With over 30 years in the beauty business, there’s no dilemma Mary O’Donnell has not come across. Including the occasional cry for help from the opposite sex.
“I’ve even had a few where a guy has been on his stag night and had his eyebrow shaved off and is saying: ‘What do I do?’ ‘Where do I go?’” admits the farmer’s wife and mother of four who has gained over 10,000 Facebook likes for her no-nonsense beauty advice and recently landed her own slot on RTÉ’s Today show.
Irish Country Living meets Mary at her family home near Tralee, which she shares with her husband John Clifford – a fourth generation potato and vegetable farmer who supplies markets in Limerick – and their children Molly, Dara, Roddy and Ellie.
“The first thing John ever asked me was how was my mother for spuds?” laughs Mary. “And I’ve been fine for spuds since.”
Indeed, last summer Molly and Dara started their own farm shop – proof that they have inherited both their parents’ entrepreneurial skills.
Mary has worked in beauty since the age of 15, when she begged a local salon for a summer job. Hooked, she went to Dublin to study at the Bronwyn Conroy Academy and worked with Morgan Model Agency and RTÉ before leaving it behind to return home.
“I was a real home bird,” she says. “My dad died when I was 15, we’re a small family and I missed Kerry so much.
“When I did my training, I was the only girl from outside of Dublin – I was the real country girl up in the big smoke.”
But that didn’t mean her ambition was lacking. In 1989, at just 21, she walked into the bank to ask for a £10,000 loan to open her own beauty and fitness studio by converting a building that her father bought before he passed away.
“It would have been one thing if I had said I wanted to open a hairdresser’s, but this was a whole new concept to explain to people,” she says.
“I remember walking into the building one day and there were plasterers and plumbers and I got a bit of a panic attack thinking, ‘I’m paying all these wages. How am I going to actually do it?’”
The answer was, of course, hard work: 10am to 10pm up to six days a week between beauty treatments and fitness classes – including five step-aerobic classes a day.
“There was even a picture of me on the front page of The Kerryman in a leotard – I hope that never surfaces,” she laughs.
Mary went on to employ eight full-time staff before leasing the business in 2006 to concentrate on raising her family. For good measure, she also took up marathon training, which, unfortunately, saw her end up in hospital with pneumonia in 2010.
While recovering, Mary noticed the popularity of daytime TV programmes like The Afternoon Show among her fellow patients, especially their thirst for all things beauty-related. Although she had a regular slot on Radio Kerry, she saw an opportunity to share her vast knowledge with a wider audience – though it did mean embracing the online world for the first time.
“I remember my daughter saying to me: ‘Double click mum … double click … double click,’” she admits of her early efforts. “The whole thing was so scary.”
Fast-forward five years, however, and Mary has an army of followers on her Facebook page, where she dispenses insider tips, answers beauty queries, reviews the latest releases and runs giveaways.
This following has also allowed her to assemble a panel of over 6,000 people of all ages and skin types, who test products on behalf of the major companies.
“So when you see ‘80% of women say …’ a lot of those are based here,” she explains.
She is also in demand as a speaker, from ICA groups to secondary schools, is an ambassador for Youngblood mineral make-up and also freelances with pharmacies doing customer consultations. But perhaps her biggest break came this February when she landed a beauty slot on Today with Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé.
She attributes her success to the fact that while there are a lot of beauty blogs aimed at 20-somethings, she caters for the more mature woman – whether it’s explaining the difference between BB, CC and DD creams or tackling age-old problems like red veins or facial hair.
She believes that being armed with basic beauty advice can give women the confidence to face up to other challenges.
“I was so terrified of everything online and I really felt like I needed to be upskilled in every way,” she says.
“It’s an awful place to be, and I definitely think that doing things for yourself – even if you don’t have the money to go and get treatments done, but saying: ‘I’m doing this for me and I’m going to be the best I can be.’ – gets you back out there again and gives you confidence.”
For further information, visit www.maryodonnellbeauty.com or follow on Facebook.
With thanks to Ballygarry House Hotel & Nadúr Spa for shoot location.
Visit www.ballygarryhouse.com.
