Beauty fix: I want to bring my full skincare routine with me on holidays — can I just decant everything into little bottles?
Surprisingly, the answer to that is no, says Jennifer Rock, The Skin Nerd and founder of Skingredients.
'In principle,' she says, 'decanting your products is beyond genius, but in practice, it's just not a safe way to work with skincare, particularly for anything active. It compromises stability, potency and efficacy of the product.
'You're exposing ingredients to air and oxygen and also, when these products are formulated, they are checked and tested over and over in exactly the packaging it arrives in. We don't know how it will react with your little bottles, so with your actives in particular, like vitamin C, retinol, even your moisturiser, no.'
You can decant away with your less ingredient-led stuff, such as shampoo, body wash, 'maybe your cleanser', Rock says.
I'm going carry-on luggage and can't bring the bathroom cabinet, what are the must-haves?
Carry-on luggage rules, when it comes to toiletries, skincare and make-up, mean that we can bring a single (approximately 20 x 20cm) plastic bag of liquids, gels and pastes into the cabin of the plane. As we all know, this little bag fills up fast, but it's worth noting that liquid, gel or paste medications can go into a separate bag with a prescription or doctor's letter. Also, these are the rules laid out by Dublin Airport and may differ in other countries and airports.
Rock says she is the opposite of whittled-down when it comes to travelling with her toiletries, but her top advice is to prioritise your active skincare products – acids, serums, antioxidants, retinol – and, if you're going somewhere sunny, keep sun protection as your core concern.
Does vitamin C really help with sun protection?
'Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and a natural photo [light] protector,' says Rock. 'So putting it on in the morning under your SPF helps to boost the resilience of your skin against excessive light.
'Antioxidants are crucial,' she says. 'The sun is beautiful and I'm not anti it, but it's the most oxidising piece we are exposed to, particularly on holiday.'
Sun exposure causes oxidative stress, which damages skin cells and drives ageing and sometimes disease of those cells. Antioxidants create a protective barrier to stressors like UV rays before they can cause damage. Vitamin C is the antioxidant we hear about most and it's a key bit of your sun-holiday kit.
Look for a 10-20pc level of vitamin C in your serum, she says, for good effectiveness. Some other antioxidants to look out for are vitamin E, niacinamide or ferulic acid.
If retinol makes skin sensitive to sun, should I leave mine at home?
Retinol is brilliant for diminishing the signs of sun damage, but because it promotes cell turnover, the new skin cells can be more sun sensitive. However, this does not mean you can't use your retinol on a sun holiday. It just means you have to be extra careful with sun protection.
She advises against bringing too many acids on holiday, because they can be irritating in heat and sun, but Rock says she uses both vitamin C and retinol at night on holiday. This is harmless because she trusts herself to use her SPF and use it properly.
So sun protection is the must-pack?
'SPF is the non-negotiable for the skin cancer stats, and also from the point of view of accelerating lines, wrinkles, redness and pigmentation,' Rock says, 'and the key thing to emphasise is the importance of reapplication and that's how much and how often.
'The average adult-size body needs 33ml of SPF for proper coverage and that's reapplied at most every two hours, or more often if you're swimming or sweating a lot. So if you think about 33ml each time, you're going to use more than one 100ml bottle on a week's holiday.'
Remember, you can always buy big bottles of SPF at your destination, and the same goes for items like cleanser, body wash or deodorant.
Skingredients 15% Vit C, E + Tri-Mushroom Brightening Anti-Ageing Booster 30ml, €45, skingredients.com and pharmacies nationwide
This latest launch from the trailblazing Irish skincare brand contains antioxidant vitamins E and C – with the latter at an impressive concentration – but with the addition of reishi, chaga and cordyceps mushroom extracts. These are also antioxidants, as well as helping to reduce inflammation.
