Yvonne Mullen

I handmade natural skincare products with natural, ethically sourced & sustainable ingredients. I use recyclable packaging. My brand name is LORE and this means tradition & Knowledge usually handed down by word of mouth in a particular area. The ingredients and methods I use in my products are mostly traditional and I am very passionate about the them. There is a lot of LORE in Ireland and feel this is a great name to represent an Irish Brand. I'm holistically trained.

Q&A

Artist Statement

I have a love of nature and believe it provides us with everything that we need, food, healing, ingredients, medicine, no matter what it is we need nature will have a plant or a herb, tree etc. for that purpose. Today our food, mass produced skincare etc. are all full of chemicals and synthetic fragrances that are so bad for us and our environment. I am passionate about the ingredients I use in my products and some of these have been used in skincare for millennia and even with modern day science they are still being used for their therapeutic properties. I bear in mind when formulating a product not only for the health of the skin but the overall health and wellbeing that it can bring to a person as a whole. I love crafting my products especially the cold pressed soap, it takes time when making it waiting on the temperature to drop before you can combine it all and it then takes four to six weeks to cure and when trying new recipes you sometimes have to wait the six weeks to see if the combination of oils actually worked, if its hard enough, bubbly enough and very importantly will it cleanse but also nourish and moisturise your skin. Sometimes it can all be trial and error, another example is when adding the essential oils some react and make the mixture hard and lumpy while others don’t react but that makes it all the more interesting to work with. I have always been interested in making my own natural skincare products and tried a few things like butters and lip balms over the years but I think it all came together for me when I combined it with my love of nature and thinking holistically and then realising that I could do this for my job and not just a hobby that their is a market for this type of product and I would get to make what I love everyday. I am a member of Louth Craftmark and DCCI.

What craft do you work with?

I tried DIY recipe over the years and then a few years ago I done some workshops on making creams, balms and soap. I then started formulation my own recipes and haven’t looked back. I set up business in May 2021 and decided to start selling products instead of just making for family and friends.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

I am passionate about plant oils and natural ingredients that only nature can give us. It’s also part of our past and I think it’s important that we continue to keep these ingredients and methods of crafting soap etc alive.

How do you start your creative process?

It can be trial and error when creating a new receipt for a product and as above in the case of soap you sometimes have to wait six weeks before you know if it worked.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

I couldn’t work without my cooker as I need to heat oils. I use whisks, spatulas, mixers, weighing scales, very similar to baking apart from the fact that you really need to keep attention on your temperature.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

Yes there is a lot of equipment that I could get that would make it easier if I was doing bigger bulk.

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

I would also like to do Candles some day and I have lots of other products waiting to go to market. My dream is to get stocked in Gift Shops, Natural Health Food Shops, Pharmacies Nationwide and to the International Market. I want to grow my business on a large scale as I believe in the product I’m making and selling and believe it is just as good as any on the market today.