HOW TO
Tackle Red Veins
Women and men who work outdoors should use an SPF all year round. I recommend Anthelios SPF 50+ range by La Roche Posay, available from pharmacies nationwide.A CC (colour corrective) cream is like a tinted moisturiser that helps to cover red colouring. For Irish skin tones, try Rosaliac CC cream from La Roche Posay. When I put it to a panel test, 89% loved the fragrance and 92% would buy it again. €22.50 at www.sammccauley.com.Irish company Anneco has produced a colour-corrective, loose-mineral powder with a green tinge (€14.50) that helps to counteract redness. Visit www.annecobeauty.com.Create A Simple Smoky Eye
Invest in a good brush set. Irish company Blank Canvas Cosmetics has eye shadow blending brushes from just €6.99.The Urban Decay Naked eye shadow palette (€46 at Debenhams) really suits Irish colouring and has everything you need to create the smoky eye effect. However, if you already have some neutral shadows in your make-up kit, you can get to work.Apply a beige shadow all over your eyelid, up to your brow line. Next, apply a medium brown shadow over your lash line, followed by a darker brown right across the centre. Blend with your brush and voila – a simple smoky eye.Raise Eyebrows
If you go to a beauty salon for just one thing, it should be to get your eyebrows tinted and shaped every four to six weeks – it’s like a mini-facelift.Invest in a good eyebrow kit. Shiseido eyebrow styling compact (RRP €31) or Youngblood brunette brow artist (€35) are both good options.Top tip: When filling in your brows, apply the shadow with the brush against the grain of the hair, then arrange back into place with the wax supplied in the kit.Deal With Problem Hair
For thin or weak hair, I recommend the Lifes2Good/Viviscal starter kit, which has been successfully tried and tested by my panel (RRP €84.95, but on special offer in selected pharmacies in March for €59.95).For people struggling with frizz control, try L’Oréal Elvive extraordinary oil, €9.99 from www.lloydspharmacy.ie. Dab it on before blow-drying to stop frizz before it even starts.Once a week, I make a simple hair mask by massaging some mayonnaise into my hair until it is damp, and wrapping it up in a warm towel for 30 minutes before washing it out. It does smell, but it gives your hair great condition.Get Mary’s Look
Foundation: Youngblood mineral cosmeticsEyes: Lancôme hypnôse smoky eyesEyeliner: Clarins 06 mauveBronzer: AcademieLips: Russian red by MAC
With over 30 years in the beauty business, there’s no dilemma Mary O’Donnell has not come across. Including the occasional cry for help from the opposite sex.
“I’ve even had a few where a guy has been on his stag night and had his eyebrow shaved off and is saying: ‘What do I do?’ ‘Where do I go?’” admits the farmer’s wife and mother of four who has gained over 10,000 Facebook likes for her no-nonsense beauty advice and recently landed her own slot on RTÉ’s Today show.
Irish Country Living meets Mary at her family home near Tralee, which she shares with her husband John Clifford – a fourth generation potato and vegetable farmer who supplies markets in Limerick – and their children Molly, Dara, Roddy and Ellie.
“The first thing John ever asked me was how was my mother for spuds?” laughs Mary. “And I’ve been fine for spuds since.”
Indeed, last summer Molly and Dara started their own farm shop – proof that they have inherited both their parents’ entrepreneurial skills.
Mary has worked in beauty since the age of 15, when she begged a local salon for a summer job. Hooked, she went to Dublin to study at the Bronwyn Conroy Academy and worked with Morgan Model Agency and RTÉ before leaving it behind to return home.
“I was a real home bird,” she says. “My dad died when I was 15, we’re a small family and I missed Kerry so much.
“When I did my training, I was the only girl from outside of Dublin – I was the real country girl up in the big smoke.”
But that didn’t mean her ambition was lacking. In 1989, at just 21, she walked into the bank to ask for a £10,000 loan to open her own beauty and fitness studio by converting a building that her father bought before he passed away.
“It would have been one thing if I had said I wanted to open a hairdresser’s, but this was a whole new concept to explain to people,” she says.
“I remember walking into the building one day and there were plasterers and plumbers and I got a bit of a panic attack thinking, ‘I’m paying all these wages. How am I going to actually do it?’”
The answer was, of course, hard work: 10am to 10pm up to six days a week between beauty treatments and fitness classes – including five step-aerobic classes a day.
“There was even a picture of me on the front page of The Kerryman in a leotard – I hope that never surfaces,” she laughs.
Mary went on to employ eight full-time staff before leasing the business in 2006 to concentrate on raising her family. For good measure, she also took up marathon training, which, unfortunately, saw her end up in hospital with pneumonia in 2010.
