Siopa, Siopaella - The Best of Dublin

There are many reasons why Siopaella has become one of the most popular places in Dublin for fashionistas of all ages to flock to as often as possible and why the business has grown so significantly since its establishment in 2011.

Siopaella owners Ella de Guzman and Steve Ryan seem to have cracked the formula for sartorial success because of their clever business skills, their unique to Dublin consignment store framework, their friendship towards their customers leading to an ever-growing loyal following, and being exactly the right business at the right time in Dublin. Penelope's Bed took a tour of both Siopaella stores and had a chat with the owners, staff, and their two ridiculously cute dogs Louis and Raquel, who are an intrinsic part of Siopaella!

Blush Up!

Cream blush adds the perfect pop of colour to the palest of faces on the drabbest of days and is such a great tool to create a rosy glow in seconds leaving an appealing flush however your feel underneath.

There is a certain stigma attached to blusher. Since there are so many products on the market to counteract skin redness why would you buy a product that creates it? But the flush of colour you can create and control with blusher is very different from unwanted skin redness. But the best thing about blusher, especially cream blush, is that when using it with a good foundation you can control the pinky glow leaving the healthy looking colour where it works best.

It's A Dog's Life!

Siopaella, one of the most original and innovative businesses in Dublin, is proving its generosity and love for animals with yet another fundraising event in aid of a selection of animals welfare charities.

It's no secret that the owners of Siopaella, partners Ella de Guzman and Steve Ryan, are very fond of animals. You need but to walk into either of their Templebar stores to see this as you will more than likely be greeted by their adorable pooches Raquel and Louis, one for each store. And they have shown this endless love for our furry friends by hosting regular fundraisers for animal welfare charities and this Sunday, June 29th, marks three years of Siopaella's generosity with yet another fundraiser. Since June 2011 Siopaella has raised a whopping €15,000 for charities including A Dog's Life, Cara Rescue, My Lovely Horse Rescue and Cat's Aid.

In the Sticks: No7, Topshop, Revlon and Essence

Gone are the days when eyeliner and lipliner were the only sticks in your makeup mag. A new, very welcome trend, has arrived where you can get your blush and real lip sticks in a chubby stick/crayon format and it's given make up application a lot more control - and your handbag a bit more space!

I've been trying out some of the more notable, affordable sticks and here are my pick of the bunch: