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Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Beauty, North East

North East Salon Wynyard Therapy Relaunches Under New Ownership

Wynyard Village, County Durham is known for its executive housing, premiership footballers and its beautiful woodland areas and green spaces. However, in the heart of this cute little village is a salon that’s been through a huge transformation recently. Wynyard Therapy has had a presence, primarily as a hair salon for over a decade now, however, in the last year it’s undergone something of a rebirth…

That’s down to new owner, entrepreneur Alice I’Anson Widdows and her determination to offer a premium experiential hair, beauty and aesthetics service to the men and women of Wynyard, and its surrounding areas. Expanding the offering to more than just hair was part of a masterplan that would see Wynyard Therapy become something of a one-stop-shop and a community haven.

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In the year that Alice has been at the helm of Wynyard Therapy she has run a tight ship. With her background in superyacht events which has seen her travel the world in every type of weather, she’s used her crew management skills to the salon to great effect. Having grown her team from five to eleven (recruited from the local area), Alice says it’s been rough at times given her need to strive for “seven star service” and the “ultimate customer experience”. Ultimately, and reflecting upon the achievements of the past year of ownership which includes the salon being awarded three prestigious local awards, Alice says “It takes a village” when discussing some of the hurdles in her path and credits her team for their hard work and determination throughout what has been a rocky transition period. In fact if I had to guess, I’d say she feels that the team she’s assembled are her proudest achievement in this venture so far.

It’s important to remember that in a post Covid 19 pandemic world, new salons are on the decline. Wynyard Therapy is one of only 2215 (at the time of writing) hair and beauty salons in the North East region currently in operation. The hair and beauty industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic following lockdowns, forced closure periods and then the introduction of social distancing which reduced salon capacity in the months leading out of the pandemic. The relaunch of this village favourite has offered employment to local people as well as a real focus on giving residents a menu of services that they actually want.

Alice has a long term goal to offer clients more than just a luxury salon experience though. Looking to the future there are plans to offer wellbeing events which will focus on specific, client driven topics such as menopause, teen skin and men’s health. But back to right now, one year in to ownership and Alice is beaming as she talks about her team, and how fully invested they are in not just offering a top notch service to their 3000+ strong client base, but also a safe space for clients to offload their worries, and to trust their stylist or practitioner to give honest advice on colour, style or chosen treatment. All of this of course, backed up by years of experience and ultimately confidence – something Alice feels is very important in her tight knit crew of staff.
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So, what’s changed? Well after two years of market research Alice has introduced a skin clinic to Wynyard Therapy offering high quality aesthetics which are dentist led – why is that important? Dentists have comprehensive knowledge of facial anatomy and ultimately facial mechanics, they’re also able to prescribe meaning that treatment is immediate after the point of consultation, and most importantly they’re able to prescribe and treat in the extremely unlikely event of a negative reaction, a huge factor to consider when deciding where to book your aesthetic treatment. In addition to aesthetics, new to the line up is medical grade skincare as well as pharmaceutical skincare which have all been selected to compliment the results driven skin treatments and programmes available enabling clients to take a little bit of the in-salon experience home with them.
The much loved Hydrafacial will launch at Wynyard Therapy in December, as one of the most powerful, non-invasive skin resurfacing treatments available, with no downtime, that’s a huge coup for the community given that the nearest beauty salon is in the next village. There are plans to offer more high quality, technology based facial treatments over the next twelve months and a focus on professional development within the team to ensure that the treatment, the environment and the delivery are all part of that luxury experience the salon is striving for.
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The hair salon has had a makeover too. Not just a physical refurbishment but in the products and services offered. As a L’Oreal Professionnel salon, products are prescriptive to your hair’s needs and whilst there are recommendations, there’s no hard sell – the focus is ultimately on the customer experience, Alice is very clear about this as she tells me “I want everyone who visits the salon to feel like a guest”
So far, the new and updated Wynyard Therapy has been well received within the community. A recent launch event led to some amazing feedback as clients new and old were invited to try out taster treatments and tour the new clinic space. Well, as the salon’s strap line says, “Everyone needs a little Therapy!”

If you’d like to find out more, or join the invite list for future events, visit

 www.wynyardtherapy.com to sign up.

