Latest news with #BowieAesthetics'
Sunday World
06-05-2025
- Health
- Sunday World
Influencer who says she had botched bum lift at Bowie Aesthetics ‘sick and tired' of discussing it
'If I have to say one more time, what happened from start to finish, I think I'll lose my marbles.' An influencer who claims she had a botched bum lift at Bowie Aesthetics has said she is 'sick and tired' of discussing the incident. Niamh O'Connor spent weeks in hospital after she contracted a serious case of cellulitis following bum filler injections at the beauty clinic, which has sparked speculation that this was the real reason for owner Stephanie Simons shutting down one of her two Dublin branches. In the past, Niamh posted numerous videos to social media outlining her claim. Last week, Simons said she was forced to close her Dorset Street clinic due to 'increasing violence' on the street outside her premises, and in interview with Sunday World, she denied that the real reason she had to close her clinic was because of the alleged botched bum lift. Statement by Stephanie Simons on Bowie Aesthetics' social media accounts Taking to Instagram, social media star Niamh O'Connor said she is burned out from retelling the story. 'I just felt really burned out from the whole thing, honestly, and I really hope now that she just leaves me alone. 'Like, just leave me alone. Stop talking about me, stop mentioning me, stop everything… because I'm sick and tired of going over it. 'If I have to say one more f*cking time, what happened from start to finish, I think I'll actually just lose my marbles like I really f*cking do.' Niamh thanked her followers for their support and said she hopes her story will make people rethink their decision to get cosmetic injections. 'I really do hope that there is people that have watched the videos and maybe rethought their decision, whether that be to get bum filler or whatever.' Niamh O'Connor. Photo: Instagram She also slammed Simon, alleging she has no regard for her health after being trusted with it. 'I know a lot of you guys are messaging me with the story that she put put up this morning of a bridge saying 'get over it' or, I don't know what she was saying 'get over it' or 'build a bridge and get over it', something like that. "She can post whatever she wants but I think that really shows the disregard that she has for, at the end of the day, no matter what happened with me, I'm a past client who was hurt in her… I don't know what you call it… we'll call it a building,' she continued. "And she should never have that level of disregard for anybody's health… especially not when youre trusted with it.' Niamh O'Connor in hospital. Photo: Instagram Bowie Aesthetics owner Stephanie told the Sunday World she is aware of Niamh's video and complaint adding that it is 'actually as a result of a procedure in our Pearse Street branch, not our Dorset Street one,' When asked about what happened to Niamh, Stephanie said: 'Unfortunately things like that, they happen all the time. It's like getting your ears pierced, you can get it infected. It's just one of those things.' Beauty boss Stephanie said that Niamh 'got dermafiller injections into her bum'. 'Unfortunately that girl has multiple cosmetic procedures before, she had surgeries, and it's just a complication. It got infected in the days that followed, unfortunately. 'That's a risk any time you puncture the skin with a needle and the skin is open. Bacteria can then get in and cause infection, and that's what happened – she had to get antibiotics.' Stephanie Simons at her Bowie Aesthetics clinic The News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, 6th of May However, Niamh, who has a huge following on social media, told Sunday World that she spent weeks in hospital with a 'life-threatening' infection. 'The only comment I have is that people should be very careful who they go to for aesthetic procedures,' she added. 'There is little or no regulation in Ireland, which means that people who are not medically trained are allowed to inject you and then when something goes wrong they are no equipped to deal with the aftermath. 'I was told the warning signs of sepsis were normal and expected after having filler, which delayed me seeking medical advice and could have ended in tragedy.' Stephanie Simons, owner of Bowie Aesthetics Niamh said that more regulation is needed in relation to aesthetics in Ireland. 'These things do not just happen, cellulitis to the degree I had it is extremely dangerous and life-threatening. 'I spent weeks in hospital and then when I was discharged, weeks on antibiotics, having to go back for check-ups. I'm permanently scarred, and I think the clinic belittling it to 'these things happen' speaks volumes on the level of disregard they have.' Stephanie denied that she was not qualified to carry out such a procedure in her clinic. 'I'm fully qualified, I'm fully insured. Like I didn't break the law at all. I have all the right qualifications to carry out that treatment,' she said. 'If anything, when she [Niamh] posted that it actually got a lot busier. Beforehand they knew about Bowie Aesthetics, but the name became a lot more popular and we actually gained a lot more business from the name being circulated, so that's untrue.' The mother-of-two recently posed with MMA fighter Conor McGregor at his gastro pub in Crumlin. Simons said he invited her for dinner and shared his support following her social media video announcing the closure of her Dorset St. clinic. 'He was the only person that reached out and said 'I'm supporting you, if you need anything, let me know if I can help you with anything' and he invited me to the Black Forge for dinner, and I went. I brought a friend and we had dinner. 'It was just really nice that somebody was acknowledging it, because nobody has been,' she said. Stephanie Simons with McGregor at the Black Forge Inn Simons added that she had no problem taking up McGregor's invitation, despite the fact he was found civilly liable for the rape of Nikita Hand at the Beacon hotel in Dublin in 2018. 'Not at all. I don't know much about the situation or anything like that. I don't want to really comment on it I was just glad that somebody with a voice was acknowledging the situation. 'He was very nice to me, and the food was lovely, I have to say. It was Michelin-star style. He was just with his own friends. He came over and had a chat and a picture.'
Sunday World
04-05-2025
- Sunday World
Botox boss forced to close down Dublin beauty clinic due to increasing violence on street
SHUTDOWN | Well-known beauty clinic forced to shut as owner is treated by Conor McGregor Stephanie Simons (31) is critical of local politicians and women's groups for not reaching out to her after her online announcement about the closure and the reason behind it went viral, with her singling out disgraced MMA fighter Conor McGregor as the only public figure who contacted her. Taking to Instagram earlier this week, Stephanie shared a video in which she announced the closure of one of her two inner-city Dublin clinics due to 'escalating violence' on Dorset Street, in which she showed CCTV footage of being menaced by a man at her doorway as he tried to gain entry. However, it has since emerged that a well-known influencer posted a video on social media accusing Stephanie's 'Bowie Aesthetics' of carrying out a botched bum lift on her, with online speculation that was the reason for the closure of the branch. Social media star Niamh O'Connor has previously spoken out about the dangers of unregulated cosmetic procedures and when we contacted her this week, Niamh described how she spent weeks in hospital after she contracted a serious case of cellulitis following the treatment. 'I'm aware of that video and the complaint is actually as a result of a procedure in our Pearse Street branch, not our Dorset Street one,' Bowie Aesthetics owner Stephanie told the Sunday World this week. When asked about what happened to Niamh, Stephanie said: 'Unfortunately things like that, they happen all the time. It's like getting your ears pierced, you can get it infected. It's just one of those things.' However, Niamh told us that these things 'don't just happen' and told how she had been left 'permanently scarred' following the procedure. In the interview with the Sunday World , beauty boss Stephanie said that Niamh 'got dermafiller injections into her bum'. 'Unfortunately that girl has multiple cosmetic procedures before, she had surgeries, and it's just a complication. It got infected in the days that followed, unfortunately. 'That's a risk any time you puncture the skin with a needle and the skin is open. Bacteria can then get in and cause infection, and that's what happened – she had to get antibiotics.' However, Niamh, who has a huge following on social media, told us that she spent weeks in hospital with a 'life threatening' infection. 'The only comment I have is that people should be very careful who they go to for aesthetic procedures. 'There is little or no regulation in Ireland, which means that people who are not medically trained are allowed to inject you and then when something goes wrong they are no equipped to deal with the aftermath,' Niamh said. 'I was told the warning signs of sepsis were normal and expected after having filler, which delayed me seeking medical advice and could have ended in tragedy.' Niamh said that more regulation is need in relation to aesthetics in Ireland. 'These things do not just happen, cellulitis to the degree I had it is extremely dangerous and life threatening. 'I spent weeks in hospital and then when I was discharged, weeks on antibiotics having to go back for check ups. I'm permanently scarred and I think the clinic belittling it to 'these things happen' speaks volumes on the level of disregard they have.' Stephanie denied that she was not qualified to carry out such a procedure in her clinic. In the interview with the Sunday World , Stephanie said: 'I'm fully qualified, I'm fully insured. Like I didn't break the law at all. I have all the right qualifications to carry out that treatment.' 'If anything, when she [Niamh] posted that it actually got a lot busier. Beforehand they knew about Bowie Aesthetics, but the name became a lot more popular and we actually gained a lot more business from the name being circulated, so that's untrue.' Stephanie, who grew up in Ballybough flats in the north inner city and is a single mum of two sons, Benjamin (7) and Elijah (4), reveals the name of her clinic has nothing to do with David Bowie or the knife of the same name, but is instead local slang. 'It was actually a friend, who came up with it,' she said. 'A lot of the girls from town, they'd say when they're going to get their Botox done, they say 'I'm going to get my bowie', so I wanted to keep a little bit of the inner city with the name, that's how I picked the name Bowie.' She says she worked hard to start up her business. 'Years and years ago I did PLC college after school and then I started doing nixers and kind of building up clientele for years, I've been doing this since I'm a kid, and I just gained customers from then,' she notes. 'It grew and grew, and grew into something amazing, a really full, busy, functioning business and I'm very proud of that.' In recent months she insists there have been numerous violent incidents on Dorset street, including one altercation which went viral and showed a group of foreign men attacking others on the street with cricket bats and other weapons. 'It has got increasingly bad,' she complains. 'That was just one incident that we got a recording of [the man trying to break through her door]. There was always stuff going on the street, it's ongoing. 'The girls [her employees] were feeling it. They didn't want to work up there. I'm from the area, I said 'I'll be fine working up there'. 'Then it just got to the point where I didn't even feel safe anymore. My clients as well, I couldn't do it anymore. There were women coming in in their 50s, and they were terrified.' She then made the devastating decision to close her Dorset Street branch, located near the Garden of Remembrance. 