VIP Publishing is delighted to announce the inaugural Power of Women Awards, celebrating the best and brightest female entrepreneurs in Ireland, across the worlds of fashion, technology, beauty, lifestyle, wellness and more!
The winners, decided by an expert panel and awarded at an exclusive lunch in Dublin’s Marker Hotel on November 19th, will be profiled in the December issue of VIP Magazine.
The Beauty Award, in association with Lindt, celebrates the trailblazing women across the beauty market, from retail to services. Here’s a bit more information about our inspiring nominees…
Pamela Laird – MoxiLoves
A trained nail technician and renowned beautician, Pamela followed in her mother’s footsteps when entering the beauty world. She spotted a gap in the market in 2016 for convenient products that doubled as beauty hacks, and MoxiLoves was born.
She’s expanded the company since that initial launch, and was a contestant on BBC’s The Apprentice in 2019.
Vanessa and Lisa Creaven – Spotlight Oral Care
The Creaven sisters established Spotlight in 2016 with the aim to create the best oral health products on the market. As dentists, they have a unique insight into the needs and wants of patients.
Identifying a gap in the market, they found consumers struggled to find safe and effective oral care products that contain clinically proven active ingredients to target their dental needs – in the first instance, affordable home tooth whitening. They’ve since expanded to a range of oral care products, from toothbrushes and toothpaste to a water flosser.
Linda Stinson – Bellamianta
Friends Linda and Lisa used their 20 years of beauty industry expertise when they spotted the opportunity to bring a “clean” luxury tan to market at an affordable price in 2016. They’d noticed consumers where becoming more conscious about what they used on their skin, so wanted to offer tan that was free of nasty chemicals without the price tag of an organic range at the time. Their mousse was an instant hit, and they smartly built up marketing through providing the spray tans for contestants on RTE’s Dancing With The Stars.
Now Linda heads up the company on her own and it is one of the biggest premium tanning brands in Ireland with a spin-off collection with former model turned reality star Maura Higgins, and Linda has repackaged and reinvigorated Bellamianta for a post-pandemic world.
Lynsey, Leah and Sarah Bennett – Lusso Tan
Belfast-born sisters and beauty salon owners Lynsey, Sarah and Leah launched Lusso Tan when they realised the tan on the market back in the mid-teenies were impractically sticky and overly fragranced. They wanted organic ingredients with hydrating factors and a long-lasting result, so they turned to their brother, who is a chemistry teacher to create a formula that incorporates his science background and their own beauty industry knowledge.
Lusso Tan was born, and since 2020 more products, including an innovative tan-removing bath bomb, have been added to the line.
Aoibhinn and Blathnaid Murphy – BiaBelle
A real family affair, BiaBelle beauty was founded by sisters Aoibhinn and Blathnaid and their mother Susan in 2017. Aoibh and Blá are both beauty influencers and have channelled their passion for beauty into the company, with the desire to create their products using their own expert knowledge.
All of BiaBelle’s products, which include tan, lashes, silk pillowcases and beauty accessories, have recyclable packaging and are vegan friendly.
Camillat Mashaun – FreeBornNoble
Camillat started her business with the aim of providing the highest grade of virgin human hair extension, lace systems, as well as hand and machine made wigs to enhance the confidence of all women from different ethnicities and background.
The brand also ensure they source all of their hair extensions in the most ethical way and this year, they were the wig consultants on ITV’s Love Island, and both the salon premises and online store are massively popular.
Joann Mahon – millies.ie
Kildare-born beauty therapist Joann founded Millies in 2007 as a salon, before expanding to a second location in 2010. That same year, she started the website to sell high quality professional products directly to consumers online.
Now operational for eleven years, the site stocks over 100 Irish and international beauty brands and the company employs more than 35 people.
Ellen Kavanagh and Trish O’Brien – Waxperts, Heire
Waxperts began life as a salon in Dublin’s Dun Laoghaire before expanding to incorporate the two owners’ own line of professional waxing products, devised by Ellen and Trish. They started stocking other salons as well as developing their own retail line for the average consumer, and in 2020 broadened to include an at-home waxing line called Heire.
The salon is no longer operational as of this year, but the duo are now focusing on their e-tail business and wide network of Waxperts stockists.
For the full list of all our nominees click here.