With thanks to Nicci King Photography for images
Categories: Beauty

Skincare Heroes: Vivderma Detox Elixir

We all have rough times with our skin.  When the weather is changeable, or stress enters our lives all of that is reflected in our skin.  But what about those times of utter crisis?  The times when our skin has either reacted to something, gone through a period of age related change, or just had a complete and utter meltdown?  well Voyeurs, I’m going to let you in on a secret of mine and I’ve been sitting on this one for a few years.  To be honest, I didn’t realise it was even a secret until I got to talking about it with a few people recently and nobody seems to even be aware of the existence of this product which I’m completely shocked about because it’s a complete and utter hero.

So, the beginning.  I have photo-sentitive skin.  Like majorly photo-sensitive.  This is why when you see me on vacation I always look like a burned lobster and not a bronzed goddess.  I have a condition that requires a medication which has some side effects, one of which is extreme photo-sensitivity and this is why I’m always banging on about SPF.  So, because I burn like a vampire through a crack in a curtain, I always wear SPF; and because SPF is completely gross for your skin it causes breakouts and blockages so it’s like this cycle of protecting your skin by treating it really badly.

A few years back I was at London Fashion Week, I’d just flown in to the UK the night before and my skin was awful.  I met up with a beauty PR friend of mine at my first show of the season and she said she’d hook me up with something to help my skin.  That was my first ever introduction to Vivderma Detox Elixir and now I’m a convert.

The product itself is a lightweight serum that glides on to clean skin after washing or cleansing.  It’s billed as Skin Rehab and comes with a whole host of benefits listed however the main reason I use it is its ability to rebalance skin that has tipped into crisis mode.  Whether it’s sunburn, breakouts, itchiness, duskiness, dullness or any other skin related concern that’s out of the ordinary – Detox Elixir has me covered.  I don’t use it every day, just when I need it and it always has my back.

I recently took a week long road trip to Cadwell Park and a press trip to Wicksteed Park (which you can read about here) and it happened to be during record breaking temperatures of 37 degrees which resulted in me having photosensitive skin and tightness.  Detox Elixir had me feeling like my usual self again and looking a lot better very quickly.

A close up image of Pixie Tenenbaum's hand holding a bottle of Viv Derma's Skin Elixir, a skin hero product for calming skin deemed to be in crisis

What does it cost & how long will it last?

It’s at the pricier end of the mid-range skincare market at £85 for 30ml.  However, it’s not an everyday product so you get a decent lifespan out of that little bottle.  One pump does your face and neck so as long as you don’t get too trigger happy it *can* last.  Given that I’m on the more sensitive side of the scale, I get around nine months out of one bottle, a person with more regulated skin could get longer.  Also, don’t discard the bottle when the pump stops, there’s always loads left in the bottom.

What’s in it?

Magic.  Seriously magic stuff.  It calms your skin in an instant so it must be.  It does have something called Proteolea in it which contains 100 x more vitamin C than apples, apparently this is important if you’re looking for anti-ageing type properties in your skincare.  It also contains Sacred Lotus which is known for its calming, soothing and anti-inflammatory qualities.  That’ll be the magic then.  It’s a great mattifier too which I know is often a product people use separately.  Basically the brand is a clinical brand and they use that clinical knowledge to address environmental skin issues.

Where can I get it?

The Vivderma website!  I don’t know another place that sells it and Viv Derma deliver fast.  I guess these days Bloggers have to declare relationships and I don’t have a relationship with Vivderma at all.  They didn’t ask me to recommend this product to you or to direct anybody to buy a product from them.  It’s a product I was given by a beauty PR who represented them (at the time) in a time of need and I’ve stuck with the brand as a customer ever since because the product is tried and tested (by me) and I genuinely love it.  I guess that’s just how this works right?  If you try something and you love it then you just keep on keeping on?

What it’s really great for is stopping those annoying pimples that you get under the surface of the skin, the ones that sit there taunting you but never quite break through.  I use the La Prairie skin peel dupe from Aldi (yes really because it’s bomb ass and it’s only £7) followed by this and it stops them in their tracks.  If you’re serious about finding skincare that works, then this really does.

