There’s something about the onslaught of a new season that makes us want to play with our beauty routines. Bored with our winter clothes (baggy jumpers and tights must go soon mustn’t they?) but not quite ready to dive into summer dresses, this time of year always inspires us to think of other ways to mix up our daily look. Luckily there are lots of new beauty & skincare items and emporiums on the market, which make this easy to do.

Nivea Pure & Natural Toner €4.99

Beauty buffs were all over Moroccan argan oil last year, thanks to its intense moisturising properties. Now you can get it built into your skincare regime with an affordable face, body and lips range from Nivea, called Pure & Natural. We’re currently using the facial toner.

Crabtree & Evelyn Outlet

India Hicks, Prince Charles goddaughter and interiors guru who lives in the Caribbean, has collaborated with luxury beauty label Crabtree & Evelyn to create “Island Living” – a body care and home scents collection which you can check out the newly opened outlet store at Kildare Village.

Ren No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm €42

This rose-infused cleansing balm comes with a muslin cloth and gently yet thoroughly melts away dirt and make-up, including waterproof mascara.  We’ve tried it for the past month and it’s left our skin feeling calm while conditioning brows and lashes. Available at Arnotts.

Lancôme Flash Bronzer Anti-Age €35.00

This cult self-tanning product now comes with a built in SPF 15. So now you can get a natural, even and gorgeous glow without the aging affects of daily sun exposure. A must-have, we say.

St. Tropez’s Dark Instant Glow Body Lotion €17.50

Forget pale and interesting, those looking for a bronzed glow will welcome this new dark shade of wash off tan from tanning supremos St Tropez.  Previously only available in “natural-looking glow”, it can be removed with soap and water at the end of the night. 

Rebel Nails Cheetah for Fingers €9 (not pictured)

Beyonce, Victoria Beckham and Leona Lewis are just a few celebrity fans of nail art.  And while a professional nail art manicure at WAH nails in Harvey Nics will set you back approx €40, Rebel Nails offers a DIY option with self-adhesive, nail covers which don’t require drying time or glue.  Available from the new beauty store at Littlewoods.ie.

I always remember my first Furla experience. It was circa 2003; I was living in Madrid at the time and used to walk passed the Furla shop on Calle Lagasca (near the main drag of designer shops) on my way to Starbucks and oogle at the leather handbags in the window display.

Some time later, I went on a city break to Rome with my sister, and came across them again on Via Condotti. This time I felt and smelled the butter-softness of the Italian leather and duly made my sister buy a black Furla bag which she has worn as her work bag since.

So, of course, I was thrilled to find out that there’s a Furla outlet shop just opened in Kildare Village, which means delicious discounts on these bags and clutches!

All three SS10 Furla bags pictured are available at Kildare village. The RRP of the teal blue bag is €415 but at the outlet store it costs €205!  I’ll have one of those please.

Furla Boutique

Kildare Village, Kildare, Co. Kildare, Ireland

Phone: +353 45 520 679

Image credit: Furla

Top British model and muse of Anya Hindmarch, Poppy Delevigne celebrated the launch of the newly located Anya Hindmarch handbag boutique at Kildare Village last week.

The boutique was transformed into a pop-up tea room for the day for a special group of handpicked guests to devour the season’s collections.

The tea room featured bespoke cakes created by Clodagh McKenna and inspired by Anya’s most iconic bags.

The Anya Hindmarch boutique at Kildare Village is now offering discerning shoppers up to 70% off luxurious arm candy.

The designer behind the label, Anya Hindmarch herself, along with Tamara Mellon (Jimmy Choo founder) has been appointed International Fashion Diplomat by the British Prime Minister, with the mission to promote British Fashion around the world. Now that’s what we call a cool job!

The men in our lives have been neglected of late on WhatSheWears.ie, so it’s time to give you, dear reader, some tasters for what to put in his Christmas or birthday stocking.

From the exclusive London locations of Sloane and Jermyn Street, where this luxe British designer label started out, Hackett menswear has opened an outlet boutique in Ireland at Kildare Village .

