Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Irish Brands & Shops



Hi Lovelies,


Welcome back! And welcome, if You are new here 💕💕💕



green life in dublin
Irish Natural Brands ¦ Where To Shop For Green Beauty In Dublin

*First of all let's get neccesary but boring disclaimer out of the way, please know that Google is collecting your data while You are browsing my blog. (I don't, nor I ever shared or will share any info)
I hope You are well! As summer and holiday season is fast approaching, one of the most common questions I get is from people coming to visit Ireland and wanting to find green beauty brands and places to shop, so they ask for my recommendations. Well, yes, I can definitely help - that's why I am here for! This is the main driving force behind my blog, to help all the ladies to switch to natural and non toxic beauty, and help find it too. First thing to note to clear out any confusion - many people expect to find Sephora, Wholefoods, Detox Market and the like, because that's what they are used to. Well, sorry to disappoint, there are none here! And that is one and only aspect I kind of miss from my non-natural days, the ability to go into a brick and mortar store and browse and swatch/test products for my heart's content. The natural scene is picking up here too, I notice a huge improvement in this are in Ireland too, but we have such a long way to go still. While UK and the US are making huge waves in this area, sometimes I feel like a lone soldier in the field in this emerald isle corner of the world. I would love to see green beauty conventions and expos happen here too, not to mention green beauty bloggers meet ups, etc. And it would be so nice to see one big shop dedicated to only green beauty pop up! All of these ripples need to join together.
Anyways, back to the business, shall we?

Firstly I will list all the Irish brands I know of,  and You can take Your search from there. Please note I can't personally vouch for them, as I haven't tried all of them, but if I happen to love or have a review on them, I will make sure to add link. So, please note this is not a Green Life In Dublin Approved List, is it simply a list of brands I know of. Also make sure to do your own research before buying the products, as they vary in purity levels too, and I haven't gone through them with a fine tooth comb, and no links  either - that would be insane amount of work for uncertain reasons. Plus I am kind of overwhelmed with the amount of products I currently own - I suddenly get blogger's overwhelm now :)
If You happen to know (or own) a Irish Beauty brand I might be not aware of, please contact me on IG and I will make sure to update the list. 

Bees Flying Wild
Dublin Herbalists
Jo Browne
Warrior Botanicals
Ocean Bloom
Voya
Anneco Beauty
Black Canvas Cosmetics
Ayu Make up brushes
Nima Brushes
Bia Beauty
Human & Kind
Holos Skincare
Nia Skincare
Green Angel Skincara
Pixy Natural Skincare
Cocoa Brwon Tan
Karora (tan)
Handmade Soap Company
Kinvara Skincare
Emma's Eco Soy Candles
Boyne Country Candles
Flourish Organics
Pestle & Mortar Cosmetics
Anneco Cosmetics
EO Ireland (hand sanitiser)
Natural Ireland.ie (soaps)
Cocoa beauty
Bia beauty
Kinvara
Green angel
Rinamara.com
Anuyou.ie
Lucyannabella organics
Nia.ie
Pixy.ie
Holos.ie
Seaweed products.ie
Black canvas cosmetics
Nima brushes
Ayu make up brushes
Ema's soy candles
Boyne country candles
Bio fresh skincare.ie
Seavite.ie
Ograskincare.com
Littlered.ie
Emeraldbeauty.ie
Irish organics.ie
Flourishorganics.com
Thehandmadesoapcompany.ie
Brookeandshoals.ie 
Burrenperfumery.com
Daisyandmallow
Wild Irish seaweed
Irish Egyptian
Fern and fig tree.ie
Nia.ie
Holos.ie
Riona Natural  Skincare 
Rosie Supposes   
Bare Chic Skin 
Flourish Organics 
Botanical Soap Therapy 
Aroma Bliss Cork 
Modern Botany 
Little Red
White Witch
Oxmantown Skincare


Now, about the places to shop in Dublin:
Smaller health shops with a decent selection of natural beauty products)

Nourish
Down To Earth Dublin
The Health Store
Holland & Barrett
Skinfull Affairs

(big shops with selected green beauty brands)
Avoca
Arnotts
Debenhams
Marks & Spencers

Beauty section of TKMaxx
(see my post of what you can find here & here 180+ photos)
Also check markets all over town
I would also suggest checking out Vclaire.ie for Couleur Caramel and more.


