Up close and personal with Joanne Larby at Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

The Make Up Fairy

Joanne Larby, aka The Make Up Fairy, was the very first blogger I started following. As well as being a very successful blogger, she is a best selling author, make up artist, teacher, model, CEO of her own beauty line called Enchant and an all round lovely, down to earth and funny girl. I first came across her online because she was running a makeup and beauty workshop in Dublin, a couple of years ago. It looked like a fab event, so myself and my friend got our tickets, and we made the trip up to Dublin from Waterford. After hearing Joanne speak and tell her story of how she got to where she was then, I left feeling super motivated about my work and really determined to work hard and make a name for myself. As cheesy as it sounds, and I’m sure every person who has ever met her says it, but Joanne is truly inspirational. The way she sets her goals and then smashes them every time is commendable.

She is a fantastic role model for people of all ages, man or woman! Ever since that workshop in Dublin, I have been following her online and reading her blog posts. Watching her brand grow, and her waist shrink, I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t much this girl can’t do. Joanne is brand ambassador for The Childhood Cancer Foundation, Renault Belgard, Spotlight Whitening and Miss Fit Skinny Tea. Over the years she has won loads of awards including “Best Beauty Blog” 2016 and “Best Company Beauty Blog 2015”. Most recently, she won a JCI’s “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” Award for 2017. An amazing accomplishment!!! If you’re looking for motivation Joanne is simply a must follow.

Joanne’s Social Media Accounts

Website => www.joannelarby.com

Facebook => The Make Up Fairy

Instagram => MakeUpFairyPro

YouTube => MakeUpFairyPro

Snapchat => themakeupfairy

Twitter => @MakeUpFairyPro

When I heard Joanne was making her way to the sunny south east to Waterford Health Park Pharmacy for an event, I was delighted, especially since she’s making the big move to London soon, and she flew over especially for this event. The lovely Sandra, from Waterford Health Park Pharmacy invited me along and I jumped at the chance.

The Girl Behind the Brand

Joanne gave us a little insight into her background and the steps she took to reach this point in her life. Joanne is a qualified make up artist, she studied child psychology and special needs and was actually a Montessori teacher when trying to get her blog off the ground, dashing to and from events, and work. She did a fashion piece in U Magazine, and it was very successful. Joanne is a curvy model and it was a breath of fresh air to see more than just size 6 in the magazines. She did freelance make up, worked on make up counters, recorded You Tube tutorials, fashion hauls, shared her beauty tips and tricks and soon enough Joanne became everyone’s favourite blogger.

Fairy Tales

In 2015, she wrote her book, Fairy Tales, in a very short space of time because she wanted it to hit the shelves for Christmas. Joanne was told there was no way she’d get it written in time but she set her goal and was given a deadline of 2 and a half months and, of course, she smashed it.  Every day, she worked tirelessly into the early hours of the morning to make sure she’d reach it. Her book sold over 23, 000 copies and is a best seller. Fairy Tales –  “A glittering Guide to Surviving with Sparkle,” is full of advice for dealing with heart ache, low self esteem, loving your body and making healthy choices, encouraging you to live your life to the full. It’s available on her website, and also in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy.

Enchant

In 2016, Joanne launched her very own brand, Enchant, and her first product was a set of make up brushes, called Fair Wands. They were like gold dust and sold out in minutes. Pretty sure she broke the internet the night they went on sale. I was very lucky to get my hands on one of the first batches, thanks to my boyfriend, who has the patience of a saint.

They match my beauty room in work perfectly. Joanne always wanted to bring out her own set of brushes and given all the experience she has with make up, I couldn’t think of a better person to design a set

The brushes are beautifully made and the quality is second to none. Joanne shared with us the difficulties she faced when starting a brand, because she had to change from a sole trader to a PLC, which is a lot more complicated. She had to start paying herself a wage and could no longer dip into her profits any time she liked. She wanted to create the brushes down to the very last fiber and did not want go down the route of private labeling, which is basically picking out brushes from a brochure and sticking your name on them.

Joanne’s attention to detail is incredible, even dipping the tips of all the brushes in a faint blush colour, so they never look dirty

Joanne’s favourite colour is Tiffany blue and from the very beginning it has been a reoccurring colour on her blog. But the colour itself is actually trademarked so they had to go down a couple of tones, so as not to infringe on the copy right. Any time any of the brushes weren’t spot on they dropped down the production line. As she explained the process and everything that went into it, I couldn’t believe how painstakingly hard it all was but seeing and using the end result it’s evident Joanne poured her absolute heart and soul in to them. They cost €90, which is incredible value, working out at €7.50 per brush AND you get a rose gold case to carry them around in, perfect for free lance make up artists or for travelling.

Joanne’s Buffing Foundation Brush ALWAYS has my foundation looking flawless

Joanne now has a following of 300,000 people across all her social media accounts. I think part of the reason her blog is so successful is because it’s multifaceted, it’s not just about one topic. It is more like a guide to life, covering a range of topics from beauty, fashion and fitness to health, anxiety and motivation. She is always promoting body confidence as well as the importance of empowering other women.

