ABOUT FACE:Back to school beauty tips and a reading list to make you top of the class, writes Phil Clarke
THAT BANANA SANDWICH from last June prompted an investigation worthy of the X-Filesforensic team. Who'd have thought the lunch bag languishing at the back of the broom cupboard was where the smell was coming from all summer? The battery on the mobile phone was flat, so there was no way of knowing that it was safe in the schoolbag. Keeping it company were the house keys. Now that could have saved a few bob as the locks were changed because we thought they were in the public domain.
Ah yes, the week before school begins often throws up some answers to some sticky questions, but it's September, and like New Year's resolutions, we try to begin anew, with the best of intentions.
We won't get very far in the new term without a few books, and for students of beauty, Josephine Fairley and Sarah Stacey cover the curriculum thoroughly with their terrific books The Beauty Bible and Feel Fab Forever(Kyle Cathie, £15.99). Theirs is a no-nonsense approach, revealing which products really cut the mustard, and packed with insider advice from beauty and hair experts.
Also worth adding to your booklist is 1001 Little Beauty Miracles, by Esme Floyd (Carlton Books, £7.99), which is packed with top-to-toe tips, beauty secrets and remedies. The suggestions are short and simple and the book doesn't flinch from unmentionables such as dealing with facial hair, disguising birthmarks, or tweezing beautifully arched brows.
Pens are important at beauty school, and this year there are some truly magic ones. The Eye Pen from Crystal Clear is battery operated, and pulsates around the eye area, massaging the muscles with a pleasant sensation. The resulting lifted and wide-eyed effect has punters happily shelling out a gasp-inducing €210, which does include a refill. If you're in the Dublin area, you can try it for yourself at Brown Thomas.
Touch Éclat is YSL's most famous pen, but in the advanced class at YSL we have Lisse Expert Advanced (€49), a double-ended pen which targets wrinkles at one end, and fills-in on the other. It is designed to be used on the eye and lip contours, to give a smooth and relaxed appearance. Benefit's Eye Bright is a pencil which brightens tired eyes for that young, wide-awake look. It has a smooth, creamy texture and its perfect shade of brightening pink helps conceal and brighten. Apply it after make up for a perked- up finish.
You can even improve yourself while you sleep. Frownies have been around for more than 100 years and are known as "the Hollywood Beauty Secret". They are facial pads, made from skin-friendly materials, which are applied to forehead, eye and mouth corners to re-educate muscles and heal deep expression lines while you sleep. A natural alternative to Botox. They cost €29, from Harvey Nichols, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
If you're a serious student, why not take yourself off to a beauty school? Make-up courses can be a good investment as you will save money by not buying the wrong products, and learn how to get the most out of the ones you have. Ken Boylan appears on the RTÉ TV programme, Off The Rails, transforming the faces of the public. He is also one half of the Boyan and Balfe team, along with Ellie Balfe, and they run one of Ireland's most comprehensive make-up schools. Their philosophy is to de-mystify make-up by training women to achieve the best looks for themselves in the fewest steps with the easiest technique. See www.boylanandblafe.com. If you would prefer a one-to-one lesson, Zoe Clark has years of experience as a professional make-up artist and now runs lessons for all levels, tel: 087-2649480.