Emer O'Callaghan shares the top beauty resolutions her clients make 

Happy New Year! It certainly was that for three of my clients.

We had our Emerald Beauty Clinic annual awards last week and three worthy clients received their Exclusive Emerald Beauty trophies, and oh my heart, one of my winners was a very dear client, Breeda, who is in her 70s but looks 55 - testament to her hard work and consistency.

Breeda is coming to me for years, she tells all her adult children every year all she wants for Christmas is vouchers for my clinic!

When she got her trophy, she started to cry, and told me how she had never won a trophy in her life and always wondered what it would be like,

Her trophy is now pride of place on her mantelpiece, and that is exactly why I do these awards, because I see first hand in my job every day the people who deserve that lift.

That acknowledgment in life, to be seen, to be noticed, you would be so surprised how many people really need this.

If you ask me, every woman deserves an award after Christmas for all we do for so many others, we are selfless to the point we forget ourselves.

I love a new year, I feel very grateful to be alive and well, and lucky enough to be experiencing 2026.

You know, we all forget that we are all part of history too you know. We live like kings and queens and we still don’t realise it, many of our ancestors never lived the luxury lives we do today, they never had power showers, or electricity, a fridge full of food, connections to the whole world at our finger-tips...

Yet still so many are negative, ungrateful, unhappy, and do nothing but bitch and moan all day!

New year’s resolutions are the order of the day this month, I find from my job as a beautician for 25 years that January is the month you meet the contrasts of positive and negative people.

The positive client will be chirpy and happy about the new year and will have hope and optimism.

Then there will be the negative nannies, as I call them, oh they hate January, such a depressing month - the weather, the news, you name it, they use any excuse to be negative. Hope and optimism are not part of their mindset, let alone their vocabulary, and they wonder then why people avoid them so much.

We all have a choice every morning on how we will live our lives. God gave us all free will, and love is the most powerful force we have.

If we all collectively made a daily conscious choice to just be more loving to everyone and everything, what a world we would all live in.

This week, I want to list some of my most popular new year beauty resolutions many will be taking up. It might plant a seed for you too, to realise that life is short and you deserve to focus more time and care back into you.

MINDSET IS KEY

I’m a firm believer in training your mind just like you do every other muscle in your body.

Train your brain to only think, talk and be positive, train your brain to focus on the good only.

I do this myself and I also meditate and quieten my busy mind daily to block out the noise of this mad world and tap into my soul and hear what it needs too.

You see, the mind is a powerful thing and the body only does as the mind says. Make better choices now on what you consume, not just what we put into our bodies, but the company we keep, and the TV we watch.

FACE UP TO FACIALS

Regular facials and a personalised home care skin plan make such a difference to my clients.

Facials work, and the key is consistency, doing two or three a year and thinking that will do is no good.

If you really want to slow down the ageing process of your skin, you need to do a good facial every 4-6 weeks and follow a personalised skincare plan - that’s how you get results.

Buying any old skincare, using a bit of this or that, sure, that’s totally counterproductive, you’re only wasting your money and the beauty industry are delighted because all they want to do is sell products.

Book the facial, you will never regret starting. You are never too old to start your skin journey.

I did one of my popular beauty videos on this recently, you can see it on Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages now.

NAIL CARE

Constantly getting your nails done with shellac and heavy, long-wearing nail polish is not good for your natural nails. Your nails need breaks too, and time to recover.

I stock OPI Nail envy in my clinic and my clients who are taking a break from all the fake nails love it - it’s like food for the nails, it’s a base coat, top coat and nail strengthener in one.

NATURAL LASHES

I’m not a fan of the fake lashes look - less is more for me.

Many now have to take a break from the false eyelashes due to eye irritation or their own lashes being affected, and there are so many eyelash serums available now that help to nourish and grow yours.

I much prefer to educate people that there are so many ways to enhance your own natural beauty: castor oil and vaseline are great to strengthen your own lashes but be careful to avoid inside the eyes.

Sadly, losing your eyebrows is part of ageing, but we experts always have tips and tricks to help improve things naturally without having to tattoo your eyebrows or wear big fake lashes.

SELF-CARE TIME

I am a champion of self-care in Cork, I believe everyone, male and female, needs to invest more time in it. I have seen a massive drop in standards on this since the pandemic. Men used to be sharp-dressed, shaven, and well groomed, ladies looked so stylish and elegant.

These generations knew what self- care was, it was self-respect.

My God, if they saw the cut of half them walking down Patrick Street today, they would die of fright.

When did it become socially acceptable to look sloppy, have messy hair or dirty skin? All signs of low self-respect and self-worth.

Far too many are living in leggings, never putting on anything feminine like a skirt or a dress.

To say the world’s gone mad is an understatement, but we must all make time to value our own self- worth through our appearance and our attitude in life.

I hope this is the year you make more time to take better care of you.

So many reading this tonight will keep saying, ‘Oh, I must ring Emer and go in for a facial’, and listen, before we know it now, it will be June!

So don’t hesitate anymore, next year is not promised to any of us, get up, glam up, and show up every day for you.

Happy new year, let’s make it a great one for everyone.

Emer O’Callaghan is a 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, 2008-2026, see www.emeraldbeautyclinic.ie or follow us on Facebook/Instagram/TikTok pages now.

SPECIAL OFFER

Book any facial this month at Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949, and get a complimentary eyebrow shape, heated hand treatment, treats and sample bag also. Appointments only, to book call Emerald Beauty Clinic on 021 4365949. Free parking available for clients.