Article in Today's Irish Independent

The Independent has an article today by Roxanne Parker about the amount us Irish women spend on cosmetics a year, and our attitudes towards the whole business of beauty. It's pretty interesting - I've included some of it below, and to read the rest you'll need a login for Unison or alternatively you could just buy the paper!

British women spend a billion pounds on cosmetics annually. But how do Irish women compare? ROXANNE PARKER asked three to reveal their make-up secrets

So women in Britain have spent a billion pounds on cosmetics already this year? I'm not surprised.

Judging by the stash of unused and abandoned lip-glosses clogging up my bathroom cabinet, I'd say I've contributed my fair share to the beauty business boom.

New figures reveal that the average English woman's spending on make-up exceeds that of French women, who are traditionally supposed to be more concerned with their looks. And Irish woman can't be too far behind their English sisters; just consider the amount they spend on fake tan alone. A trip round the beauty counters in a department store can leave a major dent on a girl's credit card. I've personally imposed a barring order on myself from the MAC counter before I face financial ruin at the hands of another persuasive sales person seducing me with the latest lengthening mascara!

But what do Irish women make of spending so much on cosmetics?

Three women discuss their beauty philosophies. - Read the rest of the article on the Unison website.