Don't get lost at VOGUE

Hey Blog Readers!x!

Just a quick blog post to let you all know that my regular hair salon 'Absolute Hair Studio' is under new management and is now called 'VOGUE-Hair & Beauty' ;)

SO that's one to note: Don't get lost on your way to Fab-Hair this Christmas!!

Not to worry the ever-so-lovely Lyndsay is still working in Vogue and the rest of the team are also great! 

I popped in to Lyndsay last Friday for my usual cut/colour-I love the amazing shiny results :)

Yes this is my hair after a cut, lol still v.long

The wonderful thing about the new salon is that they are expanding to Beauty-Which means the ultimate girls package will be available: get your hair/tan/nails all done under the one roof!! HOW HANDY!!

The salon is cosy and personal: you feel like you get individual attention and they truly listen to what you want rather than doing their own thing (which has been my experience on other occasions). My hair is extremely long and I plan on keeping it that way-Lyndsay looks after my locks and doesn't cut too much off :)

To book an appointment call 091-563944

and

REMEMBER

Vogue Hair have two new facebook pages so make sure to add and LIKE :) 

Click here to add Vogue Hair & Beauty as a friend

Click here to like their page ;) 

FACEBOOK is the best way to keep up-to-date on offers exclusive to the salon!

Current Price List:

 Blowdries: 

Short……………………..………..€15

Medium/Long…………………€18

Curly Blowdry……….….……€25

Already Washed? Blowdry………from €12

Upstyles……..…………from   €25

GHD Curls….............................€19 (or €25 with blow-dry)

Cutting & Styling: 

Wash, Trim and Blowdry………….……....€35

Gents……………………………………….……….€10

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo

Tips on Tanning & Tan Organic review-How does it measure up?

Please Note: Unfortunately this post was one of the blogs (pre.28th of July 2014) that suffered a 'Blogger' crash.. which saw all images vanishing! I have tried to replace the images from the crash as best as I can. However images of me with products etc.. may be lost as a result and therefore the images you see may not match the text(which is original and was not effected by the crash). My blog has therefore had to start fresh and all blogs starting from July 29th 2014 are correct with the appropriate, original and correct images but unfortunately the same can not be said for images lost in posts before this date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused. Shahira xo

Hey Blog Readers :)

Hope you had a great WEEKEND!x!

I get Spray Tans done all the time for shoots etc... and I often don't wear regular tan-unless for a night out(which these days is a rare occasion, lol)... This is not out of choice...given the choice I would be tanned every day of the year :) lol, but because of the excessive amount of exercise I do on a day-to-day basis I find it really difficult to find a tan that can with-stand the test of exercise and fade nice and gradually without too many problems=Patches, stains on clothes etc... etc... 

Normally =

I had the TanOrganic spray tan done on a couple of occasions in ChezElaine and I was happy with the results but last Saturday was my first time using the DIY TanOrganic bottle. 

A bit about TanOrganic:
TanOragnic is fully Eco Certified! it is based on a Aloe Vera formula with no synthetic ingredients,  parabens colours or fragrances-This makes it perfect for all skin types-Even Sensitive Skin!.The formula is moisturising and develops with no 'fake-tan' unpleasant smell. It is loved by Irish media critics such as Xpose and The Irish Times and it retails for €24.99.

Why go Organic??
Organic is a word we hear all the time with regards to eating healthy etc... but I can understand why people would question what difference an 'Organic Tan' would make?
However this is because we often forget that our skin is the largest organ of the body. 64% of what we apply to our skin can be absorbed and enter the blood stream etc... therefore if we care about what we eat we really should care about what we put onto our skin.

Due to it's organic and natural ingredients TanOrganic is also suitable for pregnant women when normally it is encouraged that woman who are expecting should not use any fake tan.

The glass bottle ensures that dioxins can't leach into the product as can happen with plastic containers. I also love the spray top on the new bottle.

How it works?
TanOrganic's active ingredient is the extract of sugar beet that develops over 6-8hours to give a beautiful natural tan that lasts for days!

That's all great but does it live up to it's expectation?
YES!! As I mentioned above last Saturday (before bed) was when I applied the the tan and a WHOPPING 7DAYS, 3 running sessions (I'm training for a Stephen's Day Run), 2gym sessions, trips to town, a busy daily life-style, work and many showers later the tan is still in great shape! Granted it has faded in colour and I'm not quite as dark as I was the first day but jheez it doesn't dye your skin forever so that's to be expected. I am still more tanned than normal and I don't feel an immediate urgency to apply more tan right away. I may top-it-up tomorrow... Actually as tan goes it may be the best 'fader' I have ever seen as I have no streaks or patchiness nor did any tan rub off on my clothes in the mean time. I had a small strap mark from where my sports-bra had been sitting..but I blame that on myself (this sounds horrible) but letting the sweat sit there after a workout and chilling for awhile-not getting immediately in the shower which is the best thing to do where tan and workouts are concerned :) Never-the-less it was nothing "unfixable" or too noticeable so it wasn't a problem.