Heliocare 360˚ Pigment Solution Fluid SPF50+ 50ml, €32.24, Boots, selected pharmacies
This is an excellent sun-care brand, with a huge range of products for all ages, skin types and SPF needs. This product offers broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays, but also has antioxidants, including niacinamide, an ingredient that is good for dark spots, with a lightly tinted, non-oily finish.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Gentle PHA Exfoliating Cleanser, RRP€12.99, available nationwide
Layering on the SPF can lead to a slightly congested skin, so a lightly exfoliating cleanser can be a holiday godsend. Some acids are a bit too strong in sun-drenched situations, but PHA (polyhydroxy acid) is gentle but effective in clearing dead skin cells without irritation. This is also a brand you can find easily anywhere in Europe or America.
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Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Beauty fix: I want to bring my full skincare routine with me on holidays — can I just decant everything into little bottles?
Surprisingly, the answer to that is no, says Jennifer Rock, The Skin Nerd and founder of Skingredients. 'In principle,' she says, 'decanting your products is beyond genius, but in practice, it's just not a safe way to work with skincare, particularly for anything active. It compromises stability, potency and efficacy of the product. 'You're exposing ingredients to air and oxygen and also, when these products are formulated, they are checked and tested over and over in exactly the packaging it arrives in. We don't know how it will react with your little bottles, so with your actives in particular, like vitamin C, retinol, even your moisturiser, no.' You can decant away with your less ingredient-led stuff, such as shampoo, body wash, 'maybe your cleanser', Rock says. I'm going carry-on luggage and can't bring the bathroom cabinet, what are the must-haves? Carry-on luggage rules, when it comes to toiletries, skincare and make-up, mean that we can bring a single (approximately 20 x 20cm) plastic bag of liquids, gels and pastes into the cabin of the plane. As we all know, this little bag fills up fast, but it's worth noting that liquid, gel or paste medications can go into a separate bag with a prescription or doctor's letter. Also, these are the rules laid out by Dublin Airport and may differ in other countries and airports. Rock says she is the opposite of whittled-down when it comes to travelling with her toiletries, but her top advice is to prioritise your active skincare products – acids, serums, antioxidants, retinol – and, if you're going somewhere sunny, keep sun protection as your core concern. Does vitamin C really help with sun protection? 'Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and a natural photo [light] protector,' says Rock. 'So putting it on in the morning under your SPF helps to boost the resilience of your skin against excessive light. 'Antioxidants are crucial,' she says. 'The sun is beautiful and I'm not anti it, but it's the most oxidising piece we are exposed to, particularly on holiday.' Sun exposure causes oxidative stress, which damages skin cells and drives ageing and sometimes disease of those cells. Antioxidants create a protective barrier to stressors like UV rays before they can cause damage. Vitamin C is the antioxidant we hear about most and it's a key bit of your sun-holiday kit. Look for a 10-20pc level of vitamin C in your serum, she says, for good effectiveness. Some other antioxidants to look out for are vitamin E, niacinamide or ferulic acid. If retinol makes skin sensitive to sun, should I leave mine at home? Retinol is brilliant for diminishing the signs of sun damage, but because it promotes cell turnover, the new skin cells can be more sun sensitive. However, this does not mean you can't use your retinol on a sun holiday. It just means you have to be extra careful with sun protection. She advises against bringing too many acids on holiday, because they can be irritating in heat and sun, but Rock says she uses both vitamin C and retinol at night on holiday. This is harmless because she trusts herself to use her SPF and use it properly. So sun protection is the must-pack? 'SPF is the non-negotiable for the skin cancer stats, and also from the point of view of accelerating lines, wrinkles, redness and pigmentation,' Rock says, 'and the key thing to emphasise is the importance of reapplication and that's how much and how often. 'The average adult-size body needs 33ml of SPF for proper coverage and that's reapplied at most every two hours, or more often if you're swimming or sweating a lot. So if you think about 33ml each time, you're going to use more than one 100ml bottle on a week's holiday.' Remember, you can always buy big bottles of SPF at your destination, and the same goes for items like cleanser, body wash or deodorant. Skingredients 15% Vit C, E + Tri-Mushroom Brightening Anti-Ageing Booster 30ml, €45, and pharmacies nationwide This latest launch from the trailblazing Irish skincare brand contains antioxidant vitamins E and C – with the latter at an impressive concentration – but with the addition of reishi, chaga and cordyceps mushroom extracts. These are also antioxidants, as well as helping to reduce inflammation. Heliocare 360˚ Pigment Solution Fluid SPF50+ 50ml, €32.24, Boots, selected pharmacies This is an excellent sun-care brand, with a huge range of products for all ages, skin types and SPF needs. This product offers broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays, but also has antioxidants, including niacinamide, an ingredient that is good for dark spots, with a lightly tinted, non-oily finish. Aveeno Calm + Restore Gentle PHA Exfoliating Cleanser, RRP€12.99, available nationwide Layering on the SPF can lead to a slightly congested skin, so a lightly exfoliating cleanser can be a holiday godsend. Some acids are a bit too strong in sun-drenched situations, but PHA (polyhydroxy acid) is gentle but effective in clearing dead skin cells without irritation. This is also a brand you can find easily anywhere in Europe or America.