Hackett is all about the spirit of rugby, rowing and car racing in a collection which goes back generations. The “gentlemen’s outfitters”, as they like to be called, is both traditional and modern (think “back in vogue country tweed”), stylishly tailored suits and shirts, through to chunky knitwear.

For a smart suit for your man, you’d pay €750 in Hackett in the UK, but at the outlet in Kildare Village you’ll pay €500.  Favourites from their current outlet stock include this check shirt (pictured, RRP 120 Euro, now 80 Euro) and these fabulous leather gloves pictured, (RRP 150 Euro, now 100 Euro) which also come in butter soft brown leather (80 Euro).

And the best thing about new shop openings are the discounts that come with them. Until Sunday 29 August there will be an additional 30% off all stock, and from 30 August ‘til 05 September there are even more savings with an additional 20% off. Suits you sir.

Hackett , 21-26 South Anne Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 6770429

Hackett Outlet, Unit 12, Nurney Road Kildare Village, Kildare Town. Tel: 045 520520

Elizabeth Hurley Beach is a Women’s beachwear, swimwear and accessories previously only available in such high end establishments in the UK such as Harrods and Selfridges. It’s also sold in uber glam hotel shops in the One and Only Resort Reehi Rah in the Maldives, Amanpuri in Thailand and Cotton House in Mustique.

Elizabeth Hurley Beach opened it’s only Irish shop today in good old fashioned ribbon cutting style and Hurley herself was on hand to help customers for two hours.

Elizabeth Hurley

Elizabeth owns the company and is quite involved in the day to day running of it from designing to sourcing the fabrics; she also models the collections on the website www.elizabethhurley.com, where she looks AMAZING!

Interesting fact – I met a former employee of hers recently, who is under a disclosure agreement and couldn’t give me much detail about her but did say that she is lovely to work for and hates the way the paparazzi call her “Liz” Hurley and not Elizabeth. “It’s like calling Victoria Beckham “Posh” to her face.” I’d often have referred to her as Liz so I’m calling her Elizabeth from now on…you know, just on the off chance for when I meet her in person!

The collection

Fans of the collection include Heidi Klum and Kate Moss (you can just imagine the uber glam one pieces on the likes of Cheryl Cole too) and prices start at €77 for a bikini and €95 (down from €144) for a kaftan.
Bikini tops and bottoms are sold separately, so you can mix and match sizes and styles. The tankini tops come in the same fabric as the bikinis.

Sizes come in XS, S, M, L and XL which is not ideal unless you’re a standard cup-size. There don’t appear to be any under wired styles either which means that this collection is out for you if you’re in any way bigger on top and need some support.

Not a bikini lover?

For those of us without Elizabeth Hurley’s body, try the tankini (pictured here on her) or a kaftan, which are more appealing for most of us. I’m always on the lookout for Kaftans with embellishment so my favourite piece from the collection is this silk Raj Kaftan in red (€472). Here’s wishing I could have it!

Cutler & Gross sunglasses

Otherwise try a fab pair of sunglasses. I was very excited to learn that the boutique also stocks Cutler & Gross sunglasses – exclusive to Elizabeth Hurley Beach Boutique.

Victoria Beckham is a huge fan and the Cutler & Gross 0811 style (costing approx €460) is one of the few non DVB (her own brand) sunnies that she wears. She’s even collaborated with the brand for her own sunglasses collection so they must be good! This is the king of big sunnies and I’d recommend this style for non bling loving advanced sunglasses wearers only.

Opening Times

The Elizabeth Hurley Beach Boutique (Telephone 045 520501) will be open throughout the summer at Kildare Village.  Kildare Village is open seven days a week and has late night shopping on Thursday until 8pm and Friday until 7pm.

The shop also stocks Philip Treacy hats so should have a big allure for race day goers trying to stand out on Ladies Days around the country.

Images of shop launch : Kieran Harnett

[View with PicLens]

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 25% off on openening day 25 March!

Founded in 1994 by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Taylor, this cult label has a huge celebrity following with fans including Madonna, Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears.

This exciting arrival of high end clothing and accessories means that you too can afford the hottest designer couture as favoured by Hollywood’s elite.

