Weekend Loves: the paint colour of the year; award-winning gin; and vegan Easter eggs
Tolü Makay: continues to impress with soulful new sounds
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months you'll no doubt have heard afro-Irish singer Tolü Makay’s brilliant version of classic The Saw Doctors song accompanied by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Following on from the success of her debut EP ‘Being’, the singer has just released — the first song to be shared from her debut album coming later this year.
Makay is already a seasoned vocalist who is inspired by singers such as Erykah Badu, Nina Simone and the Nigerian French singer songwriter, Asa. is an emotionally epic piano ballad and a story of unrequited love. Stream or buy the tune here.
Looking for a luxurious option for the true chocolate aficionado in your life? Then look no further than Limerick-based chocolatier, Braw. The brand, established by Anna Coffey Lynch, has just launched a distinctive limited edition range of luxurious handcrafted Easter eggs (200g - 250g), which are available to pre-order now.
Braw has developed quite a cult following for their high quality artisan chocolate products and their Easter offering includes a hand-painted vegan friendly and gluten-free Valrhona ‘Manjari’ Madagascan dark chocolate egg studded with crushed pistachios and containing a sweet pistachio surprise. €25 plus €5 p&p, braw.ie.
Australian-born, Dublin-based designer, Alex Jefferson of Propeller Prints, is all too well aware of the challenges of missing loved ones due to the pandemic. Jefferson has come up with a range of Positive Postcards to help people stay in touch and keep spirits lifted. The cards are brightly coloured and bear messages such as ‘I can’t wait to have a cuppa with you’, ‘We are family’ and ‘You are just blooming gorgeous’.
With clean lines, bright colours and positive sentiments they’re a lovely way to brighten someone’s day. The packs cost €7.50 for five and €13.50 for 10. For an additional charge you can add Irish or international postage stamps to your order to ensure they’re ready to pop in the postbox as soon as you get them.
Doyle Collection announces headshot photography initiative for women
Whether you’re establishing your own business or updating your LinkedIn profile, an up-to-date, professional headshot is a valuable asset to have. The Doyle Collection’s Bernie Gallagher wants to help women tick it off their to-do lists.
The initiative will run this summer at The Westbury in Dublin, The River Lee in Cork and at the Doyle Collection’s international hotels also. Participants will be able to book a slot to have their headshots captured by local, professional, female photographers giving them a valuable asset for use on their website, on social media or for media purposes. Keep an eye on the social media channels for updates on how and when to register: @thedoylecollection @WestburyDublin @TheRiverLee.
While some brands and businesses have struggled to communicate with customers over the past year The Paint Hub has managed to hit all the right notes (despite closing their store and going online only) with their informative posts on social media, ongoing engagement with customers online and use of inspiring imagery encouraging customers to undertake DIY projects (who doesn't love a good before-and-after pic?).
One of the most popular paint ranges at The Paint Hub is premium Finnish brand Tikkurila. Tikkurila’s paint colour of the year (seen here) is called 'Y354 Cumulus'. The blue tone has been chosen to represent hope and calm while we all wait for sunshine to follow rain. Amen to that.
Optiva 5 (wall paint) 1 Litre €19.24. Helmi Topcoat (furniture paint/ wood paint) 1 Litre €26.
Trade Secrets Gin was created late last year by The Bartender Collective — a group of experienced hospitality professionals who, following setback after setback to their industry due to Covid restrictions, decided to create their own range of top-shelf spirits. After months of planning and design they brought their plan to a small-batch, award-winning distillery in Co. Wicklow to create their first product — a traditional high-quality London Dry Gin.
As the first bottles of Batch No.1 rolled off the production line three were sent to the World Gin Awards where their gin was awarded the accolade of ‘Country Winner’ for Ireland 2021. The gin is characterised by a "juicy nose with berries, fruit jam, scorched orange peel, and a hint of cloves... notes of dark spice, with vanilla, angelica, orris, cherries, and florality from violet and jasmine".
Trade Secrets Gin, €50, is available from thebartendercollective.com, sweeneysd3.ie and celticwhiskeyshop.com
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