Pixie

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

How To Find An Awesome Aesthetics Practitioner

The aesthetics business is booming right now and the rise in so called “Selfie Surgery” is fuelling that boom.  From minor ‘tweakments’ to full scale surgery, it’s never been more normal, or accepted to admit that you’ve had work done.  What was once only accessible to the rich and famous has hit the mainstream and I can guarantee that you already know someone who’s dabbled in the world of aesthetic treatment, whether you know it or not.  It’s no longer about looking ‘done’, just as fashion has trends, so does the beauty industry and within that, the aesthetic industry.  In the 90’s Pamela Anderson appeared on the scene with her surgically enhanced breasts and the silicone era was born, today’s version is Kylie Jenner, with her plump lips and crease free face, she’s the poster child for an industry that we hold up as the Holy Grail.

two images of Kylie Jenner side by side showing the pre and post effects of her facial aesthetic treatments

But can we really turn back time, or at least hit the snooze button for a little while, using just a needle?  Well, yes as it turns out.  When you seek out advice from an Aesthetic Doctor it’s completely bespoke to your face structure and needs, it’s not like taking a prescription medication which is prescribed universally for a particular set of symptoms.  That’s the reason it’s important to do your research if you are planning on looking into taking the injectables route, the Safety in Beauty Campaign seeks to highlight the difficulties in regulating the industry and ensuring that practice is safe.  Nobody wants to end up on Botched Bodies and there are a few things you can do to prevent that from happening:

1. Only seek treatment from a qualified doctor, nurse prescriber or dentist to ensure that your practitioner has a medical background and a knowledge of facial structure and dynamics.

2. Beauty Therapists, no matter what they claim, are not trained medically, and if something does go wrong, they can’t prescribe the product used to treat and dissolve filler.  In fact there is a national campaign gathering momentum to call for a halt on this type of medical practice taking place outside of a medical environment.

3. Have a clear idea of what it is you want to achieve, rather than the product you want to use.  Just because a product worked for someone else, it doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you, your practitioner will look at your facial structure and help you to decide.  Sometimes filler can be used to slim down other areas, it’s not always injectable toxin you need.

4. Be prepared to hear “No”.  A good aesthetic doctor won’t be afraid to turn you away if treatment really isn’t necessary.

5. Don’t have unrealistic expectations, if you’re 46, you won’t leave the clinic looking 26.

I’m no stranger to the odd tweakment, I’ve been having Botox injections for almost two years now, I was probably late to the game at my age (the average age that women to begin aesthetic treatment in the UK is now just 22) but it’s something I’m happy with and planning to continue.  I have an inherited forehead line that completely disappears around two weeks post treatment and looking back at pictures from as little as two years ago and seeing how much I’ve managed to change and control that particular facial dynamic using a minimally invasive procedure is seriously impressive.  To me anyway.  The fashion industry is cut-throat, youth is its currency and everywhere you look there are examples of good and bad aesthetic treatment, the chances are, you only ever notice the bad.

One of the most important things to remember if you are making inquiries about possible aesthetic treatment, whether it’s dermal filler, lip filler or wrinkle relaxing treatments, my advice is the same:  cheap treatment doesn’t mean you’re getting a bargain.  Seriously, those FaceBook ads you see advertising lip filler or wrinkle relaxing treatments for an unbelievably affordable price, can come with a hefty hidden cost.  You’re literally putting your face on the line here, the first thing people see when they look at you, your shop front as it were.  Do research, look at previous work, ask about medical qualifications and whether they’re equipped to manage you as a case should things go wrong.  If somebody claims that things “never go wrong” alarm bells should be ringing.  Like any surgical procedure in a hospital, aesthetic treatments, although minimally invasive, are still medical procedures and yes, things can occasionally go wrong.  What you need to be sure of, is that if you happen to be one of those people in the minority, are they able to treat you effectively.

The biggest change in my own face has been through growing in my eyebrows with the assistance of a (private) prescription only product called Lumigan.  You’ll have seen me raving about Lumigan on here and on social media but I can’t begin to communicate just how effective it is, without showing you.

