Apr 213 min read

Professional Beauty & Hair Dublin

Anyone who has always believed that only women are interested in make-up, skin care or extensions has been proven wrong at Professional Beauty and Hair at RDS Dublin.

James Mac

To my surprise, men were actually perceived to be overly representative in an industry that is actually attributed to women.

One of these men who feels at home in this world is certainly make-up artist James Mac Inerney, who calls himself James Mac for short and is currently creatively staging his model Taylor Hamilton on one of the show stages.

James Mac used in this live demo on stage:

Danessa Myricks Beauty Colour: Fix mattes & Blue foil pigment for lips

Essentials by Samantha Helen: streamline brush

Cameleon paint: black paint

NYX Cosmetics UK: epic liner

Eldora false eyelashes: B802 creative lashes

Dylan Bradshaw

On a second stage, Dylan Bradshaw from Dublin to whom Victoria Beckham has already entrusted her hair, twirls a model's hair to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Dyson Supersonic blow dryer to the interested audience.

So let's forget the classic gender stereotypes and dive into Professional Beauty and Hair with lots of nail polish, liquid wax and all kinds of creams for the best skin you could wish for.

"Party Girl Problems"

Right at the entrance, I am greeted by a white plastic horse in life-size, perfectly styled and adorned with lots of glitter at the Glitterbels booth. Lots of pink, lots of mica and lots of women standing in line at the checkout to get a few bargains at the fair price.

Between "Party Girl Problems", "Cocktail Party Drama" or "Backstage Beauty", some girls at the Creative Academy booth are visibly finding it difficult to choose the colors for their gel polish.

I try to filter out the trends a little bit and realize that there are big differences between the beauty ideals in my home country Germany and here in Ireland.

In Germany, women tend to use make-up discreetly, less is more, they are reserved when it comes to extreme colors and color combinations. Here, on the other hand, I see much more courage for bright colors, more make-up and, above all, long false eyelashes. It strikes me that the color blue seems to be a trend color, from blue lips to blue hair and blue fingernails.

Hair Extensions

I pause for a moment at the Hair Rocks booth, where a young woman is getting extensions and patiently endures the procedure. It has a little bit of tailoring as the curved needle dips again and again into the real hair of the model to connect it with the long hair extensions.

Several suppliers of extensions were represented at the fair. In addition to brands like Great Length, I also find ZEN Luxury Extensions.

Award winning hairdresser Bozena Sarek is exclusive representative, partner and Ambassador of ZEN Luxury Extensions in Great Britain and Ireland.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest in all the land?

Of course, the most important accessory at a beauty fair could not be missing. What's the point of lipstick and make-up if you can't see what it looks like? Luckily, there were also Vanity Salon Mirrors, who had the perfect mirrors on offer.

Live Competition

There was also the opportunity to demonstrate one's skills at the fair. Above all, it was impressive for the visitors to see what is possible with colors, make-up and craftsmanship. Towards the end of the first day, James Mac presented the winners of the body painting competition. The theme was Irish mythology and Danielle Fitzgerald secured first place with her Merrow a mythical see creature.

It is hardly possible to summarize the entire fair in one article. With over a hundred exhibitors, three live stages and the abundance of impressions, it's the best thing to see for yourself and come back next year at Professional Beauty and Hair in March 2025 at RDS Dublin.