Ireland has a new online Vintage emporium – www.AllThatsVintage.ie

According to the team at All That’s Vintage, the aim of this new site is to ?give everyone the opportunity to put their own stamp on their look, propelling them to instant fashionista status.? The website offers vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories in an easy to shop format.

Vintage pieces available on the site are sourced worldwide from places such as Paris, Berlin and New York and are delivered to anywhere within Ireland and the UK, for standard postage prices. The site offers high quality vintage pieces along with items from designers such as Vera Maxwell, Trifari and Eisenberg.

I had the pleasure of viewing some of the vintage jewelry available on the site in person, and they were very high quality and highly individual pieces. Although the site currently has a small amount of stock listed, this will no doubt grow over the coming weeks and months so it is worth keeping an eye on this site or signing up to their newsletter for updates.

Cameo earrings at www.allthatsvintage.ie for 73 euro.

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I like to give you the heads up on best kept secrets before they become well known favourites. In March I heaped praise on the spa in the Heritage Hotel, Killenard, Co. Laois, just two weeks before it was awarded the prestigious title of 2009 Best Spa in the annual IBPA Irish Beauty Industry Awards on April 5th.

Other finalists in the awards included the ESPA at The G Hotel Galway, so I just had to check it out and see how the urban spa at the G compared with my other spa experiences.

The spa at the G does manage to create an urban retreat. You would never guess while unwinding in the relaxation room overlooking the rooftop bamboo garden that one was close to Galway city and adjacent to an industrial estate. The whole spa is not as big as those in other hotels that I have been to, and this lack of space is most reflected in the thermal suite. At both the Heritage Spa in Laois and the Sula Spa in The Plaza in Westport, the Thermal suites manage to offer different sensory experiences in each room and have a great range and variety of thermal suite rooms and showers. I was particularly impressed with the aroma grotto in the Sula Spa Westport.

Although I was not able to use the thermal suite at the G, according to my companion who did use it, the ice fountains did not work and the whole thermal suite is smaller and does not have the variety of rooms as in the other spas mentioned above. The thermal suite at the G does not have a rasul chamber, foot spas with salts, aroma grotto, caldarium or other rooms that have become favourites of mine in other spas.

On the other hand I really enjoyed my treatments at the ESPA at the G. Every small aspect of the treatment is suited to the preferences of the recipient, from the lighting style in the room to the products used. A new bottle of polish is opened for every pedicure and given to the client to keep for touch ups afterwards, a perk that I never got from a pedicure elsewhere. The ESPA products were great, although I was disappointed at the size of sample size products that I purchased at the end. With other brands I would have got full size products for a similar price. ESPA is very expensive, both the products and the treatments. This is suited to the 5 star calibre of the G but can be off putting. A regular pedicure is not even listed on their spa menu, so I had to ask about this and was glad I did. I came out of the EPSA glowing and refreshed and overall would recommend it as a good urban spa.

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Tanning is one of the beauty industries greatest paradoxes; we love it because it makes us look fit and healthy and yet getting that tan can be one of the most un-healthy things we can do. Thankfully, most people are now aware of the dangers of sunbathing and sun beds but most people don’t even think twice about the health risks of a spray tan.

Lately, some insurance companies are thinking twice about insuring salons for use of spray tanning systems. The problem is that during and after a spray tan, the user can breathe in a good amount of the product. While the ingredients of fake tan, such as DHA, have been approved for external use, they have not been improved for internal use and so, should not touch the lips or any body surface covered by mucous membrane, like the eyes or inside of the nose. Therein the problem lies, no body knows if there are any dangers associated with inhalation of spray tanning products so people will continue to use it until the dangers are proved,by this time it may be too late.

Even if you hold your breath while being sprayed, while you are waiting for the tan to dry you are breathing it in and it is touching your lips. The real core of the issue is that while we do not know if inhaling spray tan is dangerous, we do not know it to be safe either.

So what can you do to protect yourself? Try to get sprayed in a well ventilated room with either an open window or an extractor fan. Find out what tans are used so you can research it. Consider non spray tan alternatives like mitt application products.

