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Yearly Archives: 2017

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Brown Thomas has just unveiled their first ever Beauty Lounge, and it looks as sumptuous, secluded and serene as you could imagine. 

The stunning new beauty boutique features a living wall covered in plants, as well as luxurious pink velvet furnishings.

Not only does the new lounge look amazing, but the beauty treatments available are giving us life. 

 

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"We are delighted to introduce the first ever Brown Thomas Beauty Lounge on Dublin’s Clarendon Street," reads the BT website.

"Dedicated to the best beauty services, the luxurious lounge will house Ireland’s first blowdry bar from Aveda and manicures, pedicures, brows and lashes from Nails Inc."

The new beauty bonanza of a boutique is open from 7am, so if you have a big event right after work, you can get your blow dry and your mani before you head to the office for the day. 

The price list is astonishingly affordable, with eyelash extensions coming in at €30.00 and brow tinting costing €10.00.

Their braiding bar charges €19.00 for plaited styles, so get booking before festival season!

 

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We're also extremely intrigued by the Unicorn Manicure, which sounds absolutely amazing.

The salon is also promoting a 15 minute Need for Speed manicure, which definitely suits our mad schedules. 

The new Beauty Lounge sounds completely dreamy and we can't wait to see it for ourselves!

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H&M is one of our favourite high street brands, so imagine our excitement when we heard that the fashion giant was branching out into a new stylish endeavour.

H&M, who already curated Monki, COS and & Other Stories, has announced that it will be creating a new brand called Arket.

The new concept is launching at the end of the summer. 

 

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The new brand is set to focus on “a broad yet selected range of essentials for men, women and children, as well as a smaller, curated assortment for the home,” according to a statement acquired by WWD. 

The new stores aim to be a modern day market, and will include coffee shops on the premises. 

The new brand will sit at a"slightly higher price segment" than H&M, and will emphasise "materials, function, and fit." 

 

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Arket’s first retail store will open on London's Regent Street in autumn of this year.

It is launching in 18 European markets, but it is unclear yet whether Ireland will be one of them.

We're keeping our fingers crossed!

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We have to admit, we're binge watchers here in SHEmazing! HQ.

We love nothing more that cuddling up on the sofa with a cuppa tea (or glass of wine), and letting our minds wander into the lives of the characters we're seeing on screen.

So, whether you love a good drama about bitchy Upper East Siders, or fancy a thriller about a hchirpy serial killer, there's going to be something in this list for you.

Here are 13 TV shows that have a hella loada seasons, so you can binge watch to your heart's content this weekend:

1. 24

Jack Bauer, the Director of Field Ops for the Counter-Terrorist Unit in LA, races against the clock to stop terrorist plots and save his nation (and family) from disaster.

This TV show is literally thrill, after thrill, after thrill.

 

2. Entourage

This is actually based on the life of Mark Wahlberg when he first moved to LA. Film star, Vince Chase, has to navigate his way through Hollywood along with the help of his friends.

There's plenty of ups and downs, along with a lot of laughs. And Ari Gold is THE MAN.

 

3. The Walking Dead

Former sheriff, Rick Grimes, wakes up from a coma to a world full of zombies (they call them walkers in the show).

He ends up leading a group of survivors to safety, but nothing will ever be as safe as it seems. And sometimes, humans are worse than the walkers…

 

4. Gossip Girl

Ah, Gossip Girl. The show depicts the lives of a group of privileged Upper East Side teenagers.

Between its many scandals, affairs, deaths and robberies, all is chronicled by a blogger, who sends out texts and emails, spilling the dirty deets of the lives of Serena, Blair, Chuck, Nate and Dan.

 

5. Prison Break

Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man, named Michael, is sent to prison, where he will ultimately end up on death row.

His only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to get himself sent to the same prison in order to break them both out, from the inside.

 

6. Desperate Housewives

This is the story of a group of women living in a suburban neighbourhood.

After the mysterious suicide of a neighbour, the women must all come together and protect each other from their secrets getting out. And believe us, they have a lot of secrets.