Irish Examiner
8 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
My and my leg: Paralympian Tiarnán O'Donnell on the physical, emotional and financial toll of pain and prosthetics
RETURNING home from the Paris Paralympics, Tiarnán O'Donnell couldn't even carry his own bag through the airport. He was a walking hazard. He was once again disabled and dependent. It had been six years since that combination had last dictated to him. Having just competed at the pinnacle of his sport, the contrast could not have been greater. And the contrast was only beginning. Leaving Dublin Airport in the background, Tiarnán was ferried to the family home in Boher, a quick spin outside Limerick City. From participation at the largest-ever gathering of para athletes to finding himself stuck in his childhood bedroom. He could no longer walk freely and unaided as he had done for the previous six years. He couldn't even carry a drink, never mind cook for himself. Back leaning on others. Back leaning on crutches. The wheelchair was also taken out of storage. Neither had been called upon in over half a decade. The simple act of going out to meet friends became a hassle. After two years of putting life on hold to get himself into the PR2 mixed double sculls boat in Paris, the plan was to spend a couple of months exploring Asia and behaving as regular 26-year-olds do. That plan, along with every other post-Games plan, had to be pulled. His independence had been stripped. The cost of reclaiming his independence and once lived reality came with a €67,000 price tag. *** 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, Paris, France 30/8/2024 Ireland's Katie O'Brien and Tiarnan O'Donnell on their way to finishing fourth Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Maren Derlien Tiarnán O'Donnell strolls into Ballincollig's Talbot Hotel on Monday lunchtime wearing black shorts. He's a shorts-in-all-seasons operator. And so on this day, as like most others, his prosthetic right leg is in full view. Sat on a couch in the hotel lobby, he straightens out his microprocessor prosthetic leg and goes through its various components. Inside is a computer, sensors, and a gyro to help him balance and ensure the leg knows where the leg is at all times. Basically, a bionic leg, he says by way of explanation, simplification, and abbreviation. The model he wears allows him to live an able-bodied life. The model he wears carries a shelf life of up to nine years, depending on how active the user is. O'Donnell was fitted for his first microprocessor prosthetic leg - an older version of his present attachment - following amputation in August 2018. That leg began to break down and reach its expiry date on the run into the Paris Games. The timing couldn't have been worse. Having had the amputation in London, the relevant EU agreement for receiving treatment abroad meant his parents didn't have to fork out for his first prosthetic. The Irish system is not as generous. Instead of exclusive focus on the final leg of his Paris representations, he was now burdened with having to find €67,000 down the back of the sofa to cover a new prosthetic leg. The burden was so pronounced that he buried the issue until after the Paralympics. Not before, mind, it had left a mark both physically and mentally. 'In my seven years as an amputee, this was the first time I had to think about getting a prosthetic. I went for a meeting with my prosthetic team and they told me you have to figure out how you're going to come up with the €60-70,000. I remember somebody in the health system saying I was lucky I'm only missing one leg as it would be twice the cost if you were missing both. I found that mindset absolutely nuts,' says Tiarnán. 'My leg was broken pre-Paris, but I managed to get through Paris with it. Pre-Paris, it was causing me injuries. I was getting injuries in the boat because of how poorly I was walking because my prosthetic wasn't. 'But I didn't have €67,000 to spend pre-Paris to replace it. And I couldn't go with a less functional prosthetic because I would have to completely relearn how to walk. I had all of that stress going into Paris. 'And then I got home from Paris, on a high at being a part of the Paralympic movement and realising a peak moment in my life which was to represent Ireland on the biggest stage, to one week post-Games not being able to leave my house because my prosthetic wouldn't work. 