Four reasons I’m majorly excited for the IMAGE Beauty Festival

With the first IMAGE Beauty Festival only hours away, Edaein O’ Connell explains why she is looking forward to the beauty extravaganza…

If you work in IMAGE HQ it seems like the wait for the first official Beauty Festival has lasted a lifetime.

From the very first whisperings to the very last briefing, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and mascara. However, we are now only a matter of hours away from the biggest beauty event this island has seen since the Eurovision in 1997.

We’ve got our t-shirts. We’ve got our foundation. And we’ve got our fake tan on to perfection.

Tomorrow, crowds will be descending onto the Point Village for a two-day extravaganza of beauty pampering, masterclasses, complementary treatments and workshops. There are many reasons why we should all be excited about the weekend’s activities, but I have decided to tell you four reasons why I am excited.

1. I can’t do my own hair

Blessed with a mane only a mother could love, my hair has caused me nothing but unnecessary stress over the years. It’s fine, yet there’s a lot of it and it tends to frizz at the slightest hint of precipitation. I’ve had it thinned, snipped, bleached and toned (sometimes all at once) and most recently decided to cut in a post-break-up fringe. If you can imagine the human version of a mushroom, I am most certainly it.

I can’t deal with it. I don’t want it. I can’t style it.

However, as if the fringe fairies answered my prayers, the IMAGE Beauty Festival has an abundance of hair expertise in its armoury. Hair expert and L’Oréal Professional UK editorial ambassador Adam Reed is on hand to divulge the best of hair care secrets, as is renowned hairstylist David Cashman. Not only this, Platinum Hair Extensions will be there to guide you through the world of extensions.

2. I like an unnatural glow

Although my hair doesn’t work for me, my makeup does. I know my way around a foundation and beauty blender and in my prime, I could flick eyeliner like no other. Nowadays, I love a good glow. The kind that looks like you’ve just run the length of the Liffey.

Highlighter to me is like the Gospel to Catholics. It doesn’t matter if it’s liquid or power, brushed or sprayed on, I just want it to be seen from space.

And celebrity makeup artist Patrick Ta is an expert in achieving that look. He is currently in the skies on his way to this emerald isle along with his expertise and Hollywood glam and we are being graced with a masterclass from the man himself. He is going to be showing us how to achieve that flawless red carpet look and (please God) the holy grail of glow.

3. I love a ‘day out’

I am known to love a good ‘day out’. Coming from the sticks of Kerry, the big yearly trip to Dublin pre-motorway was like travelling to Australia. 24 hours of driving and you were still on the road looking out on some fields in County Offaly.

But there was an excitement to the journey and a feeling of adventure, which is why any excuse for a ‘day out’ is good in my books. The IMAGE Beauty Festival is no different. Although I won’t be travelling far, the idea that I’ll have a weekend of fun, gifts, some bubbles and time with the girls is priceless.

4. The gift bag

A ‘day out’ and a gift bag with free stuff worth over €100? Sure, it’s a dream for a person from down the country.

They say we “don’t travel for nothing”, and they’re right.

Join us on May 25 and 26 at Point Square for The IMAGE Beauty Festival, where Patrick Ta will be with us both days. On Sunday, he’ll host his first ever Irish masterclass, showcasing his signature glowy red carpet look perfect for summer. €65 per ticket, which includes general admission to the Beauty Festival. Booking fees apply.