{"id":402577,"date":"2026-04-17T01:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/402577\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T01:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:15:10","slug":"i-failed-my-leaving-mum-said-you-love-makeup-why-dont-you-do-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/402577\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I failed my Leaving. Mum said, \u2018you love makeup, why don\u2019t you do that?\u2019’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another Irish beauty brand has just landed in Boots \u2014 the award-winning Ayu Cosmetics.<\/p>\n

The vegan beauty brand, founded by Suzie O\u2019Neill, has already become a real word-of-mouth success with its 500,000-strong community online, but with shelves stripped bare on opening weekend, all signs are pointing to the brand becoming a real contender in Ireland\u2019s booming beauty business.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur launch was incredible,\u201d the 42-year-old mum-of-two says when we catch up post opening weekend. \u201cWe sold out of a lot of products, which is amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so nice to actually get to see and talk to customers. Regina, the manager in Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, commented on how nice our customers were, which I thought was such a testament to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kildare native has worked in the beauty industry since the age of 18 \u2014 first as a beauty therapist in various spas, then as a beauty educator in college and for a number of international brands, before eventually taking the plunge herself. She credits her mum with identifying where her skills lie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always super artistic in school, never academic, I failed my Leaving. Mum was like, \u2018look, you love makeup, why don\u2019t you do that?\u2019 So I ended up studying beauty therapy and I absolutely loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What inspired O\u2019Neill to create her own brand was something she had seen time and time again throughout her career \u2014 beauty that felt too expensive or too overwhelming. She wanted to create products that felt luxurious, but weren\u2019t overly complicated, and to highlight the importance of tools and education, too.<\/p>\n

Education is key, she says, because too many women feel overwhelmed at beauty counters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to think that anyone who uses Ayu products gets the feeling that we care, because we do,\u201d she says. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s about making sure you have the right products for you, and that they make you feel amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t believe in the hard sell; in fact, O\u2019Neill describes herself as \u201cthe worst saleswoman\u201d. (The lack of the pushy upsell is no doubt one of the reason\u2019s fans love the brand.)<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, authenticity is definitely key,\u201d O\u2019Neill says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years, I could never relate to any advertising campaigns. When working on shoots, I noticed other makeup artists always used models with perfect skin, which wasn\u2019t helpful to anyone with different concerns. So we always use real people with real texture, and we show that in videos to educate people, because if you can\u2019t see it, how can you do it?<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of social media, a lot of people think erasing lines and individuality is normal, but it really isn\u2019t. I wish we could get rid of the trend of constantly erasing everything.<\/p>\n

\n We are all about enhancing what you have, rather than hiding [anything] and I think that sets us apart.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a message that comes through strongly in their recent \u2018Nothing to Fix\u2019 campaign, and one she recently took on head-on in a viral Instagram post that took on toxic positivity, hustle culture, and the unrealistic standards constantly being presented, particularly to younger girls.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I really struggle with the industry I am in,\u201d she admitted, \u201cbecause I feel like it\u2019s constantly making people feel bad about themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, O\u2019Neill and Ayu\u2019s philosophy is that skincare and makeup should be moments of self-care, not obligations.<\/p>\n

Looking to the future, O\u2019Neill says she wants to expand into more Boots and cement the brand in Ireland.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we\u2019ve been around a long time, we\u2019re still quite unknown. I\u2019d love everyone in the country to know who we are, what we do and why we do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The star products<\/p>\n

1. Instant Under Eye Concealer, \u20ac18<\/p>\n

\"Ayu'sAyu’s Instant Under-Eye Concealer<\/p>\n

Suzie O\u2019Neill\u2019s personal favourite product is also the brand\u2019s bestseller \u2014 the concealer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my everyday, never ever without product,\u201d she says. \u201cYou\u2019ll never see me outside the house without it on.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. La Cr\u00e8me Cellulaire Nuit, \u20ac68<\/p>\n

\"Ayu's\u00a0LaAyu’s\u00a0La Cr\u00e8me Cellulaire Nuit<\/p>\n

One of its latest additions, the redness-calming night cream, is designed with confidence \u2014 not concealment \u2014 in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe night cream has transformed my skin,\u201d O\u2019Neill says. \u201cBefore, I would never go outside without makeup, but now I can, as it has calmed my redness so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick<\/p>\n

\"Ayu'sAyu’s Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick<\/p>\n

The perfect \u2018one and done\u2019 eyeshadow in a creamy, twist-up stick that delivers colour in one swipe, glides on smoothly without tugging, sets for long-lasting wear, and resists creasing throughout the day, with the added bonus of waking up tired eyes. Dusty pink is my favourite shade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Another Irish beauty brand has just landed in Boots \u2014 the award-winning Ayu Cosmetics. The vegan beauty brand,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60,31267],"class_list":["post-402577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-trend-of-the-week-skin-nerd-beauty-product-watch-mens-fashion-annmarie-o"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}