 

7. The Wire

The Wire depicts the Baltimore drug scene. In the show, we get to see both sides; the lives of the drug dealers and the lives of the police officers.

Throughout the seasons, both sides make startling revelations, where they have to choose whether to clean up the messes… or hide them.

 

8. Breaking Bad

Possibly one of the best TV shows of our time, amirite? A high school chemistry teacher is diagnosed with lung cancer, but he makes a surprising turn into the world of manufacturing and selling meth.

And then there's Jesse, who you will no doubt fall in love with.

 

9. Better Call Saul

If you're having withdrawal symptoms after finishing Breaking Bad, then Saul Goodman is your man.

Even though Saul was the comic relief in Breaking Bad, his own TV show is quite dark. It tells the story of a young lawyer and his trials and tribulations of trying to get into criminal law.

 

10. Freaks and Geeks

Even though this only has one season, it's well worth a watch. A high school math geek starts hanging out with a group of stoners, and realises that life isn't all about studying.

Meanwhile, her younger brother has to navigate life as a freshman and face up to his bullies. 

 

11. One Tree Hill

If Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty aren't enough reason to watch this then we don't know what else to tell you.

One Tree Hill tells the story of half-brothers Lucas and Nathan. They trade between kinship and rivalry, both on the basketball court and in the hearts of their friends in the small, but not so quiet town of Tree Hill. 

 

12. Dexter

Dexter is an odd but lovely forensic expert who works with the Miami Police Department.

However, he's also a serial killer who hunts down bad guys in order to make the world a safer place (in his eyes). He must trick and deceive the ones closest to him, which makes for great watching.

 

13. The OC

Again if Adam Brody and Ben McKenzie aren't enough to make you watch this… well, you know the gist. The OC sees a troubled youth taken in by a wealthy family.

The community where they live is very close knit and well-behaved, until Ryan shakes everything up. The soundtrack is also class.

 

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The term fat-shaming gets tossed around a lot these days, be it on viral fitness Instagram pages who reveal the reality behind before and after pictures, or on the photos of women who are deemed "brave" for showcasing a body fits in clothes with a label featuring double digits. 

Fat-shaming, for those not in the know, is a term which refers to the action of humiliating someone by mocking them or making critical comments about their size. At least, that's the dictionary definition. 

If you're anything like me and have never really existed in a lean, mean, fat-fighting machine of a body, then you may relate a little bit to what I'm about to say. 

Fat-shaming happens on the daily, it's simply ingrained in our language and the way we describe things.

People say "oh nooo I feel so fat today," to refer to bloating, proving once more that being seen as fat is inherently bad.

Celebrities are praised for shedding the pounds, no matter how dangerous a diet they follow to do so (Beyonce's cayenne pepper and lemon juice, anyone?) while women who gain weight, be it a little or a lot, are often encouraged to see this weight gain as a temporary state, something they must suffer through until they "fit back into their jeans." 

 

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I don't mind admitting that I'm a size 12, which is by no means on the higher end of the clothing size scale.

And yet, I have still had moments where I have been made to feel ashamed for not prescribing to the new decree of a beautiful body. 

It was only recently that I was unceremoniously insulted by a guy at a gig, who, after I joined my friends dancing on the stage, told me that the stage was no place for fat girls.

Obviously this was upsetting, so I couldn't let it slide by. 

Because, as a perceived fatty, I'm hungry for justice, right? 

This incident got me thinking that, whatever amount of humiliation I endured due to this one man's opinion of my physique, to feel that way on a regular basis must be unbearable. 

There are entire Instagram pages dedicated to shaming and policing women's bodies, encouraging them to take up less space, even when they are already at healthy sizes.

Just because their bodies may not necessarily match up with that of a Victoria's Secret model, they are somehow less worthy than their thin and toned counterparts. 

Placing such a high value on a woman's weight completely demeans her as a person.

