Saturday with Suzie O'Neill, founder of Ayu Cosmetics: 'I’m okay with people thinking my routine is boring — I love my life'

Suzie O’Neill started in business in 2012. Initially selling professional make-up brushes, she founded the vegan Ayu Cosmetics brand two years later. The business now carries a full range of cosmetics and tanning products and employs 36 people. O’Neill lives in Clane, Co. Kildare with her husband and two children. She runs marathons and ultra marathons in her spare time.

Suzie O'Neill at the opening of the Ayu Cosmetics Store in Mahon Point Shopping Centre in Cork. Picture: Brian McEvoy

6.15

I get up at 6.15am. I’ll go for a run, do weights or a HIIT class. By the time I’ve finished working out the kids will have rolled out of bed so I’ll make them breakfast.

8.00

We live on a farm so they’ll go up and check the horses and I’ll get a little bit of peace to have my own breakfast once they’re out the door. The kids are big into their sport, and I coach athletics in Clane. People slag us and say we should be on Ireland’s Fittest Family.

I grew up riding horses and was always sporty in school but never to the level I’m at in the past 10 or 15 years. It’s definitely a part of my life now. I’ve done quite a few marathons and ultra marathons in the past few years. For me it’s about brain space — it’s non-negotiable — I find that I can deal with things a lot better when I’ve exercised.

Because the rest of my family love to be active too we rub off each other. We have a work out board that we all have to fill in every Monday.

Alan, my husband, is usually the only one who doesn’t get all his ticks. The kids give us hell over it: ‘You didn’t do your jog yesterday!’. Yes, we are a bunch of crazy people...

9.30

When the kids come back from the yard they’ll grab a bagel and I’ll have yoghurt and fruit. Then I drop them to athletics and go for a run as my second workout of the day. I’m a member of Clane Athletics Club — I was a lone runner for a long time but now I meet with a group and I love it — they’re such a lovely bunch and we’ve become very close.

Suzie O Neill pictured at the Ayu Cosmetics Girls Day Out at Lawlors Hotel, Naas. Picture: Brian McEvoy

11.30

When the kids are finished athletics they’ll grab a bite to eat and then they’ll be off to play a match.

When I’m in the car on my own, or on one of my runs, I’ll often have a podcast or an audiobook on. I love biographies of sports people or business people. I’m listening to Alex Ferguson’s biography right now. I love to read about people who’ve done cool things — it’s always interesting to see what they’ve been driven by.

When I was growing up I was a bit of a messer. In school I was always told I could be ‘doing better’. I am a hard worker but I wasn’t really academic. There were a lot of times that I felt I wasn’t the prettiest or the fastest or the most popular, so I do feel that there is always something that drives me to prove that I am able to do stuff and to show people that thought I was a waster that I’m not.

15.00

Generally matches are done by about 3pm and then myself and Ollie (almost 13) will ride out for the afternoon or he might go golfing — he’s big into his golf and will play any chance he gets. I’ve had my horse Da Vinci for 15 years now — he’s my other baby. Ollie’s pony is called Tayto and Chloe’s is Specky. We’ll ride them out, give them a bath and a good groom.

16.30

Chloe (11) loves to cook so we’ll go shopping. We have a wood fired oven so we might grab ingredients for pizza. Alan will probably collect Ollie from golf because I like to have a glass of wine while I’m making dinner. I love a glass or two of wine at the weekend but I’m not a big drinker — to me a day on the couch with a hangover is a waste of a day.

I’m a bit of an introvert really. I am really happy pottering at home, spending Saturday afternoon with the horses — stuff doesn’t make me happy — I like to do things.

When I cook I can listen to everything from HipHop to Frank Sinatra but often on a Saturday night it’s chilled jazz. After dinner we’ll usually sit down and watch something together like Modern Family because everyone can watch it.

22.00

The kids will generally go to bed at about 9.30pm or 9.45pm, and then, unless there’s a series on that we are watching, I’ll probably go to bed about 20 minutes after them and Alan will follow me up. Once I hit the pillow I’ve no trouble sleeping. Sometimes I wish I could just let myself off the hook and do nothing because sometimes I drive myself to exhaustion and that’s not healthy either.

I’m okay with people thinking my routine is boring — I love my life. I’ve no interest in being any other way. I think that comes with age too — I don’t feel the need to prove myself to anybody anymore.

 I’m kind of selfish in that way — the kids, my husband and my business are my priority. I love the fact that when I’m with them I can be myself and there’s no expectation.

• Suzie O’Neill is the founder of vegan Ayu Cosmetics which carries a full range of cosmetics and tanning products, the latest of which is AyuGlo Gradual Tan.
• She lives in Clane, Co Kildare, with her husband and two children, and likes to run marathons and ultra marathons in her spare time. 
• Ayu is available in Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Cork; Kildare Village; Shannon Duty Free and online at ayu.ie.