So that is it for this post, short and sweet, but at the same time I hope You will find it helpful! Please do your own research beforehand and don't be afraid to contact the brands if you have any questions about ingredients or their retail spots.


Happy shopping!

I hope You will enjoy Your holidays here to the fullest. Tag me in Your IG photos, I want to see what You will get xo

I hope You enjoyed this post and found it helpful? Then please make my day and share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out and for that I Thank You!



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Lots of Love,
Renata.

green life in dublin

Enjoy my content? I would appreciate any  tip into my PayPal Tip Jar - any donation will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way. I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to.

Huge thanks for the gentleman who updated my Irish brands list, but wanted to remain anonymous!

*If You are an Irish brand and want to collaborate with me for a review, please feel free to contact me on Instagram or any social media. Thanks and have a lovely day!








Monday, May 21, 2018

Natural Beauty Series - Meet Lynda from Wonderlusting



Hi Lovelies,


Welcome back 💕 And welcome, if you are new here 💕💕

Wonderlusting Lynda

 Another Monday, another post to brighten your start of the week :) I am so happy to present you guys with yet another fabulous Natural Beauty in a form of Wonderlusting Lynda - she is a fellow green beauty (and so much more) blogger, very funny and witty person too. I am always looking forward to her comments on my IG posts, as I know they will crack me up. Food and lipstick lover, she is starting to collect awards for her hard work, so definitely the one to watch. Don't believe me? Just visit her blog and see for yourself - her website and Instagram will be linked at the end of this post. And now let's just enjoy the interview, shall we?




💕 Tell us a bit more about yourself?  Name and where are you from? 
Hi. I'm Lynda living in London. I'm originally from Nigeria and have worked, rested or played on all the continents except for Antartica and Australia! I'm always exploring and discovering hidden little gems and friends would always ask me where I'd found things or for tips on things/places to try. Wonderlusting began as a place to share those things that inspire wonder and lust. If you look at my earlier posts I actually didn't focus on beauty at all! I've been using natural and organic beauty long before the term 'green beauty' existed and because they weren't many green beauty blogs I found people asking me about what I used so I started writing about the wonderful natural products out there.
  
  ðŸ’• How has going natural and non toxic in your beauty regimen changed your overall health and beauty? 


I would say for it's more the other way round. For me actually, beauty products are the last stop on the line.  I have been using natural products for health since I was a teenager. An ex used to call me a witch haha – because I would always have a natural remedy based that worked! Using natural beauty products hasn't changed my overall health, more enhanced as part of overall lifestyle. If you're eating crap, not looking after your mental health etc - beauty products alone aren't going to do much for your health.   


💕 Three things that make you happy?  

Sunshine; plucking perfectly ripe fruit fresh off a tree; invoices getting paid! 


 ðŸ’• What is the best advice you've been given? 


"So what if you're ugly?" As a teen I was sobbing about how ugly I was and a neighbour told me "So what?". Does being ugly stop you from having a brain? Smiling? Making friends? Being helpful?  Whenever I'm having an ugly day, which is most days, I remind myself. We all want to look good of course but it's not the most important thing in this world.  


 ðŸ’• What are your three (or five) can't-live-without-it beauty products?


This is a very tricky question. In terms of type of products it is oils, eyebrow pencil and lipstick. I know there's a lot of debate about oils but for me and my wannabe crocodile skin they are magic elixirs and I literally couldn't live without them! My top 5 faves are rosehip, jojoba, cacay, argan, tamanu. I will often leave the house without any makeup but without my brows sorted is a big NO. I'm a lipstickaholic (nearly 200 and counting). If I have one minute to get ready I reach for a bold lipstick. It distracts the eye, you can dab a bit on your cheeks and it looks like you have made an effort.  


 ðŸ’• Your best DIY recipe? 


I'm not too hot on DIY recipes – I tend to save my DIY for food or house. The thought of applying avocado or honey to my face makes me feel nauseous. Yes I'm weird. However scrubs are something I whip up myself as they're so easy and are zero waste. If you use ground coffee, you have no business buying coffee scrubs! To make a simple scrub, simply mix your coffee grinds with oil of your choice (two thirds coffee to one third oil), mix and voila! I also use sugar and salt as easy peasy scrubs – I literally just add straight to my skin with whatever liquid soap I've applied. 