When that asshat (who I can only assume had gone mad with power) attempted to fat-shame me out of the gig, he wasn't considering who I was as a person, he only cared about my attractiveness, specifically the attractiveness of my body alone. 

The same goes for thin women, who are made to feel like they are "less than a woman" because "real men like curves." 

Body-shaming works both ways, and the obsession with weight dehumanises people and their worth. 

Personally, I'm choosing to practice self love rather than dwelling on the cruel words of strangers, but it's easier said than done.

Until people realise that fat-shaming is even closer than an Instagram comment away, the issue will probably never be rectified.

Seeing people as less than deserving of basic human kindness on the basis of their numeric relationship with gravity seems pretty juvenile, and yet it happens every day, in real life, among adults.

Skinny, fat or in-between, people seem to think that they have some kind right to comment on unsuspecting bodies in a negative manner, and until we all take a stand against body-shaming, it's probably going to continue.

Feature image: Instagram/any.body_co

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Back in 6th class when you were considering your options for secondary school, the idea of whipping up cupcakes as part of your school day seemed an absolute dream, right?

Sure, you were only mad into cupcakes, and if making them helped you acquire points in the Leaving Cert, then who were you to turn down the chance?

Then you began Home Ec classes and got the rudest awakening of your life.

Yes, you made cakes every now and then, but you were also forced to memorise the components of a fridge, commit various biological functions to memory, and watch your friend's glasses steam up every time she went anywhere near the oven.

And here are just six things you know if Home Ec was the bane of your life.

1. You ALWAYS forgot to pre-heat the oven

No matter how fresh your ingredients or clean your workspace, something would always go wrong during your Home Ec practicals.

And invariably it came down to your inability to remember the oven needed to be turned on in order to actually go home with anything edible. 

"Oh my God, I did TURN it on. I'm SURE I did."

2. You never had the right containers

The night before a cookery class, you would trawl through your mother's impressive collection of Tupperware in order to find a container which would facilitate your finished product the following day.

And invariably, the container would be too small and you'd be forced to bung your cupcakes into a dirty cotton bag and bail before your teacher caught sight of you.

"Jaysus, just fling them in there and bounce."

3. You struggled with various smells

Cutting onions first thing in the morning, and then spending the rest of the day with the smell lingering on your hands was an absolute melter.

Even when you forced your partner to take the reins with the onion, the smell would still find its way onto your hands, and ruin your day.

"That smell isn't coming from me. Stop looking at me."

4. Your hair couldn't take the pressure

A school kitchen with 20 students slaving over hot stoves wreaked havoc on your barnet.

You may have arrived to school with poker-straight hair, but you could guarantee a steamy kitchen meant you'd be leaving with a 'do that resembled nothing like it did an hour earlier.

"I look like Monica when the humidity got to her."

5. Your finished product NEVER looked like the picture

You might have used all the right ingredients, but the item you gingerly removed from the oven rarely looked like the photo in your textbook.

And even if it tasted good, your presentation generally left a lot to be desired, right?

"What's a piping bag? And can I use this plastic bag instead?"

6. You were forever 'wasting' food apparently

While you assumed you were simply peeling fruit and veg, your teacher would insist you were leaving half the good stuff in the kitchen bin.

And you weren't beneath arranging the contents of your bin so as to conceal the amount of potato you had actually discarded either.

"What? Those peels aren't mine! They were there when the class started!"

Thankfully, the good folk at Siúcra have helped us to draw a line under our hellish experience of homebaking with the help of new brand ambassador Catherine Fulvio.

Reminding the public that home cooking doesn't have to dredge up memories of Home Ec classes, they said: "Food has an incredible ability to bring people together, so whether it’s a sharing plate or a mini dessert, Siúcra has the perfect recipes for both seasoned cooks and young enthusiasts to savour mini moments."

"With Catherine's infectious enthusiasm for food and no-fuss approach to cooking and baking, she was a natural choice for our brand," they added.