While recovering, Mary noticed the popularity of daytime TV programmes like The Afternoon Show among her fellow patients, especially their thirst for all things beauty-related. Although she had a regular slot on Radio Kerry, she saw an opportunity to share her vast knowledge with a wider audience – though it did mean embracing the online world for the first time.
“I remember my daughter saying to me: ‘Double click mum … double click … double click,’” she admits of her early efforts. “The whole thing was so scary.”
Fast-forward five years, however, and Mary has an army of followers on her Facebook page, where she dispenses insider tips, answers beauty queries, reviews the latest releases and runs giveaways.
This following has also allowed her to assemble a panel of over 6,000 people of all ages and skin types, who test products on behalf of the major companies.
“So when you see ‘80% of women say …’ a lot of those are based here,” she explains.
She is also in demand as a speaker, from ICA groups to secondary schools, is an ambassador for Youngblood mineral make-up and also freelances with pharmacies doing customer consultations. But perhaps her biggest break came this February when she landed a beauty slot on Today with Maura Derrane and Dáithí Ó Sé.
She attributes her success to the fact that while there are a lot of beauty blogs aimed at 20-somethings, she caters for the more mature woman – whether it’s explaining the difference between BB, CC and DD creams or tackling age-old problems like red veins or facial hair.
She believes that being armed with basic beauty advice can give women the confidence to face up to other challenges.
“I was so terrified of everything online and I really felt like I needed to be upskilled in every way,” she says.
“It’s an awful place to be, and I definitely think that doing things for yourself – even if you don’t have the money to go and get treatments done, but saying: ‘I’m doing this for me and I’m going to be the best I can be.’ – gets you back out there again and gives you confidence.”
For further information, visit www.maryodonnellbeauty.com or follow on Facebook.
With thanks to Ballygarry House Hotel & Nadúr Spa for shoot location.
Visit www.ballygarryhouse.com.
HOW TO
Tackle Red Veins
Women and men who work outdoors should use an SPF all year round. I recommend Anthelios SPF 50+ range by La Roche Posay, available from pharmacies nationwide.A CC (colour corrective) cream is like a tinted moisturiser that helps to cover red colouring. For Irish skin tones, try Rosaliac CC cream from La Roche Posay. When I put it to a panel test, 89% loved the fragrance and 92% would buy it again. €22.50 at www.sammccauley.com.Irish company Anneco has produced a colour-corrective, loose-mineral powder with a green tinge (€14.50) that helps to counteract redness. Visit www.annecobeauty.com.Create A Simple Smoky Eye
Invest in a good brush set. Irish company Blank Canvas Cosmetics has eye shadow blending brushes from just €6.99.The Urban Decay Naked eye shadow palette (€46 at Debenhams) really suits Irish colouring and has everything you need to create the smoky eye effect. However, if you already have some neutral shadows in your make-up kit, you can get to work.Apply a beige shadow all over your eyelid, up to your brow line. Next, apply a medium brown shadow over your lash line, followed by a darker brown right across the centre. Blend with your brush and voila – a simple smoky eye.Raise Eyebrows
If you go to a beauty salon for just one thing, it should be to get your eyebrows tinted and shaped every four to six weeks – it’s like a mini-facelift.Invest in a good eyebrow kit. Shiseido eyebrow styling compact (RRP €31) or Youngblood brunette brow artist (€35) are both good options.Top tip: When filling in your brows, apply the shadow with the brush against the grain of the hair, then arrange back into place with the wax supplied in the kit.Deal With Problem Hair
For thin or weak hair, I recommend the Lifes2Good/Viviscal starter kit, which has been successfully tried and tested by my panel (RRP €84.95, but on special offer in selected pharmacies in March for €59.95).For people struggling with frizz control, try L’Oréal Elvive extraordinary oil, €9.99 from www.lloydspharmacy.ie. Dab it on before blow-drying to stop frizz before it even starts.Once a week, I make a simple hair mask by massaging some mayonnaise into my hair until it is damp, and wrapping it up in a warm towel for 30 minutes before washing it out. It does smell, but it gives your hair great condition.Get Mary’s Look
Foundation: Youngblood mineral cosmeticsEyes: Lancôme hypnôse smoky eyesEyeliner: Clarins 06 mauveBronzer: AcademieLips: Russian red by MAC
SHARING OPTIONS