The Kildare Village boutique will be full of the iconic contemporary and casual tracksuits, in fabrics including fleece, terry, velour and cashmere. The statement clothing will be adorned in the ultimate Juicy slogans including “Have a Juicy day”, “Peace, Love and Juicy” and “Some girls have all the Juicy”.

Fashions future trendsetters will be making their way down to Kildare Village on Monday 22 March when the boutique opens its doors. Go Couture yourselves – this Kildare Village boutique is sure to be the most joy that bling can bring!

	Juicy Couture to open in Kildare Village
When	Thursday, March 25, 2010 10:00 - All Ages
Where	Kildare Village (map) Kildare

Elizabeth Hurley’s first beachwear boutique in Ireland opens at Kildare Village Outlet Shopping on 11th March 2010.

The location for the Elizabeth Hurley Beach Boutique was chosen for its high quality and comparable brands, boasting a dream-like collection of over fifty-five designer boutiques and lifestyle labels.

The Elizabeth Hurley Beach Boutique, will be a central feature among the charming boutiques that line the captivating open air promenade of the Village.  

Elizabeth says, ‘I love Ireland and on my many visits have always had the best time. I am a huge fan of Kildare Village and can’t wait to open my first Irish store. I’m really looking forward to Launch Day on 11 March; I’m hoping to meet lots of new customers and help them choose the perfect beachwear. ”

Elizabeth will celebrate the opening of her Beach Boutique at Kildare Village Outlet Shopping with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 12pm on 11 March 2010 and will be on hand to help customers choose their perfect beachwear wardrobe between 12pm and 2pm.

To commemorate the launch, Elizabeth has made a special Pink Bikini to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She will donate 100% of the proceeds of all these bikinis sold on Launch Day to the cause.

Image: Kieran Harnett

	Elizabeth Hurley Beach Opening
When	Thursday, March 11, 2010 12:00 - 12-2pm - All Ages
Where	Kildare Village (map) Kildare

The search for warm, trendy ski wear in Irish shops used to be so limited, so I was amazed to find a plethora of ski wear sources once I started my search – here’s what I found to be on offer.

Topshop
From a colourful red ski snood, to goggles to ski trousers to ski leggings and socks – Toppers has you covered for stylish ski wear. All designs are wind and waterproof and feature rubberized zip-pulls and waterproof-coated zips, offering total comfort and protection from the elements.

Lidl & Aldi
These German stores are kings of ski apparel with reasonably priced skiwear for sale, usually before Christmas and in January. Salopettes in standard colours such as black or white, angora wool thermal tops and long johns – although no good to you now, for your next ski season, sign up to Lidl’s weekly newsletter which will alert you to what they have in store for the coming week.

TK Maxx
I find TX Maxx is the best source for men’s and women’s ski jackets which are easily found as they are laid out on rails by size. You can find high end brands for a discount if you’re willing to trawl through the rails but overall the selection is great with lots of colours too.

Pamela Scott
This, I didn’t know before seeing an episode of Ski Style on TV3 Xpose, but Pamela Scott has some pretty stylish ski wear at good prices.

Kildare Village
This is the best place for a number of different brands; all under the same roof as it were and much cheaper than you’d find them in their equivalent shops elsewhere. The discounts extend to jackets and parkas, matching salopettes, all-in-ones, fleece wear, hoodies, headgear, goggles, ear muffs, waterproof gloves, thermal socks as well as winter boots with soles built for maximum traction.

Brands include Quicksilver, Nike, The North Face and a shop called Top 24 which has a ski range for clothing, luggage and accessories for the entire family. (So that it’s not just about shopping for me you see!).  At the luxurious end of the scale, there’s a fine cashmere sweater I saw on Helena Christensen, from London cashmere label N. Peal. I’ve added to my personal wish list for next year’s ski season!

Images courtesy of Top 24, pink High Tech Snow Boots, Ski Jacket with ipod holder and Oakley ski goggles.

I went along to the opening on Friday 11 December on Suffolk Street.