"I’m really excited about working with the range to develop easy-to-make recipes which will hopefully inspire people to experiment in the kitchen and enjoy the sense of achievement from creating something delicious for friends and family," Catherine enthused.

These guys might just rewrite history for us!

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It's pretty exciting when we notice that a few extra people have followed us on Instagram, right? 

But have you ever been so desperate for more followers, that you would consider paying out of pocket just to boost your numbers artificially? 

Unfortunately, with the pressure to be popular online increasing all the time, some people have stooped to such numeric trickery. 

Whether it's the up-and-coming fashion blogger or that girl who just gets way too many likes on her selfie, there is a whole world of phony social media stars who have coughed up to culminate more followers than they would have organically. 

There are hundreds of apps in the app store which allow people to falsify their followers list.

Some involve payment schemes, where people can buy bundles of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of followers and likes at a single click.

Generally, these apps seem to have a database of inactive ghost accounts that they can use to follow or like your page and content.

Sometimes the accounts are very obviously fake, with random names with jumbled up letters and numbers, but when mixed in with a person's organic following, they can be overlooked. 

Other apps allow people to engage in a rapid fire round of "like 4 like" and "follow 4 follow" behaviour, where for every like doled out by the wannabe Insta star, one is received back.

 

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Popular Dublin-based foodie blog Yummy Dublin has come across people in the influencer industry who utilise the faux follower apps.

"After working on my foodstagram for months and building up an organic following of my own, I was browsing Instagram for other Irish foodie pages to follow," said Yummy owner Amanda Holtz. 

"I came across another girl's foodstagram in the area, and I was impressed by her follower count in such a short amount of time."

 

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"She had about 4000 followers in only a few short months, which is really good."

"I looked through her followers as I was impressed, and saw that they were mostly from Asian countries which is unusual for a Dublin-based food account that only posts about Dublin or Irish food establishments. "

"I can't say for sure if they're being bought, but to those people who do it – It's just a slap in the face for those of us who have put in months of hard work to grow an organic following."

 

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"But at the end of the day you just have to know that what you're doing is right."

"It might be hard to resist buying followers if your competition is tough, but I would feel like a fake doing that! It is completely by worth it to do it the old fashioned way," Amanda finished.

Wellness mega-blogger Jordan Younger of The Balanced Blonde also previously discovered that so many bloggers she had admired for years were monetarily inflating their likes and following.

"Specific people who I’d believed to be getting all these likes all the time were total shams," she wrote on her blog. 

Other follower fans turn to things called "Instagram pods" to get their fix of fake friends.

These pods are suited to different niches, so one pod may only be for fitness bloggers, one for fashion and beauty bloggers, or one for people who just want more likes on their latest selfie.

The rules of these pods dictate that everyone in the pod must like and comment on every post that each other person in the pod puts up, which mean that real people will be liking and commenting on the photos, but not of their own volition.

It is a mutually beneficial arrangement, and with some pods hosting thousands of members – that's a lot of likes to swap for some of your own. 

There are even websites which offer to sell bundles of hashtags to help users gain the maximum amount of likes from a post. 

These means of purchasing fake likes and followers show how important social media validation has become in our hyper-filtered society.

It's not just bloggers and brands using these methods to grow a fake following, but regular people too, which reflects just how much people have come to care about how popular they seem on social media.

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The wreckage of the Dublin-bound helicopter that went missing yesterday has been found.

North Wales Police have confirmed that the wreckage of the craft has been found, along with the bodies of the five passengers. 

The Dublin-bound helicopter went missing after it took off from Luton yesterday evening. 

No mayday or distress call was received.

The UK Coast Guard called off the search last night, "due to low lying cloud," which made "visibility extremely poor and hampered the search efforts."

The search continued this morning. 

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We're already more than excited for this summer's festival season, and kicking it all off on the June bank holiday is Forbidden Fruit. 

The early bird tickets have already flown out the door, after the festival revealed that the likes of Bon Iver, Flying Lotus and Lisa Hannigan are all set to star on the main stage.