'Coming back from the airport, I couldn't even carry my own bags. It was that bad. My knee would either buckle from underneath me or lock up and I'd trip. I was a walking hazard.' His parents, Paddy and Neasa, told their son they'd take out a loan to fund the new prosthetic. Tiarnán, though, was determined not to be a financial drain on his family. Not at 26. Before and after he and mixed double sculls partner Katie O'Brien rowed down the Vaires-sur-Marne to an eighth-place finish, Tiarnán shook a lot of important hands. A lot of Government Ministers told him they couldn't wait to provide support all the way through to LA 2028. But in the weeks after Paris and with no more photo opportunities, Tiarnán didn't feel at all supported. And so on October 8, he posted an Instagram story calling out the political class. His message to them didn't hesitate in getting to the point. 'I basically said, I'm home from Paris, stuck in my bedroom and can't do anything. I want to start my journey to LA and I want to live a normal life, so something has got to change.' His Instagram inbox immediately blew up. Sport Ireland weren't far behind in stepping in to cover the cost of the new prosthetic. 'I was in almost disbelief that somebody had decided they're going to take this weight off my shoulders. But five minutes later, I was infuriated because this is what amputees have been experiencing their whole lives, whereas this was my first time experiencing that dread and hopelessness of sitting in my bedroom not able to walk, and only because of who I am I got looked after. Elation to anger.' The HSE provides prosthetics free of charge to eligible amputees such as medical card holders and people on the long-term illness scheme. Those that don't must find and hand over €15,000 for the most basic-standard mechanical limb. 16 November 2024; Sean Codd from Glasnevin, Dublin, right, meets Paralympian Tiarnán O'Donnell during the PTSB NextGen Community Series at the National Indoor Arena on the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Pic Seb Daly/Sportsfile O'Donnell has heard of amputees not taking work promotions because the increased wage would disqualify them from medical card eligibility and, consequently, prosthetic cover. Accessibility is one half of the problem. The quality of prosthetics available in this country he describes as 'pre-historic'. 'The prosthetics available in Ireland are just metal joints. People manage with them, but they have no real functionality. They're almost like, and there is no polite way of saying this, a peg leg, a fixed leg. 'They can walk up the stairs, but it is a case of leading with your good foot and then dragging your bad foot up. If someone with a prosthetic is walking down a hill that isn't a microprocessor knee, they essentially fall down that hill, whereas when I put weight through the heel of my prosthetic, it adds resistance to naturally allow me walk step over step. 'There is no denying €67,000 is expensive, but because of this prosthetic, I'm not a burden to the health system, I am contributing to society and living a normal life. That is all people want to do. And if you give them this prosthetic, they're not on disability benefit, they're out in the workforce paying taxes, and on top of that they lead a normal social life so they're not slipping into issues with their mental health. 'My position in sport has given me the opportunity to access prosthetics that aren't available for other young people in Ireland. I visit schools with disabled kids, and I tell them, they can be just like me, they can do what I do. But I feel it is a white lie. It's like, you could, but only if you get the opportunities I get. That scares me. 'I don't need to worry about this issue if I'm being selfish. But nothing is going to change if I don't make some change.' Tiarnán did not require the platform afforded to him by dint of Paralympic involvement to seek change. His advocacy began many years before he ever pulled a green oar or captained the Irish U23 wheelchair basketball team to third-tier European bronze. During his first week at University of Limerick, he and a wheelchair-using friend were going to a lecture when his friend informed him he couldn't go this route as there were stairs further down the path. His friend told him he had to go a more circuitous route and would meet him at the front of the building. The inconvenience and unfairness prompted Tiarnán to contact college authorities and volunteer himself as the student disability representative. During his third-year work placement at the Galway base of Boston Scientific, it dawned on him that the route he and his colleagues took every day to get coffee on-site was not doable for a wheelchair-employee. The company's sole two disability car park spaces were for guests. Again, he spoke up. Within a week, four wheelchair spaces were created. An elevator was constructed to ensure the stairs en-route to coffee no longer acted as a roadblock. 