An image of Blogger Pixie Tenenbaum leaving the gym showing a lined forehead and sparse brows pre-treatment
An image of Blogger pixie Tenenbaum leaving the gym looking line free and fresh faced in 2018

The picture on the left is pre-botox and mega brows (obvs) and was taken in 2016 as I was leaving the gym, the picture on the right was taken a few days ago (2018), also leaving the gym.  Neither image is posed for or altered in any way.  Big difference right?  See my point is, if you are planning on traversing the aesthetics slope, then the best way to do it is to look hard at yourself and only treat the bits that matter, don’t jump on the bandwagon to follow a trend just because somebody else is doing it.  Aesthetics is about you, and you alone.  You can’t change yourself to be someone else.

Of course, you could always adopt the Ru Paul mantra “If you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” and embrace what you already have….

P x

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

How I Switch Up My Look with SHOW DRY at London Fashion Week

When I travel to London Fashion Week I’m always working for the duration, that means I’m on duty for five full days and nights and in turn that results ins an overpacked suitcase that I usually need to sit on in order to close.  With that in mind, I need to meticulously plan every single item I take.  I plan two outfits per day, one for working shows and presentations, the other for partying on an evening.  Once I’ve done this, there’s little room for anything else.

I never, ever take any hair washing or styling equipment with me, not even so much as a hairbrush because space is precious and messy hair is cool.  So, how do I manage to stay looking awesome?  I always wash, tone and blowdry my hair the night before I travel, because I travel early, I get up and go, I don’t fiddle with it or restyle it, I literally get up and get out.  I wear that hair for the next three days, however it is when I wake up is how it is for the rest of the day, if it rains I might throw it up into a messy bun but I’m more likely to wear it messy topped off with a tifler.

Day three is where the magic happens.  I visit my favourite Notting Hill blowdry bar SHOW DRY who always look after me during Fashion Week and tend to my tresses.  They wash and prep my hair using products from the SHOW BEAUTY range (seriously, it’s worth it for the fragrance alone) and I usually opt for some sort of braid to keep my hair off my face and switch up my look for the remainder of the schedule.

Pixie Tenenbaum in the rain at London Fashion Week FW18

For the FW18 season day three brought with it hella bad weather.  The first day of bad weather for the whole of show season in fact, I’d been to the Paul Costelloe show that morning and been puddle dumped by a truck as I left The Waldorf Hotel so arrived at the salon in a fresh set of clothes but with gross and very wet hair.  After being greeted by Rihanna and given a bottle of San Pellegrino I felt decidedly less stressed.  She took me down to the back wash area downstairs which is dark shades of grey and black accented with gold, exactly like the bottles the SHOW BEAUTY products are so beautifully packaged inside.  We chatted about what sort of style I like, there have been some staffing changes at SHOW DRY so this is the first time Rihanna and I have met, I tell her that I’m an urban princess and “don’t want anything bridesmad-y or wedding guest-esque” she nods in agreement.

Pixie Tenenbaum at SHOW DRY Notting hill during London Fashion Week FW18 Hair is beginning to be blowdried
Pixie Tenenbaum at SHOW DRY Notting hill during London Fashion Week FW18 side view
Pixie Tenenbaum at SHOW DRY Notting hill during London Fashion Week FW18 Rihanna beginning to braid back the front of pixie's Hair

I usually plan exactly what I want in advance but this season’s schedule has been way too crazy to even remember my own name, so with that as her only brief, Rihanna gets to work blowdrying my over-processed hair.  To be totally honest, I pay little attention to what my Stylist does when i’m at SHOW DRY, I know I’m in good hands, the Notting Hill salon seems to just get it right without forcing their own opinions about what you should do with your hair.  For the duration of my appointment I sit and read the latest issue of Vogue on an iPad provided by the salon whilst they kindly charge my phone.

Pixie Tenenbaum at SHOW DRY blow dry salon at Notting hill after having hair blowdried and braided
Engage Fembot mode
Close up of Pixie looking sideways in a floral dress with loosely curled hair by SHOW DRY Notting hill for London Fashion Week

In 45 minutes I’m done.  Washed, blowdried, waved and braided.  In just 45 minutes my rain and puddle soaked hair has been transformed from resembling dull hessian curtains you might find in a nursing home, to bouncy FemBot-esque waves with twin split Dutch braids through the front.  Winning.  Despite leaving the salon looking freaking amazing, I hasten to add that it literally rained crazy heavy for the rest of the day.  I threw on a Baker Boy hat and popped the collar of my faux fur coat (which hasn’t looked the same since) and went on my merry way.