Expecting to see street style and hoodies, I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer size of the shop – it’s HUGE (it’s the old Habitat shop).  Upstairs in the womens wear they have some lovely tops, I picked one with a studded neckline that comes in grey or black and eyed up and  ones with rose detail and plenty of sparkly tops and dresses too. They range in price from €29.99 to €39.99 .  Also their womens leather jackets are fab fab fab (and very like the one Becks is pictured here with), they look very like Belstaff jackets and are priced at €250 euro. Needless to say, I want one!

They also have Macs (trench coats), leather bomber jackets, wax jackets, pea coats (short and long) – so I’d certainly recommend it as your first go-to destination for your outerwear shopping.

Check out some of my pictures here of the tops and jackets. Photos.

The only thing I would say is that it’s very confusing, as outside the shop it says Cult, and inside a lot of the signage is Superdry. If I understand it correctly, Superdry is one of Cult’s brands?

If you’re not familiar with Cult or Superdry, you soon will be as they’ve arrived in Ireland!

Cult Clothing Co which sells the brand Superdry, is famously worn by celebrities such as David Beckham and Zac Efron and is opening on 11 December in Suffolk Street, Dublin.

Meanwhile a  Superdry store already opened at Kildare Village and at Dublin airport.

Superdry’s distinctive vintage style has made it into one of the most popular brands in Europe, stocking vintage thrift, designer denims and accessories. Catering for men and women, the label also won Draper’s ‘Young Fashion Brand of the Year’ Award in 2008.

This picture of David Beckham wearing Superdry’s Brad leather jacket is several years old, but catapulted Superdry into stardom as, before David Beckham, their clothing was only to be found in selected boutiques. It is now opening at least another 20 stores across the UK and Ireland next year.

Meanwhile, our favourite Wildcat, High School Musical’s Zac Efron (also pictured) loves his Superdry leather jacket. To give you an idea of price points for this store, you can expect to pay €244.99 for David Beckham’s “Brad” leather jacket.

Psst, hopefully it’ll solve that “Whaddya want for crimbo babe?” dilemma!

…..A lot apparently.

According to handbag therapist (yes there is such a thing) and life coach Debbie Percy – by looking at the bag itself and some key contents in it - it can reveal much about your personality.

I saw Debbie conduct two “handbag readings” in a group situation last night, one of a handbag and one of a manbag -  and  she was spot on with what she said about the bag owners’ outlook on life.

Christian was the proud owner of a manbag  which held a copy of Time Magazine, a leather bound notebook,  a sunglasses case, an iPod and a tie. 

Debbie revealed that he is an extremley organised guy, who loves order in his work life and aspires for higher things.   Christian admitted she was correct (she delved into things a little more too) so take my word for it, this therapy is the real mccoy.

So, I’m now a believer and am just dying for Debbie to have a nosy in my own handbag! God knows what she would think – I’m currently carrying around a black straw summer basket which contains a set of keys, a pistachio green Purificación García wallet, a brolly, mobile phone, a pair of runners (to get me from A to B quick smart, I usually change into heels when I reach my destination), a notebook and pen, my 2009 agenda/diary, a pair of Versace sunglasses, a pair of reading glasses, red Rimmel lipstick, Chanel bronzer & brush,  and a mini bottle of Joe Malone “pomegranate” perfume.  (Yes it is a large bag!).

Could your handbag or manbag win you €1,000?

Kildare Village Outlet Shopping is running a ‘What’s in your handbag?’ competition here.  Enter up until September 6,  to win a €1000 shopping spree at Kildare Village.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Take a photo of your handbag and its contents (make sure everything can be clearly seen)

Step 2: Upload the photo to http://www.handbag.kildarevillage.com/

Step 3: Send the link to you bag photo to all your friends to vote for your entry. Check back every so often to see Debbie’s comments on some of the entries received

Step 4: Handbag photos with the most online votes will be in with a chance to win a €1,000 gift card for Kildare Village

So be brave, open your handbag to reveal another side of your personality and you could bag a prize worth €1,000!

P.S. Debbie will be in situ at the Kildare Village stand, at the forthcoming Ultimate Girl’s Day Out in the RDS on 28-30 August  so pop along to see if you can get your own persaonl handbag reading!

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