Elaine Maguire O'Connor

1 month ago | fashionispsychology.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor

Named for the actress Jane Birkin, the Hermès Birkin bag was introduced in 1984 and quickly cemented its place as the world’s most coveted handbag. But, with a price point upwards of $10,000 and limited availability, securing one remains out of reach for the majority of consumers. According to a flood of viral videos on TikTok however, you can find an almost identical bag in Walmart – the US discount store – for just $80.

2 months ago | inkedmag.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor

When Machine Gun Kelly debuted his blackout tattoo, the internet was quick to react. Accusations of cultural appropriation and comparisons with blackface sprang up on Instagram comments. Others defended his tattoo as being unconnected to race and, instead, a method of covering up old, unwanted ink without going through the pain of laser removal. MGK wasn’t the first celebrity at the center of an internet storm for his tattoo choice.

Nov 30, 2024 | thejournal.ie | Elaine Maguire O'Connor |Christina Finn |Diarmuid Pepper

ON THE INTERNATIONAL stage, the story of Irish fashion this year has been a successful one. Designer Michael Stewart won the prestigious Louis Vuitton Savoir-Faire Prize for his modern womenswear brand Standing Ground and Jonathan Anderson continued to reign supreme at luxury fashion house Loewe. But for smaller brands, working and operating out of Ireland, success has proven much harder to come by.

Nov 5, 2024 | irishtimes.com | Elaine Maguire O'Connor

There’s a stark disconnect between the beauty industry’s environmental promises and the realities of how it operates. Ninety five per cent of beauty packaging is thrown away, according to a recent report by the British Beauty Council. As a result, approximately 120 billion units of packaging from paper, glass and metals end up in landfill where they emit methane and carbon dioxide, polluting the air and contributing to climate change.

Oct 26, 2024 | thejournal.ie | Elaine Maguire O'Connor

READING THE INGREDIENT list of any beauty product can be a mildly alarming experience. Chemicals like cetrimonium chloride and sodium acrylate are omnipresent yet few of us have any idea what they do or why they’re used in our favourite moisturiser. Coupled with the mounting concern at the impact plastic bottles and containers have on the environment, it’s little surprise that so many are looking for cleaner and more sustainable alternatives.