 ðŸ’• What do you like and dislike about yourself? 


I like my ability to see good in people/the world and laugh. Being curious and fascinated by things so it's almost impossible to bore me. Also not being bitter. Recently I was treated really badly by someone. Rather than stewing about it and plotting my revenge, I thought FU. After an afternoon of feeling humiliated and upset, I let it go.  

I dislike that my mind can sometimes have too many open tabs, there's so much going on sometimes and I'm terrible about seeing my achievements.  


 ðŸ’• What are you currently reading? 


I'm just about to start 'America's Mistress', an autobiography of Eartha Kitt who I find fascinating.  
  

(noted - R.) 


 ðŸ’• What food do you like to cook/eat? 


NEARLY EVERYTHING! I'm a food obsessed pescatarian and love experimenting hardly ever following recipes.  

*same here - I loove food! Also, following recipes isn't my 
strong point. I joke that I always have the same meal called
"Everything I Had In The Fridge" - just the meal is always different :)

  

💕 If you were to formulate a natural skincare or beauty product, what it would be? 

The perfect personalised foundation. It's one area that green beauty has a way to go, especially for darker skin tones. I would scan customer's skin to find their exact colour match and also measure whether they need a hydrating or oil minimising finish in liquid, cream or powder. Then it would be mixed there and then in recyclable, refillable packaging so it would be fresh with no waste! Customers would also be able to return their empty packaging to me to re-use.  

(tell me when you are opening this business and I am 
your first customer - R.) 

  

💕 Your guilty pleasure? 

I don't do guilt very much. On TV shows I love watching which I guess would be called 'guilty pleasures" are 'Cheaters' and 'Judge Judy'.


 ðŸ’• Your top tips for being healthy and happy? 


Eat as much real (non processed) food as possible. 

Move – don't have to be a gym bunny. Walk, boogie in your bedroom, do something.  

Be kind. To yourself and others.   

Forget about being 'perfect'. Life would be exceedingly boring if nothing ever went wrong.  

Take social media breaks.  


💕 What scents excite you? 

I'm excited by everything at the moment!  In the past year I've cured myself using natural methods of severe hayfever and it's had a knock on effect of reducing all my allergies including a severe one to most perfume. At its worst I had to change my working hours to not travel during rush hour as I was reacting so badly to people's perfumes and couldn't walk through department store beauty halls. Overall I like woody, citrus and rose. Generally I'm not a fan of sweet gourmand or white florals – though the right blend can change my mind.  


💕 What's your favorite beauty trend at the moment? 

Not really a trend but I'm liking the skin positivity movement. Also bold lipstick. 


💕 What do you do to de-stress? 

Put on music and dance or go for a walk. I get excited about seeing the amazing colours and shapes of nature that I forget about whatever has been stressing me out.  


 ðŸ’• Last thing you do at night?  


At the moment I have very bad sleeping habits. I know I should be meditating or journaling but instead the last thing I do is watch crime shows like Law & Order SVU and CSI. Then wonder why my sleep is screwed.  

  

💕 A few words to Green Life In Dublin readers? 
If you're a reader then you don't need me to tell you what a great corner of the web Renata has created. Honest opinions and useful information can be in short supply. Thank you for having me! x

Natural Beauty Wonderlusting Lynda


The pleasure is all mine! Thanks for coming over, this has been so much fun! Hope you, my lovely readers are enjoying this too xo


So that is it for the day, I hope You enjoyed this interview as much as I did? I have done the whole series of them so far, and You can find them all in this FB album here. Feels so good to share the green beauty love xo

Then please make my day and share this or any of my blog posts on social media - it helps to get the green beauty word out and for that I Thank You!

Follow me on 


 
Tata for now, see you all here next Monday if not sooner xo Always new posts on Mondays, with bonus posts during the week!
Lots of Love,
Renata.
green life in dublin
 

Enjoy my content? I would appreciate any  tip into my PayPal Tip Jar - any donation will get You my eternal gratitude and more awesome green beauty reviews Your way. I weed out all the greenwashing products so You won't have to.