Now, Mura Masa, Bonzai, 67, Icarus and Denis Sultaonzai have been confirmed to play at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham.

Bonzai, 67 and Icarus will play on Saturday June 3, while Mura Masa and Denis Sulta will perform on the Sunday. 

The final tier of tickets are available online, and they're sure to disappear as quickly as the previous two releases. 

Day tickets are priced at €64.50, with a two-day ticket going for €109.50.

Spending the entire weekend in the presence of these unreal acts will cost you €140.50.

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We love gin and we love cupcakes, so the idea of combining the two is almost overwhelming. 

Gin and tonic cupcakes are the grown-up version of a multi-tiered, rainbow unicorn cake at a kids birthday party, so now that they exist, we're pleased to inform you that they're available to purchase in Dublin. 

Thanks to the baking wizardry of The Cupcake Bloke,  we can get our G&T fix on our lunch break. 

The Cupcake Bloke is currently selling the treats at his stall on Coppinger Row, and posted to Twitter and Instagram to let us all know. 

The stall is there every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but we're not sure we can wait, we may have to stroll down right this instant.

Fingers crossed there's a few left!

Feature image: Instagram/The CupcakeBloke/It'sADublin

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The Voting at 16 Bill has been frozen for nine months. 

The current voting age in Ireland is 18, but there is a movement to lower this age limit to 16. This would mean that 16 and 17 year olds could vote in local and European elections. 

 Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield proposed the bill, which was blocked last night. 

"It’s a sad fact that it is young people who are most affected by political decisions taken today but have no voice in who makes those decisions for them," said Independent Senator Lynn Ruane, who seconded the Vote at 16 Electoral Amendment. 

"Inclusion of Irish citizens between the ages of 16 and 18 in the democratic process is the only way this will ever change."

“This Bill is a crucial first step in realising a stronger and more vibrant democratic contract between the Irish people and our European political representation and local government structures."

“Reducing the voting age for local government is vital to ensure the full engagement of young people with local politics and their local communities."

"Moreover, during this crucial period for the future of the European Union, we need young people to have a voice in deciding our future role in a post-Brexit EU."

The bill was also backed by the National Youth Council of Ireland. 

The NYCI has expressed disappointment that the bill was blocked. 

"Democracy delayed is democracy denied, " said NYCI deputy Director James Doorley, "and with this amendment the Government has kicked the can down the road on this issue yet again."

"The timing is particularly frustrating as losing nine months will make it very difficult for any change in legislation to be in effect in time for the 2019 Local and European Elections.”

“If the Government had concerns they could have commissioned a report within three months and the Bill could have been passed by the Seanad before the summer recess," reads a statement from NYCI.

"By delaying consideration of the Bill in the Seanad for nine months, taking the time needed to pass the legislation in the Seanad and Dáil after that, it will now be very challenging to get the legislation on the statute books in time to allow local authorities the time to register young people for the elections in mid-2019."

However, it's not all bad news for the bill. 

"We do welcome the fact that Minister English indicated that the Government was not wholly opposed to the bill, but wanted more time to engage in discussions on the impact and consequences of the legislation, we will be more than happy to engage with Government and the opposition in the coming months to progress the legislation."

"While the timetable is now very difficult it is not impossible. We are very disappointed, but the campaign will continue,” he concluded.

Feature image: Padraig MacLochlainn/Twitter

 

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When we think about the warning signs of domestic abuse, it’s natural that bruising is the first red flag that would spring to mind. While bruises and marks are among the tell-tale signs of an abusive relationship, there are so many other signs that are not always obvious.

With an estimated 213,000 women and 88,000 men in Ireland experiencing severe abuse by a partner at some point in their lives, domestic abuse is much more common than many of us realise. This is why it’s so important to arm ourselves with as much knowledge as possible about the signs of abuse, and how we can respond.

Before we run through the tell-tale signs that someone may be suffering in an abusive relationship, we need to define domestic abuse or violence; that is, the use of physical or emotional force or threat of physical force, including sexual violence in close adult relationships, in order to control the victim.

