Emer O'Callaghan: Shop local this Christmas

I’m back in Cork after my fling with Paris. I still love you, Cork, and I am so proud to be from this place.

I declare this love very openly. I am always very proud to do the beauty section for our Holly Bough every Christmas, which is out now. This is a huge Cork tradition for almost 130 years now, bought every year in the O’Callaghan house with the RTÉ Guide for Christmas.

As I always say, we have so much to be proud of here in Cork, from northside to southside and far wider fields - there is no mistaking that it is an exceptional place to live, and it’s us, the people, who make it so great.

It’s down to all of us to push our own economy now and drive Cork on more, and the best time to do it is in the run up to Christmas.

Its the manic season, silly season, I call it, because every year at this time people lose the run of themselves.

As a beautician working with the public for more than 25 years now, I’ve seen it all. They say Christmas is for the children yet I see more adults acting like spoiled children in the run up to it!

The greed, the overspending, the excess, the showing off. I really do think the true meaning of Christmas has been lost in some ways.

All the marketing machines go into overdrive, and social media now has a huge impact on influencing people, particularly when it comes to their beauty and skin buys.

As a businesswoman, I can’t stress enough the importance of shopping local, keeping our local economy going.

I do feel we seriously need to get more proactive on educating people about this. That means using local shops and not going online with international companies.

Every year, billions of euros are sent out of our beautiful country, and this has a huge knock-on effect in many ways to our own economy. Shops close and people lose their jobs.

Every Christmas, I see emotional mothers crying about their children heading back abroad after being home for the festive season, it’s so cruel, all they want is their families home here too.

I see this heartbreak in my own family too, my nieces and nephews are older now and flying the nest and it’s so heartbreaking to see them fly off, so far away from Cork.

Look, they are getting opportunities we didn’t get, they must spread their wings and fly, but it’s tough on families back in Cork.

Emigration isn’t new, we Irish have been departing forever, and my own mum’s two sisters were emigrants to Australia from the northside of Cork back in the 1980s. That was very tough for my Nanna and we all missed them so much. Oz is home for them now, they traded “How ya, girl” for “ G’day mate”.

This need to support our own so the jobs stay here is all the more reason to shop local.

Can I just take this opportunity to point out too, on behalf of all us hard-working beauticians in Cork, how disgusted we were not to get the same Vat cut as the hairdressers due to kick in next year.

They wonder then why so many beauticians and small businesses are gone in Cork.

This week, I want to give you, as a Beauty Doctor and Skin Specialist, my best tips to help you to choose your beauty gifts for everyone this year - and I hope that you shop in Cork or from official Irish websites to get your gifts.

SUPPORT BEAUTICIANS

We, your local beauticians, have amazing Christmas gifts and stock professional grade skincare brands that you cannot buy in shops and department stores.

We have stocking filler gifts, tokens, beauty tools and devices, beauty advent calendars, luxury Christmas candles, and an assortment of gifts for all ages, even the men. So I would suggest you look at what we have in this Christmas, our stuff is unique and a great gift for anyone.

ONLINE BEAUTY

I get new clients all the time, and many complain how far they had to travel because their local beautician closed down.

I hate to state the obvious, but if you want to keep beauty services and a local beautician in your area open, then you need to support them.

I truly believe loyalty is one of the most understated qualities.

It’s important to note that much of the beauty skincare and products available online now have no traceability and are not verified by the brand. Unless it is from the legitimate skincare brand’s own site, do you really know who you are buying from?

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

Every year, I have disappointed clients who tell me how their son or husband landed in Christmas morning with beauty product gifts that she will never use.

What she would have really liked was a hamper of the skincare range she loves and uses, and gets from her beautician at the end of her facial.

Every year, I do a wish list for my clients, I make a note on each of their files of five products I know they would love for Christmas, so when their husbands or family call, I can do a personalised gift basket up for them.

That way you get yourself a very happy wife and a very happy Christmas!

You can watch my beauty video on this on our Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages now.

ASK WHERE SHE GOES

Vouchers are a great gift too, and we all get and give them.

I buy my mum a voucher for her hairdresser she had for 40 years now at Christmas because it’s practical and I know she will use it.

Also, I want to support that hairdresser who minded our mum for so long now, and my mum is loyal, she never moved.

I tell all my clients to tell their families exactly what they want as gifts. Mums can be so selfless, they wouldn’t dream of asking their children for anything, but the family are scratching their heads trying to think of what to buy her, so an open, honest conversation helps everyone.

Or do a bit of Jessica Fletcher detective work and find out where your wife, mum, sister, friend or girlfriend likes to go, and surprise her with a voucher or pre-paid treatment, it really is a lovely surprise and the gift of beauty and self-care is great.

Emer O’Callaghan is a multi award winning beauty doctor and skin specialist who won Irish Beauty Therapist of the year and works at Emerald Organic Beauty Products Ltd, trading as Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. A Multi Award Winning Gold Standard Clinic, 2008-2025, www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie - follow us on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok.

SPECIAL OFFER: All next week, our Dermalogica Winter Dry skin facial, 90 minutes, is reduced from €125 to €95. Includes full skin analysis, eyebrow shape and heated hand treatment. Appointments necessary, to book call Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. Free parking for clients.