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deirdre foley

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So you have the gorgeous new nail varnish, the top coat and all the other bits and bobs… but your nails are still short, broken and generally looking a bit crap. What's a gal to do?

Irish beauty blogger Deirdre Foley of Viva Adonis is a cosmetics addict and nail care fanatic, and we chased her down for a few tips on getting the perfect at-home manicure.

Here goes…

I've tried everything, but my nails just won't grow. What am I doing wrong?
As far as I can make out, nail growth is down to health, genes, and just a little bit of luck. Mine are generally okay – they grow faster in the summer, but can be a lot more brittle and thin come winter. The best strengthener I’ve used has to be OPI Nail Envy, €21.95 from Cloud10Beauty and Boots. This has been my base coat of choice for many years, and I always miss it when it runs out.

What’s the best nail routine to follow?
Good tools are a must – a glass file, clippers, and buffers. Hit up your local chemist or salon supplier like Terrisales, Flair or Sally’s to get the goods.

Soaking nails & cuticles in warm water and then using a cuticle remover like the gel one from Sally Hansen is a great way to make your nails look that little bit more tidy and groomed.  Regular use of Clarins hand cream & CND Solar Oil will also go a long way towards softer, healthier hands and nail beds.

I've been thinking about acrylics. Should I go for it or are they a big no-no?
They're fine the odd time. Too much of anything is rarely good news. I have friends that have been horribly addicted to acrylics, and the results haven’t been pretty. If your nails are in a serious state, it could be worth investing in the Micro Nail, an electronic buffer that will leave bare nails looking seriously shiny and healthy without the need for polish. Leaving nails bare for a while, with the odd top-up of Nail Envy or a similar product, should speed up the recovery process.

I love gel polish as you get the longevity without quite as much damage. A good Shellac or Gelish manicure shouldn’t punish nails too much – just remember not to pick it off! Make sure to get it removed professionally or else DIY with some acetone and tinfoil.

Deirdre Foley is a history grad, sceptic, wearer of red lipstick and self-confessed 'beauty maniac'. She is also the co-founder of fabulous Irish beauty blog, Viva Adonis. 

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Eyeshadow palettes are some of the most hyped products on the beauty market. With each brand shouting louder than the next, it’s quite hard to know what’s worth handing over your hard-earned cash for. Writing about beauty means that I’ve had the uber-difficult task of trying as many palettes as humanly possible over the past few years.

Here, I’m breaking it down into some of my recent picks, as well as all-time favourites…

The Classic
Urban Decay Naked Basics, €30 from Debenhams

Skip the hype over Naked 1, 2 and 3 and keep it simple with the Naked Basics palette. It’s small, it’s portable and, if you like your makeup to be simple and streamlined, you will love this. The paler shades are great for opening up the eyes and the darker crease colours also double up as brilliant shades for filling in brows. Oh, and that deep, matte black? Brilliant as a smokey liner!

The Newbie
Smashbox Double Exposure, €39.60 from Arnotts and larger Boots stores

This is the brand’s second neutral palette. The first, Full Exposure, didn’t quite do it for me as the shimmery shades were a little too heavy on the glitter. This one is a lot easier to work with and has some beautiful warm and jewel-toned shades. It’s good value for the price as the double-ended brush you get with it is actually fantastic, and there’s also a handy little booklet of ideas and guides for using the palette.

The Dark Horse
TheBalm Nude ‘Tude Palette, €35 from Cloud10Beauty.com

Ever heard of TheBalm? I’ve yet to try a bad product from them, and happily, the brand is quickly becoming more accessible in pharmacies nationwide, as well as from my favourite Irish beauty e-tailer, Cloud10Beauty. TheBalm Nude ‘Tude palette is an absolutely gorgeous warm-toned array of shadows; ranging from glittery coppers to matte, bone-white shades. The colours are well thought out and I’m a sucker for the cute packaging!

The Bargain
Wet ‘n’ Wild Comfort Zone Palette, €6 from Penneys and pharmacies nationwide

The Comfort Zone palette is brilliant value even if you don't end up using all of the colours – I'm mad about the deep, dark shimmery brown in it, and the shade down on the bottom right-hand corner is a pretty excellent dupe for MAC's Club eyeshadow. The pigment on these is incredible, they’re easy to blend, and just like any shadow, they’ll last all day with the help of a good primer.

Deirdre Foley is a history grad, sceptic, wearer of red lipstick and self-confessed 'beauty maniac'. She is also the co-founder of fabulous Irish beauty blog, Viva Adonis.  

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A good kit of basics can make or break a beauty regime – and I’m not even talking about the actual cosmetics.

There’s nothing more critical than your actual beauty tools – when you run out of your €40 foundation, you’ll be so glad of that buffing brush you invested in to make the cheap stuff look just as good!

Brushes
I have what could be described as a fetish for make-up brushes; I’ll never stop trying new ones and I collect them like prized pieces of art. There are some absolute classics that can’t be beaten; for eyeshadow, I’d count the MAC 217 and 286 as invaluable for blending. Nothing compares.

For liquid foundation, I’ll always adore buffing brushes like the Blank Canvas F20, but I’ve just discovered something that is quite possibly even better. The BeautyBlender is an absolutely incredible dome-shaped sponge for making foundation look convincingly natural – it’s not quite as quick and easy as a regular brush, but worth the effort whenever you have a few extra minutes.

Brows
Before you do anything with your brows, brush ‘em up and out using a spoolie – you’ll instantly look groomed and more alert. You can buy these in bulk from beauty supply stores or Ebay – or even rob a few from your local make-up counter, but don’t tell them you heard it from me!

A good, sharp, synthetic slanted brush will be your best friend for applying brow powders and pomades – Ecotools do an excellent one and it’s super-affordable.

Cheese is to wine as what brows are to Tweezerman tweezers. You can’t have one and not have the other – if you possess eyebrows, you need these tweezers because they are simply the best. They come in two different sizes and I’d recommend just picking up the mini size, because it’s just as good as the regular size, but a couple of euro cheaper.

Skincare
For skincare, you don’t exactly need an elaborate toolkit. However, I’m all about the best basics – and it doesn’t get much better that a good, fluffy, clean flannel. Buy a bunch from Dunnes or Penneys, use a clean one every day, and thank me later.

Muslin cloths are also lovely for some light exfoliation (harsh apricot kernel scrubs are so 2008). If you fancy a deeper clean, try working the Clarisonic into your routine a couple of nights a week. It has a cult following for a reason; nothing beats a good sonic cleanse and, unlike your favourite lotions and potions, this will never run out!   

 Deirdre Foley is a history grad, sceptic, wearer of red lipstick and self-confessed 'beauty maniac'. She is also the co-founder of fabulous Irish beauty blog, Viva Adonis.     

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