Soak it all up at the weekend, indulge in a hot bath

TELL us a little bit about yourself?

I grew up in Ireland but moved to Scotland when I finished school where I studied for an MA in history of art and lived in Edinburgh.

Last Summer I came back to the motherland and traded-in city living for the slower-paced life here in beautiful West Cork. I founded Warrior Botanicals in 2016 because I noticed a lack of all-natural personal care products that were being produced in Ireland.

It offers non-toxic cosmetic products that are environmentally and ethically sound such as deodorant creams, powder shampoos and Himalayan salt spray.

I have a studio in Clonakilty where I design, curate and produce everything from scratch in small batches. I’m obsessed with sea-swimming, wild flowers, Maldon salt, dark chocolate, turquoise jewellery, Moroccan textiles, female self-empowerment books, Mysore yoga, the 1970s and everything by Helen Frankenthaler.

You can usually find me at the farmers’ markets, wandering around the country roads with my main squeeze, a little 30 pound husky who has David Bowie eyes or at home on my farmhouse by Red Strand.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

I’m not really a creature of habit and I go through phases of wanting to curl up at home and re-read all of my Joan Didion novels or get dressed up and go out dancing until all hours. Right now, I’m definitely in more of a dancing mood.

Lie ins or up with the lark... which is it for you?

As much as I might tell myself that I like waking up at 6am to sip on warm lemon water and get some meditation in before watching the sunrise, what really makes me happy is to stay in bed drinking coffee and eating sourdough toast over whatever book I’m reading.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

I read somewhere that when you start your own business you forget what weekends even are for the first three years and this has definitely been somewhat true for me this year but I do take a more relaxed approach once Friday rolls around. I think taking time to zone out and not think about work at all is critical to maintaining my sanity so I’ll usually just do smaller bits and pieces at the weekend like writing content for my website or planning creative projects.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

I’m a total country mouse so I love escaping to cities to soak up some of that vibrant energy they give off. I recently got back from a trip to Berlin, which was amazing, but Copenhagen is a fixed favourite for me. It’s the perfect blend of culture and coffee and nature. I would bring my best friend who never tires of trailing around all of the vintage shops with me. I have been collecting India cotton dresses for years and they are impossible to find in Ireland and the UK so the Scandinavian shops are like sartorial candy stores to me.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

This list is literally endless. There are at least three beaches in walking/cycling distance from my house but beyond those there are so many special places to go in West Cork (and many secret ones that I won’t divulge here). If I had to chose a few, I think there’s a special energy at Drombeg Stone Circle and in Glengarriff forest.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

It’s my favourite part of the weekend. A lot of my closest friends live abroad and it can be hard to fit Skype calls into the week but I always make time on a Saturday morning. After that there are walks to be had with my friends here as well as tea to drink and movies to watch and gigs to see, more often than not culminating in some old fashioned gin and tonics and dancing at Connolly’s of Leap.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I try to fit hobbies into my day to day life because weekends can be quite busy and my business also happens to be my biggest hobby at the moment. I might get to squeeze some yoga or a swim in if I’m lucky.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter do you have a signature dish?

I do enjoy entertaining.. Give me a theme and I will run wild with it. I’m really enjoying the Hemsley + Hemsley way of eating at the moment so making everything from scratch, a lot of fermented foods and I try not to eat anything processed.

I like simple dishes so long as the ingredients are organic, fresh and seasonal. Now that spring is here there are so many beautiful wild things just on our doorstep like wild garlic, nettles and gorse. I dabble in foraging for foods but that is definitely something I plan on getting more into this year.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork — where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

In West Cork we are so blessed to have Pilgrims in Rosscarbery. I will never tire of their wild-crafted creations. I like loungy lunches at Hayes in Glandore, Budds in Ballydehob or Glebe Gardens in Baltimore and I usually wait until the weekend to get my coffee-fix at the market but if I happen to be up in the city I go to Gulpd or Filter.

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

Sunday is my night for indulgence. I love hot baths with Epsom salts and essential oils; my favourites at the moment are lavender, rose and eucalyptus. Sometimes I add baking soda as well, which is so good for soaking up toxins.

I like to apply a hair mask, which I make with argan oil, egg white and coconut yogurt and sit in the tub eating chocolate and reading magazines. I live right by the sea so if the weather is nice I try to get down to beach to catch the sunset or watch a movie with my housemates.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

I always go to bed on Sunday night with the best of intentions so on Monday morning my alarm starts ringing at around 7am but I do like to hit my beloved snooze button a hundred times or so before actually getting up to greet the day.

• Warrior Botanicals full range of products are available online at warriorbotanicals.com Or in store at: The Olive Branch, Clonakilty, The Hopsack, Dublin, Organico, Bantry, Ard Bia at Nimmos, Galway and An Tobairin, Bandon.