, sculptedbyaimee.com

Hildun Silk to Set Kajal Liner, €18, Hildun, hildunbeauty.com

Body Blur, €24.45, Vita Liberata, Meaghers Pharmacy; lookfantastic.ie

Face Tanning Serum, €29, Bare By Vogue, barebyvogue.com

Eraser Mousse, €12.99, VeganTan, vegantan.com

"I’ve been championing and supporting Irish brands throughout my beauty writing career, and love nothing more than seeing a host of Irish names in make-up bags and on vanity tables"

Triona McCarthy Twitter

March 12 2023 02:30 AM

Mmm! I’m having a full Irish today ahead of ‘national Irish day’ on Friday, so let’s see what we have in our beauty buffet.

I’ve been championing and supporting Irish brands throughout my beauty writing career, and love nothing more than seeing a host of Irish names in make-up bags and on vanity tables. Had I tried to do this 20 years ago, when I started this column, I’d have struggled to find enough, but now I’m struggling to fit in all of my favourites, as we are spoilt for choice when it comes to all the fabulous Irish beauty buys out there.

Pure Hyaluronic Serum, €43, Pestle & Mortar, pestleandmortar.com

Pestle & Mortar, the skincare brand based in Naas, Co Kildare and founded by Sonia Deasy, is also a success story outside of Ireland with the likes of Holly Willoughby a fan. The monochrome packaging, along with the fabulous natural ingredients and formulations driven by science, make it a firm, trustworthy favourite. I love the iconic Pestle & Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Serum (1 €43, pestleandmortar.com) for plumper skin with more glow.

Deodorant, €25, Modern Botany, modernbotany.com

Of course, a brand based in West Cork, where I’m from, is going to make the list. Modern Botany is a plant-based, eco-friendly brand founded by Dr Simon Jackson and John Murray. This line of cleansing balms, oils and recovery creams is formulated with their hero ingredient, Roman chamomile, known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Check out the unisex natural Modern Botany Deodorant (€25, modernbotany.com).

Melt The Day Away Cleansing Balm, €36, Ella & Jo, ellaandjo.ie

Charlene Flanagan and Niamh Ryan, the fresh faces behind Ella & Jo cosmetics, are on a mission to tackle dehydration and ageing of the skin. This Melt The Day Away Cleansing Balm (€36, ellaandjo.ie) is such a luxurious make-up remover. It leaves the skin squeaky clean and feeling hydrated.

Second Skin Foundation, €27, Sculpted by Aimee, sculptedbyaimee.com

Irish beauty Aimee Connolly is founder of Sculpted By Aimee, the brand I’m asked most about when I’m ‘out foreign’. Her Second Skin Foundation (€27, sculptedbyaimee.com) has become somewhat of a cult product and is available in a very inclusive 30 shades.

Video of the Day

Hildun Silk to Set Kajal Liner, €18, Hildun, hildunbeauty.com

Say hi to Hildun. It was my lovely friend, beauty blogger Karen Constantine of lovelygirliebits.com who wore this brand’s products at an event we were at, and that was it, I had to know what was making her eyes pop out of her head!

The Hildun Silk to Set Kajal Liner (€18, hildunbeauty.com) is a next-generation eyeliner that does it all, from bold, sharp graphic lines to soft, smoky effects. It is enriched with the eye-calming ingredients chamomile, panthenol and vitamin E to ensure lasting comfort and hydration.

Three of the best… Tanning products

1 Bare By Vogue Face Tanning Serum
€29, barebyvogue.com
Vogue Williams is doing us proud across the pond and I’m as much a fan of her tan line as I am of her hilarious podcasts. This is packed with skin-kind ingredients for a gorgeous glow.

Face Tanning Serum, €29, Bare By Vogue, barebyvogue.com

2 Vita Liberata Body Blur
€24.45, lookfantastic.ie
This acts like a foundation for the whole body. It has a primer built in to create a smooth coverage that’s even and covers imperfections. The formula is hydrating — and the best bit? You can easily wash it away at the end of the day.

Body Blur, €24.45, Vita Liberata, Meaghers Pharmacy; lookfantastic.ie

3 VeganTan Eraser Mousse
€12.99, McCabes, Meaghers, McCauley’s, vegantan.com
I don’t want no scrubs! Hee, hee! This eraser mousse gets rid of any old tan gently and easily, so you’ll be squeaky clean and ready to apply again. You’ll also be doing your bit for the environment as the bottle is made from a sugar polymer and reclaimed plastic.