Most importantly, remember fake tan doesn’t have any solar defense so apply sun screen before going out.

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I first discovered Thomas Sabo jewellery in Hugh Statham jewellers in Naas last year and some of his pieces really caught my eye. So, I was delighted to discover that the website carried a great range of pieces and are open 24hours! I really like the mix of goth and glamour visible in this years collection of jewellery, which is very Christina Augleria, but do miss the more wearable pieces from last year like his sea horse and Radiant sun pendent. Thomas Sabo specialise in top-quality 925 Sterling Silver. Although Thomas Sabo pieces can be a bit on the pricey side, they are definitely worth considering if you want something attractive but edgy. If you like charm braclets check out their ‘Charm Club’. They are also available in Clery’s and at House of Fraser, Dundrum Shopping Center.

www.thomassabo.com

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Some trends never go away. They may fade into the background but always come back into fashion. The Converse All Star trainer has been around for over 100 years and is due a big resurgence in 2009. I remember wearing Converse in my pre-teens but until recently had totally forgot they existed! Now that I?ve rediscovered them, I have started to see them everywhere and can’t wait to get my hands on a pair.

The Converse trainers people are most familiar with are the hi-top Converse Chucks ( named after Chuck Taylor) although many types of converse exist. Converse Chucks have achieved an iconic fashion status. For those of you not so familiar with Converse, you should know that there are many types of converse – low tops, high tops, x-hi, no laces, and more. A great thing about Converse is that they come in a range of colours, so really brighten up a casual look. A pair of converse is a great wardrobe staple, and they are comfy and cheap at only €55. The converse website even allows you to design your own – pity this feature is only available to those living in the states. To get a pair of converse in Ireland, see converse.ie for a list of retailers in Ireland.

A great way to wear Converse high tops is with black tights and a denim skirt – may sound weird but looks great, especially if you?re into the dressed down look. They also look well with leggings and almost any type of jeans.

There are so many pics of celebrities wearing converse, pictured here is Ferne Cotton and Mischa Barton.

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Doves campaign for real beauty youTude Videos are also amazing

If you can’t beat ?em – learn photoshop. Follow the retouching tutorials posted on http://www.whiteinkblog.com/2009/01/20/professional-retouching-2-video-tutorials/

And in no time you will be retouching you own photos before you post them to facebook!

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Fashion is certainly one of the main ways people express themselves and nothing makes a dramatic expression like getting a tattoo. For some people tattoos are a major part of their identity and they have many, but for others, getting a tattoo is something that they do during a dramatic period in their life and is a sign that all is not well.

Case in point, Rhianna

For some, getting a tattoo seems to be part of a habit of self destruction. When Britney had her breakdown, she headed straight to the tattoo shop and Amy Winehouse seemed to get a tattoo to mark every stage of her downward spiral.

Rhianna?s new gun tattoo does not suit her or her image and is probably a result of her trying to assert her strength and independence, after a rough few weeks. I do hope Rhianna isn?t going all Britney on us. She used to be so polished and seemed to have it all together but if recent photos are anything to go by, Rhianna is caring less and less about her public image, and about herself.?s not to say that some tattoos are not nice. I would never have considered getting a tattoo until I went to live in the U.S. After seeing so many nice and different tattoos over there (they are much more common in the U.S than here) and the really nice coloured inks, I was really tempted. However, fashion changes so quickly, and what you like now, you might hate in a few years time. If you are considering a tattoo, ask the tattoo artist to give you a temporary tattoo first and try living with it for a few days before going back for the real thing.

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Imelda’s style was not always as polished. The last few years and months have really seen her 50′s style glamour develop, although Imelda had in fact tried this look as far back as her teens. Complete with retro quiff and blonde streak, Imelda has taken the retro look and made it her own. She looks really comfortable in her own skin – and so she should be. I saw her at this years Meteor awards and she is tiny in person. As the popularity of her music grows, so no doubt will interest in her style. Luckily Imelda’s wardrobe staples of leopard print dresses, high waist skirts, and thick figure hugging belts, are all around the high street, so it isn’t difficult to achieve her look, even if you can’t manage the retro quiff.

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