Domestic abuse can be perpetrated by your spouse or intimate partner, an ex-partner, another family member, and/or another person within the home. It is considered a pattern of abusive and controlling behaviours that take place within a relationship, or even after a relationship has come to an end.

Signs that an individual could be experiencing domestic abuse or violence:

  • They are anxious to please their partner
  • They seem afraid of their partner, and talk about their partner’s temper, possessiveness or jealousy
  • They are restricted from seeing family and/or friends
  • They have limited access to money or a car
  • They appear depressed, anxious or suicidal
  • They have physical injuries, and often wear unusual clothing to cover them (e.g. sunglasses indoors, long sleeves in hot weather)
  • They are acting submissive

Signs that an individual could be the perpetrator of domestic abuse or violence:

  • They are acting excessively jealous of their partner
  • They insult or embarrass their partner in public
  • They yell at/try to intimidate their partner

What to do next:

For a loved one or friend

Your next move is very important; it’s only natural that you want to help, and you can – but you need to handle this sensitive situation very, very carefully.

The first step is to express concern. Look for a private moment when you can have a word with the individual, and begin by asking them if they are OK. Let them know that you are concerned about them, and assure them that you are there if they ever need support or someone to talk to. The important thing here is not to push them if they don’t feel like opening up.

The next step is to assure them that the abuse they are experiencing is not their fault. Use positive, affirming statements such as: ‘No one deserves to be treated this way’ and ‘You are not to blame’.

While you should most definitely offer your support and an ear to talk to, avoid giving advice. What you can do is encourage them to make their own decisions, and provide them with a list of resources. Check out www.whatwouldyoudo.ie for reference and advice.

For a stranger

The situation can be slightly different if you suspect or witness abuse between strangers. If you have decided that a situation requires an intervention, and you are happy that it is safe to do so, Cosc (The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence) advises that you follow the ‘three D’ formula: Distract, Delegate, and Direct.

Distract

The goal here is to prevent the situation from getting worse, or to buy enough time to check in with the potential victim. An example of distraction is to ask for directions. This way, you could potentially distract the person about to commit violence, or get a moment alone to ask the victim if there is a problem.

Delegate

Do you know a friend of the victim who could help? If so, have a word with them and express your concern. If there is no one nearby who is close to the victim, and you feel the situation doesn’t call for Garda involvement, look for someone who might be in a better position than you to get involved – for example, a bouncer.

Direct

This involves approaching either the potential victim or potential abuser, and intervening yourself. Remember that you are putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, so it’s best to make your actions subtle: use body language to express disapproval, and make your concern known by keeping an eye on the situation. If you choose a direct approach, express your concern with a statement like, ‘I’m concerned about what just happened? Is anything wrong?’

 

Brought to you by
COSC

Over 300,000 people in Ireland have been severely abused by a partner at some point in their lives. If you have witnessed or experienced domestic violence/abusive behaviour by a partner, or you are concerned you have abused someone, you can prevent it from happening again.

For more information, simply follow this link.

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It's time to get excited about gym gear, because Lululemon is officially open for business in Brown Thomas. 

The brand has previously only been available online, but now the yogis of Ireland can rejoice in the knowledge that the brand is available in our Emerald Isle.

Brown Thomas launched the new brand this morning, and the Lululemon section on Level 2 of the Grafton Street store is ready for a retail rumble. 

"A Vancouver based brand, they are the leaders in healthy living with an amazing range of athletic wear including running, gym and yoga."

"Discover Lululemon in a new, relaxing and inviting space in our Dublin store this April," reads a description on the Brown Thomas website. 

We're sure there is already a legging-clad queue out the door, so if you didn't make it down, the brand is available online. 

The high-quality work out gear range at BT will include clothing and accessories.

We can't wait to elevate our gym gear game to the next level. 

Check us out on Snapchat later at @shemazingie, because we'll be popping down to Brown Thomas to have a peek at all the covetable workout gear. 

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