You can see from the above photo how great the tan faded!-This is day 7/8-depending on which way you want to look at it-I put the tan on Saturday night and allowed it to develop over night-this is the following Sunday :) The tan has faded in colour but no streaks or patchiness-'Great Success' (Borat voice, lol).

How Dark will I be with TanOrganic? 
I like a deep tan...I think you're either one or the other=a person who likes just the slightest bit of tan or a person who likes to be very tanned :) I had doubts on whether the TanOrganic would be dark enough for my liking-simply because of the words 'natural' and 'organic' (silly reason) so I put on a generous amount of product. What you must remember is that TanOrganic does have a colour guide (which is extremely handy for knowing where you have placed the product and not forgetting patches) but it develops over 6-8hours so  it will continue to darken in that time. If you like a lighter tan then don't apply too much product, if you like a dark tan then you could do another layer or apply a little more-I applied a little more and I came out very dark..darker than I had expected (but I loved it) so just bare that in mind while applying.
You will never look "Tangoed" as there is no orange reflection from the tan and the result is a glowing healthy brown.

Can I put TanOragnic on my face? 
I did!! It gave a radiant glow underneath my foundation and everyone kept telling me how healthy I looked!-Perfect for these winter days when your face may have lost its healthy summer glow. Obviously as we wash our faces a lot and use facial scrubs etc.. the tan on the face will need to be topped up faster than the tan on the body.

Tips on Tanning:

1. ALWAYS exfoliate prior to tan application. 
2. If you have any particular areas that have dry skin apply a little moisturiser to these areas before tanning (example hands, feet, elbows, knees)
3. Don't spray too much on the mit-less is more! if you require a darker tan simply build it up a little-Light layers are best! (rather than one heavy layer) (but always remember not too much as TanOrganic develops-over 6-8hours). 
4. Wear loose clothing while the tan develops. 
5. Also avoid water until the developing time is complete. 
6. I believe it's best to apply in the evening and allow to develop over night. 
7. Moisturise daily to maintain an even tan for longer :) -I used the OilArganic=AMAZING!! 

The TanOrganic Self tanning Glove:

I get sick of saying everything is amazing-I don't want my blog to be biased but I genuinely can't fault any of the products I am reviewing in today's blog. The Self tanning glove feels so soft on the skin!! I think it's made from velvet-if not..it feels like velvet!! It has a thumb which makes for a welcoming change to the ordinary tanning mits and it's double sided which is unusual & makes tan application so much easier! It retails for €7.99.

A great Exfoliant:

I use a home-made body scrub-which you can read about by clicking here. An exfoliant tanning glove is also a major plus. The Tan Erase Ultimate exfoliator, also by Tanorganic, is excellent and does "exactly what it says on the tin". I also like glove exfoliators that aren't in the mit form but I used this one last week to exfoliate before tanning and I found my skin was left really smooth! I also like that it's designed in a brown colour-Although not my fav.colour it means it doesn't get all stained and dirty (this goes for the self tanning glove too) and if someone(-most likely a guy who doesn't understand the tanning process) comes to your house-uses your bathroom and sees it lying in the shower-they won't think you're really dirty haha. TanErase Ultimate Exfoliator retails for €14.99. 

Moisturising/A healthy Glow-OilArganic:

To be honest I could do a whole new blog on this product alone-In the past week it has become a favourite all time product of mine! The Smell-Divine! The Shine-Glowy! The softness-baby soft! It leaves your skin feeling incredible! silky smooth and smelling great!! :) It moisturises the skin and locks in the tan-which will make it last for longer. This sounds silly... but it's not "too oily" it has the benefits of an oil but it soaks in to your skin quite fast and your not left standing there waiting for it to dry for ages in order to put on your clothes (has happened to me with other oil products). Some oils, I find, would remove or strip tan but this one is designed not only not to do that but to make the tan last longer. I haven't gone out on a night out since I got it but I love the shine it gives so much that I plan on putting it on before going out the door in a dress (or other revealing clothes) in the future to give the perfect radiant glow and shine to the skin-which is always attractive-especially on legs. 

It's a multi-purpose oil-which adds to its greatness!

