Treatments to Try: A Hair Spa, Long-Lasting nails, a blow dry bar, Flower Manicure and a Back Soother.
Take Nail art to the next level… & try Ciate’s Flower Manicure at Sisters beauty lounge
I’m a sucker for nail art, so when I heard that Ciate were coming out with a ‘Flower manicure’ and Sisters beauty lounge will be doing it – I knew I had to book myself in. They have several branches around town, but I usually like going to their main flagship at Dubai Mall. It started with their Sisters traditional manicure – which is a no-water, Brazilian keratin manicure followed by the actual nail art. You have a choice on what base you’d like depending on the flowers (I went for Essie’s Lilacism – which is a gorgeous cream lilac shade), which is followed by a top coat then the flowers (which is made out of real dried flowers) is gently applied. This wouldn’t be something I’d do myself at home, as it requires a ton of work. The nails look gorgeous, eye catching and pieces of art. That being said, this is just an occasion manicure – as soon as I started washing my hands, the colour on the flowers turned into ink and hey slowly dissolved leaving my nails looking smudged. The cost of the manicure was AED75.
Recommended therapist: Rose (she’s amazing, and super honest! love it.)
http://www.sistersbeautylounge.com
Experience a Blow dry bar… with Marquee’s Blow Dry Bar at The Lakes Club
I love Blow dry bars, and wish they had more of them in the city. It always feels very New York when I think of them. One of Dubai’s newest hair salons, Marquee (and one of my favourites – owned by the same people of The Nail Spa) have just opened their new branch at The Lakes Club, which is a blow dry bar. Keeping with their Glam retro feel, they have a hair menu with different style options with fun names like Audrey, Ava, Grace, Marilyn, and Sophia to name a few… I went for the ‘Drama’, which was loose waves with volume, the perfect romantic look that goes with everything if you have a mix of plans for the weekend. As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by the lovely ladies at reception before meeting my lovely stylist, Theresa who moved from Essex to Dubai for Marquee. My hair was washed with Kevin Murphy products (one of my favourite hair care brands!) with a lovely massage. My hair was dried, before getting curled with a brush – I was incredibly happy with my loose curls and for a change lasted me for two days (I always need to get tight curls if I need them to last.) The curls just turned looser but still looked perfect the day after. My only pointer is bring your own magazines, due to the lack of variety (boo), but all in all – a fun blow dry experience, they do great hair and I highly recommend Theresa. My blow out cost AED130.
Get off the laptop and melt off tense shoulders… with a Stay Active Back Soother massage at Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont the Palm
If you’re someone that works on the computer for long hours, you find yourself with stiff shoulders all the time. That’s me. I work on the computer for long hours, whether I’m writing, on emails or doing admin work. Because of that, I end up having to book in for regular massages (not a bad thing… but yes, finding a good massage is crucial. So I regularly scour up the city for the best to share with all of you! You’re welcome.) I checked out the Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont the Palm (I love their pool, their Ba restaurant – so had to check out the hotel spa) and booked in for the Stay Active back soother massage. Nothing fancy about the spa, just clean and straight to the point – after all, it’s all about the service. First things first, I was impressed with their comfortable beds, felt like an actual bed. After being taken to the treatment room after changing in the changing rooms, my back was cleansed followed by a mud being applied to the back with a hot press (infared heat therapy) right over. I was fasting that day, so it wasn’t the most comfortable feeling as you literally sweat off the toxins, the heat eases up the muscles before the massage and the mud softens the skin. During that discomfort, you get a foot massage (which was lovely) followed by a back massage and ending with one on the shoulders & scalp using Indonesian Ginger oil.
Cost: AED455
Recommended therapist: Matilda
Get Long-Lasting nails… with TITO gel wear at Tips & Toes
The ideal travel manicure… gel nails. Tips & Toes have just launched their new gel polish, TITO Gel Wear. They promise chip-free nails for 14 days as well as strength and shine.
So I put the treatment to test at my favourite branch – the huge salon in Al Barsha. Whenever I visit Tips & Toes, I always feel like I’m in Bali (even though I haven’t really been before…). When recommending a gel manicure, I need to check 4 things off my list – The actual manicure, the variety of colours, timeliness and the quality of the actual gel manicure. 1) Tips & Toes do give a great manicure, took care of my excess cuticles with the perfect shape… only wish they gave better/longer massages during the process! 2) I was happy with the variety of colours – I ended up going for a lovely subtle baby pink called ‘Iris’ and for feet, a pale denim blue called ‘Blue Denim’. 3) Timewise, it wasn’t the quickest mani/pedi, but overall, I was completely happy with the quality for number 4 and I had no drying time (one of the best things about Gel polish!). Loved Rosalinda’s work, so make sure to ask for her if you head to the Tips & Toes Barsha branch! PS This gel polish is harder to remove than the typical Gelish, so make sure you’re patient on your next appointment when you have to remove the polish. A mani/pedi costs AED220
Visit a Hair Spa… & get a Intensive Wheat hair treatment at Vivandi Hair Spa
I didn’t know a hair spa existed in the UAE till this month… and of course I had to visit it and experience it for myself. Based in Bur Dubai, the spa is spacious and incredibly professional. As soon as I was arrived, I was greeted by the lovely team before being shown into my room (I loved the fact that they had private rooms with showers, and a hairdresser chair with magazines – all in the comfort of your privacy!) After the ombre and regular travels, my ends have been getting really dry so I booked in to try the Wheat treatment at the spa – lasts a month, the treatment nourishes and hydrates the hair (really helps if your hair is getting affected by Dubai’s waters too!). The treatment commences with the hair made wet before the wheat treatment (brought in from hair experts in the UK) was applied in small chunks all over except the roots, the hair was tied up and held through with a cling wrap. I was then put under the the steamer for 15 minutes in order for the wheat to infuse into my hair cuticles. This was then followed by a wash using a medical shampoo and conditioner before having my hair dried & I was good to go! My hair felt soft, light, hydrated, nourished and smelt squeaky clean.
Each treatment costs AED300
Recommended therapist: Girlie