'They were like, 'we'll sort that, no problem, we just didn't realise this was an issue'. That lift will ensure other people with a disability don't have a different experience to me. Everywhere I go, I have these goggles on. I'm able to see things others don't. I don't think it is ignorance, it is just not knowing.' *** At the age of five, Tiarnán came in the door limping from a school sports day. Subsequent investigation found a vascular anomaly in his leg. The diagnosis arrived shortly after older brother Ronan had emerged from the woods following a six-year fight of his own. A rare arteriovenous malformation in the brain meant Ronan was 'on death's door until the age of five or six'. Paddy, Neasa, and their four boys returned to hospital for a second saga. Tiarnán's fight would run for 14 years. Repeated operations every nine months to lengthen and straighten his leg. Three weeks post-op and he was again at square one. Twenty-something operations in total. The toll on a child to endure such surgical overload for no progress at all. A mother's intuition. They always know. She requested fresh scans and had them sent across the Atlantic. This boy from Limerick was the 16th person in the world to be diagnosed with fibroadipose vascular anomaly. A month before his Leaving Cert year at Castletroy College, he underwent surgery to remove a large chunk of tumour from his calf. A high-risk surgery. Those cutting into him damaged a nerve and paralysed him from the knee down. 'The leg was paralysed but I was still in the most incredible pain. It felt like I was getting electrocuted in the leg all of the time.' His Leaving Cert diet was not Irish, English, Maths, Engineering. His Leaving Cert diet was ketamine, morphine infusions, tramadol, oxycodone, and amitriptyline. An opioid diet no 18-year-old should have to endure. His six-foot frame disappeared. His weight dropped to 48kg. There's a chocolate granola from Lidl he can no longer go near. Even a whiff makes him queasy. It was his breakfast of choice Leaving Cert year. The cocktail of drugs he was consuming meant it was a breakfast that would come straight back up. 'I was going to school completely doped up just so I could function and sit in class. Even at that, I couldn't concentrate because I was still in so much pain and so out of it from the medication. 'I am a sixth-year student trying to study and be a normal teenager, but even though I knew it wasn't normal, I just got on with it. I actually tried to hide it from my friends. "I remember one day on the way to afterschool study, I had to run to the bathroom. My friend came in with me to see if I was okay and I got sick in front of him. This shame came over me. I was like, 'fuck, now he knows I'm sick because I let the mask slip'. Of course they knew, but it is only now I realise how much I was struggling back then.' A week before his Leaving Cert, he was studying maths equations whilst paralysed from the chest down after receiving an epidural in the latest attempt to suffocate the pain. His points total was skewed by a most trying year. He received his 10th and final choice. A far more important choice was in front of him. 'Pre-Christmas in first year of college, I decided on amputation. Everything I went through forced me to grow up quickly. The amputation came at such an amazing time in my life because for the first time I took control of my disability. I went to my parents and said, 'I can't do this anymore'.' We are chatting the day before he flies out to Lucerne for this weekend's Rowing World Cup. He pulled gold in the most recent World Cup event in Italy. That was as a single. There's no single sculls on the Lucerne menu, or LA menu for that matter. With regular mixed partner Katie O'Brien sidelined, he'll partner West Cork's Sadhbh Ní Laoghaire. We're over an hour in the lobby. The latte is cold, the conversation has moved to tattoos. Hidden under his sleeve is SISU. Grit and determination in the face of adversity. The ink is inspired by his 21-year-old cousin Elliott. Elliott lives with the terminal illness Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 'He has every reason in the world to complain, but doesn't. Even in the depths of my struggling, I was like, if Elliott doesn't complain then who am I to complain.' Back to hospital. The last face he saw before amputation was his mother's. The tears rolled down her cheeks. 'I told her, no, this is a time to smile. I am finally going to have a quality of life. This is the start. Went into it smiling and have been smiling ever since.'
Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Irish Times
Dublin Airport passenger cap causing ‘quite a bit of anger' among US airlines
Ireland's image as a location for investment by international airlines has been 'tarnished' as a result of the battles over the passenger cap at Dublin Airport , according to Willie Walsh , the Irishman who is director general of IATA , the Geneva-based airline representative body. Speaking to Inside Business, a podcast from The Irish Times, Mr Walsh said the cap was 'viewed with ridicule when I talk to some CEOs as to how it can be that Ireland invests in terminal infrastructure, invests in [new] runways, and then has a cap on how many passengers can use the airport. 'In effect, you're looking at a situation where Dublin has lower capacity with two runways than it had with a single runway,' he said. At present, Dublin is subject to a cap limiting the number of passengers at Dublin Airport to 32 million a year. This flows from a planning restriction dating back to 2007. The cap has effectively been paused following various legal challenges and is awaiting a ruling from European courts. READ MORE IATA Director General Willie Walsh on airline profits, air fares and why the Dublin Airport passenger cap makes Ireland a laughing stock Listen | 35:56 This week host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Willie Walsh, the director general of IATA, the Geneva-based representative group for the airline will be known to you as the Irish man who was a high-profile chief executive of both Aer Lingus and British then became head of IAG, which is the parent group to both of those airlines plus some Spanish carriers, including now in charge of IATA, with his contract set to run until hear Willie talk about airline profits and whether air fares are likely to go up or down in the near spoke about aviation's role in reducing harmful carbon emissions and the chances of a climate-friendly biofuel being developed for commercial gives his view on why emerging markets such as India and burgeoning economies in Africa are entitled to grow their airline industries and passenger traffic as they become also expresses his frustrations with the inefficient way air traffic control is managed in Willie explains why, in his view, Ireland has become something of a laughing stock on the international stage over the legal battles being fought around the Dublin Airport passenger cap. In his view, this is hindering growth here and jeopardising foreign direct investment. And the 63-year-old talks about his plans for retirement, which could include Italian wine. Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. DAA expects 36 million passengers to use Dublin Airport this year. Mr Walsh, a former CEO of both Aer Lingus and British Airways, is aware of airlines who had Ireland 'on their agenda in terms of expansion who are now questioning whether they should go forward with that because of these issues'. 'It is having an impact on how people are considering expanding into Ireland. What a lot of airlines want, particularly long haul international airlines, is certainty about being able to have access next year and the year after and the year after. 'What we call grandfather rights with slots that will enable them to publish a schedule that they know will be consistent for years ahead. With the uncertainty around the cap, it's going to be quite damaging when airlines are looking at expanding their long haul networks.' He said the cap had caused 'quite a bit of anger' among US carriers, who view Ireland as an opportunity for expansion. Mr Walsh said using Cork or Shannon airports would not appeal to airlines as an alternative to Dublin. 'Airlines look at the airport they want to serve, they look at the city they want to serve and if Dublin Airport is not available, they're not going to say 'there's this great airport in the west of Ireland called Shannon which is under utilised, plenty of capacity, why don't you fly there'. 'It just won't register on their map. If they were attracted to Shannon ... they would have been there already but that's not the case.'
