On Beauty

The Beauty Lounge, just off Carnaby Street, is the cutest salon. Decked out old-Hollywood style, duck-egg baby-blue walls, pink & cream cushions, 1940s movie stars framed on the wall. The entryway/parlour is an unusual utilisation of space: walking through the door places you immediately in a small, almost fairytale like nook beneath a staircase, but with room for Louis XV1 chairs, padded dressing room stools & row upon row of colourful nail polishes.

Sipping a cup of green tea, staff were friendly & encouraging (particularly as this was the first time either myself or my sister had been for a manicure!) We picked our colours - I went for an Essie coral/hot orange shade & my sister chose a light cappuccino colour. We were told that hot-air dryers weren't used because they can tend to make the nail more brittle underneath. Unfortunately, we weren't advised on quite how long we should stay resting, waiting for the polish to dry - 10 minutes out the salon, both of us had a few smudged nails. I'm quite willing to suggest however that it was our inexperience at this: maybe we shouldn't have rushed so wholeheartedly into eating cream tea!

Having never experienced a manicure, I enjoyed having a whole universe of colours & shades from which to choose what captured my mood. The polish was painted immaculately, & I particularly loved the shaping of my nails, a rounded square cut. We're not the only ones to enjoy their pampering: Sienna Miller has frequented, & next week, the Harry Potter cast are pencilled in for their appointments. Next time, I'll plan ahead with some spare time to do nothing, or very little, the hour following the appointment. I'm also quite keen to get a pedicure: a pre-holiday/post-exam/mid-summer treatment worth indulging in.

{all photos by me}

♥