'It was heartbreaking to close it because it was my first clinic, and I put a lot into it, I put my heart and soul into it and it's just after being destroyed,' she sighs. Despite the publicity, she had no political or local representative contact her. 'I haven't heard from anybody. I haven't heard from one politician, no TD, no women's council, no feminists, nobody. I'm just a girl from the flats, like who's going to care about me?,' she complains. But she reveals Conor McGregor messaged her out of the blue on Instagram. 'He was the only person that reached out and said 'I'm supporting you, if you need anything, let me know if I can help you with anything' and he invited me to the Black Forge for dinner, and I went. I brought a friend and we had dinner. It was just really nice that somebody was acknowledging it, because nobody has been,' she points out. 'Not that I want anything, I don't ask for anything from anybody, but it's just nice that somebody with a voice has actually acknowledged what's going on, because nobody has. 'He (McGregor) just said 'fair play Stephanie, I'd like to invite you for dinner, I'll pay for it, if you like to come up and bring a friend'.' She adds she had no problem taking up McGregor's invitation, despite his being found liable in a civil court for assaulting Nikita Hand who said she was raped by McGregor in the Beacon Hotel in 2018. 'Not at all. I don't know much about the situation (the Nikita Hand case) or anything like that. I don't want to really comment on it I was just glad that somebody with a voice was acknowledging the situation,' she stresses. 'He was very nice to me, and the food was lovely, I have to say. It was Michelin-star style. He was just with his own friends.' He came over and had a chat and a picture.' She promises to carry on her business despite her recent setback. 'I'm just feeling gutted. I suppose it won't really hit me for a few months down the line when I actually realise what's after happening,' she said. 'I'm just in the process of getting organised to get all my things, my stuff moved and that's where I'm at. I'm busy with all that 'I'm just trying to make a good life for myself and my kids, and set a good example.'
Sunday World
29-04-2025
- Sunday World
Beauty clinic owner shutting Dublin store due to ‘escalating street violence'
'I'm from the area and I don't even feel safe going to work anymore. It's no secret that the street has become more dangerous' The owner of well-known beauty clinic Bowie Aesthetics has said she is closing down one of her stores in Dublin's north-inner city due to 'street violence'. Taking to Instagram, Stephanie Simons shared a video in which she announced the closure of their Dorset Street clinic, adding that their other premises on Pearse Street will now operate as the business's sole location. 'I have decided to close our Dorset Street Clinic. Reason being, it's just not safe anymore. It's not safe for my workers. It's not safe for my customers,' she said. 'I'm from the area and I don't even feel safe going to work anymore. It's no secret that the street has become more dangerous in the past, I'd say since I'm there four years, it wasn't that bad, but it's like the problem has escalated.' Statement by Stephanie Simons on Bowie Aesthetics' social media accounts Simons included a video that showed a man standing outside the clinic door and looking in the window. In the video, a voice can be heard telling the man to go away. 'When there was like men coming up to the doors of the shops and then my staff had to get like their partners, their boyfriends to come and pick them from work 'cause they were scared. 'So there was that going on,' she explained. She alleged that there was another incident on last week where there were 'machetes and men fighting', adding, 'there was blood everywhere.' Further footage, which was shared widely on social media earlier this month, was included and appeared to show a group of men running down Dorset Street wielding pipes and cricket bats. One man can be seen carrying a sweeping brush. 'That just got me thinking, I was like, 'right, what's next?' What is the next escalation from this? Like what's going to happen next?' Because if this is how bad it is now, what's it going to be like next year or in a few months?' Simons expressed concern for her clientele and their children, adding that she feared them witnessing or getting caught up in potential violence. 'That really kind of made me stop and think that this is not something I want my company to be involved in anymore, to be around,' she continued. 'I feel for me, it's the best decision for Bowie. 'As a business owner, it's not easy to walk away from my premises. I'm losing out on so much money that I've put into doing up the place. Stephanie Simons The businesswoman said that the clinic on Dorset Street was the brand's first. 'It was my first baby in business, it's just a very sad thing to have to walk away because of something beyond your control.' She said the clinic will operate from Pearse Street only, and added: 'I'm praying and hoping that Pearse Street doesn't start to turn into the same situation that we have in Dorset Street.' In the video's caption, Stephanie added further detail: 'For over a year, I have fought hard to keep this location alive — dragging it along through increasingly difficult circumstances… I really did try my best to make it work as the street kept getting worse the but the most recent violent attack was just the straw that broke the camels back.' 'I can no longer justify putting my team or our clients at risk, particularly when safety, especially for women, can no longer be assured. 'Walking away from Dorset Street comes at a significant financial loss, but no amount of money is worth more than the well-being of the people who trust us and work with us.' Simons ended the post by thanking her clients and staff, adding: I am heartbroken it has come to this, but safety must come first.