L-R – Myself, Lisa from Cuddles and Contouring, Joanne, Arlan(youngest fairy follower on the day), Blathnaid from Wildflower Diaries, Aoife from Fairly Fabulous, and Rachael from RachsBeautique

 When she’s not managing her online accounts she’s holding make up masterclasses,  running her company, modelling and or training.She has entered herself into a bikini competition and I have no doubt she is going to do unreal!!! I wouldn’t be surprised if she comes first place! Her trainer??? Her boyfriend!!! Paul Standell, an online coach, qualified personal trainer and natural physique specialist at BodybyContol on Instagram. They are made for each other and it’s so nice to see Joanne content and happy. He reminds me of Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys, I wonder does he get that a lot?! They are holding a Fairy Fit Workshop on May 21st 12-4 in Clontarf Castle, covering everything from motivation, fitness, macros, calorie intake, body confidence and exercises. Super talented make up artist, Danielle Mahon will be there on the day doing a make up demo and covering all things beauty. Sounds like such an amazing event. You can purchase the tickets here => https://www.joannelarby.com/product/fairy-fit-workshop/

Make Up Demo

For Joanne’s make up demo, the two main brand she used were Cailyn and The Balm, two brands she loves and enjoys working with.

Main products used are all available in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy –

• Cailyn HD Foundation
• The Balm Highlight and Contour Palette
• The Balm Eat Your Heart Out Eyeshadow Palette
• Cailyn Blush in Cinnamon
• The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer
• The Balm Meet Matte Hughes Liquid Lipstick in “Romantic”

Joanne explains the importance of a transition shade and how its the transition shade you use to blend out all the other shades on the eyes

Joanne explains how you apply bronzer in the shape of a three; forehead, temples, under cheekbones, jawline. She explains how with contour you’re creating shadows and with highlight you’re attracting light to push your features more forward and give you a more structured look

Joanne explained how the best way to apply blusher is to smile and apply a light sweeping of the blush to just the apples of the cheeks. Better to start lightly and then build up the colour if you wish

Waterford Health Park is such a stunning venue

The lovely Louise from Tomitago was at the event and spoke about her skincare line. Tomitago is a brand I fell in love with last year. It’s 100% IRISH, 100% CHEMICAL FREE, and all the products smell like HEAVEN. I have a full review on the whole range here => Brand Focus: Tomitago Cosmetics – Home of the 5-in-1 Miracle Elixir

This is Tomitago’s C1, a very clever product because it’s an exfoliator and mask in one, eliminating the need to buy 2 separate products. Tomitago is most well known for their 5-in-1 Miracle Elixir and it is honestly one of the most beautiful products that has ever touched my face. It’s a primer, face serum, day cream, night cream, eye cream!!!! You can purchase Tomitago here => www.tomitago.com  and in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

Dare to Dream Lashes also had a stand on the day and they demonstrated how to do the perfect lash application. All their lashes are handcrafted, ethically sourced and cruelty free. They are lightweight and comfortable on the eye, making them perfect for anyone who has sensitive eyes. They are reusable up to 25 times, sometimes more, once you take care of them. Another Irish company too, I love to support small Irish businesses. You can buy them here => www.daretodreamlashes.com and  in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

Their Luxury Collection is made from high quality mink and retails at €26.95

Their Signature Collection is made from the finest silk and retail at €18.95. Style “Unicorn Dreams” look incredible!!!

Joanne has been using Easilock hair extensions for years and she is very loyal to them because they are of the highest quality. She has had many offers from other hair extension companies but has declined every time. I love Joanne’s honesty and the fact that she didn’t sell out and just change her hair extensions for money.

Easilocks demonstrated just how easy it is to add in their clip ins. The “Super Star” Hair Piece is one of the most popular pieces. It’s heat resistant and and contains non human hair. Easilocks non human hair range looks and performs just like the human hair range but at a fraction of the price. The hair pieces can be shampooed, blow dried, straightened, and curled up to 200′ Celsius. To find an Easilocks Salon near you check their website => www.easilocks.com

I loved the pink and blue colour theme throughout the event, Joanne’s favourite colours.

BPerfect Cosmetics 10 Second Tan…how could you not try this?! Available in Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

Up close with some of BH Cosmetics Eye and Lip Palettes

Joanne pictured with Sandra, who runs Waterford Health Park Pharmacy

After the event you could go up and have the chat with Joanne, ask her any questions and get in a photo.

My favourite shot of the whole event!

I thoroughly enjoyed this event, Joanne is hilarious so we had lots of laughs and I was delighted I got the chance to meet her again before she moved across the water. The question I asked Joanne, when I went up to her, was what foundation she would recommend that would suit dry/dehydrated skin but with full coverage like Estee lauder DoubleWear but without the drying effects. She recommended Make Up Forever HD Foundation, it’s pricey but it’s definitely after been added on to my “Need List”!

Thanks Joanne for a brilliant day and thanks Sandra for inviting me in. Make sure you’re following Waterford Health Park Pharmacy online, they always have the best make up artists at their events and always do great goody bags. Find them on Facebook here => Waterford Health Park Pharmacy Instagram here => WaterfordHealthParkPharmacy  Snapchat here => whppslievekeale

Hope you enjoyed tonight’s post.

Sarah

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