You can use it on your:

• Face
• Body
• Hair
• Nails
• Scars
• Stretch Marks

It is made using lots & lots of plant oils... are you ready for the list:

1. Argan Oil-skin protection benefits, reduces inflammation, soothes skin aliments like acne and eczema it also promotes moisture retention.
2. Borage Oil-restores moisture & smoothes.Often used to provide relief to people with skin disorders. 
3. Rosehip Oil-reduces the appearance of scars, stretch marks, fine lines and pigmentation. 
4. Macadamia Oil-protects and heals skin blemishes such as scars, sunburn & minor wounds.
5. Orange Peel Oil-natural source of vitaminE which is a well-known anti-aging antioxidant and it also promotes the production of collagen. 
6. Avacado Oil-Skin moisturiser with healthy fats-remarkable for the skin.
7. Jojoba Seed Oil-natural moisturising, restorative & anti-inflammatory.
8. Hemp Seed Oil-hydrating the skin. 
9. Sweet Almond Oil-gives a satiny smooth & luxuriously soft feel to the skin=a skin softener. 

I have started to apply the OilArganic after each shower and I am loving the benefits!! it retails for €24.99

Where can you get TanOrganic or any of the products mentioned: 
Luckily TanOrganic products are readily available across Ireland and the UK-To find a stockist near you-click here and then select your location. You can also buy online!

Keep an eye-out for deals! www.tanorganic.com regularly hold offers/deals! a Perfect stocking filler that they are offering at the minute is Tantrilogy-which is a kit that contains 30ml TanOragnic, 30ml OilArganic, a tanning mit and and a tan erase exfoliating glove... for just €19.99!! This means you can try it all for yourself at a great price!!

Will you be trying TanOrganic??...

1Million sales in its first 3months-doesn't lie! :)

Lots of Love, 

Shahira XO

Supermacs Press Call

Hey Blog Readers :)

Firstly... Happy MO-vember!! 

Secondly...I am over the moon that my facebook 'Like' page is getting closer every day to 6,000 likes!-How cool :) thank you SO much to everyone who has visited and pressed 'like'-It's really appreciated! and If you haven't please do so by clicking here and then pressing the 'like' button :)

I am extra proud of my page because no advertising or page conversions were used-it's very easy to add the maximum number of friends to an ordinary page and then convert it to a like page but in my eyes it's kind of like cheating on a test... you don't see your own true progress so you're only really fooling yourself (if that makes sense :) lol). My page has grown significantly in the last few months (it hasn't even been set-up a year yet=February anniversary) and I am so grateful!x! here's to 2013 being even bigger and better!! and I may just have to hold a facebook 'give-away' when I reach 6k to celebrate :) 

Also keep an eye out for my new website which is coming very soon! (hopefully before Christmas)

AND Thirdly... 

Anyhow... This blog is not about that... It's about...

When I arrived home from the wonderful USA (LA & Vegas-eee still makes me smile: click here to see my blog on visiting the Playboy Mansion) I was booked on a job with Supermacs in Limerick! I actually wasn't quite sure what the job was when arriving (as with the nature of many press calls) I was just told to show up with white jeans and at a certain time at the specified location..Supermacs O'Connell street Limerick. I was delighted when I arrived and found out the job was actually for Supermacs itself in conjunction with 2FM! 

As everyone (Irish) knows Supermacs is an Irish fast-food chain that is loved up and down the country! It's managing director, Pat McDonagh, is (like myself) a Galway native! and he (also like myself) originally studied primary school teaching in Mary I (Mary Immaculate college) in Limerick. I feel that myself and pat have quite a lot in common due to those facts and I definitely admire is entrepreneurial skills in creating an extremely successful business.  I believe he is most definitely one of our country's most successful business men and that in its self is admirable. 

Will Leahy -RTE 2FM Radio presenter, Myself (Shahira Barry), Pat McDonagh - Managing director of Supermacs

Above is a collage I put together of the shots from the press call-Photos by Don Moloney/Press22

As you can see we had good fun shooting and a lot of laughs! I wore white jeans and the Supermacs T-shirt.

The purpose of the shoot: 

The shoot was to promote the announcement that Supermacs are now sponsoring 2fm's National Drive Time Radio Show 'The More Music Drive with Will Leahy'. With more then 119,000 listeners per week 'The More Music Drive with Will Leahy' is Ireland's leading light-entertainment drive time radio show and the new deal sees Supermacs engaging further with drive time radio listeners.  

Speaking on the announcement Pat McDonagh said “Supermac’s is delighted to sponsor and be associated with 2fm’s More Music Drive with Will Leahy.  Will is a much-admired broadcaster who brings fun, entertainment and great music to this often stressful time of day.”

I had a lot of fun shooting in Limerick and meeting Pat, Will, Don, Aine and the Supermacs Team and I hope to work with them again in the future!

What do you order when you eat in Supermacs??? 

Lots of Love, 

Shahira Xo