Basically the moral of the story is, pack heavy, ditch the styling equipment, rock messy hair for part one, hand part two over to a superfly blowdry bar like SHOW DRY and basque in how easy you made it for yourself.  Cheers SHOW DRY Notting Hill, same time next season.

Pixie xo

Categories: Beauty, Fashion, Uncategorized

Brow Maintenance 101: Home Products

Right, you can’t say I haven’t given you everything you need to get your natural brows looking fleeky AF.  What with How to Grow Show Stopping Brows as your baseline, giving you actual magic which will grow hairs on your face, right through to The Science of Perfect Brows which hits you square in the face with the two main trends for brow shape, and how to determine the shape for your own face – you’re pretty well looked after Voyeurs.

Assuming you’ve read and acted, here’s a guide to what’s hot, and what’s definitely not, in the world of brow maintenance.  Now as you know 2017 was the year that brows were compounded as a whole separate area of the beauty market.  From waxes and transfers to stencils and pencils, the beauty shelves were awash with products claiming to give your brows added zing.  But they aren’t cheap, and it’s a marketplace that’s difficult to navigate when every product claims to be amazing.  so, you’ve put in the work, you’re sporting a bushy set of Fashion Brows.  What now?  Well a lot of those products, you don’t actually need and you’d be better off keeping that hard earned cash where it belongs – in your wardrobe.

Well, my baseline is always a brow tint.  Go to a professional and ask them to use the HD Tint in a shade that’s just slightly darker than your natural brow colour.  I use The Wax Bar in Newcastle but most beauty salons are au fait in tinting brows.  When I’m done I ask them to take the excess off and leave whatever else behind which I remove myself at home.  This makes a tint last a full fortnight but on the flipside you look like a crazy person and therefore must go immediately home from the salon and never, ever look anyone in the eye on the way home.

So, home use products for brows, it’s a literal minefield but here is everything you need to keep your brows in check and one to steer well clear of…

Flatlay product shot of Tom Ford Brow Sculptor in Espresso, Nouveau Lash Serum and Maybelline Tattoo brow

NOUVEAU LASHES CONDITIONING SERUM £19.99

Product Shot of Nouveau Lashes Conditioning Serum Tube

Nouveau’s super conditioning Lash Serum is a staple beauty product.  I have two tubes on the go at all times, one for lashes and one for brows, whilst Nouveau do produce a specific Brow Serum in a purple tube, don’t bother with it and opt for this one instead.  When I’ve washed my face, toned, moisturised and my Lumigan has dried, I coat my lashes in this.  It makes them look thick, lustrous and glossy and sets them in shape ready to be pencilled in.  It’s super gentle and not at all sticky so there’s no risk of ending up with makeup stuck in your brows with this product.

TOM FORD BROW SCULPTOR £36

Product Shot of a Tom Ford Brow Sulptor pencil in shade Espresso

This cult brow shader is at the more expensive end of the scale when you consider that you can pick up a brow pencil at The Body Shop for just £7.  Stop buying other brow pencils, this is the real deal and will change your brow game forever.  Made of wax and sculpted into a blade shape, you can reach the areas under the hairs with ease and there are no tell tale signs or powdery finish like you get with some brow products.  It has a built in blade rake style sharpener and a brow brush too making it a brow powerhouse.  I’m going to make a bold statement here and say this one is even better than Anastasia Beverley Hills Voyeurs.  Yes really.  Once you try it you’ll never buy another brow pencil again, I have three; one in my car, one in my handbag and one in my bathroom.  It’s worth every penny.

MAYBELLINE TATTOO BROW

Product Shot of Maybelline Tattoo Brow box and product in shade Dark Brown

Maybelline Tattoo Brow is just awful.  The premise is that it’s a super temporary tinting product you apply at home, the reality is somewhat different.  It’s messy, difficult to remove and tears out precious brow hair with it.  That’s not even the worst part, the tint is on a red base meaning that it’s inevitable that at some point between applying the product and the tint fading some two to three days later, you will end up with ginger eyebrows and surrounding skin.  Which might be fine for red heads but for everyone else it means spending three days inside or wearing a balaclava.  This is a no go and for £12.99 it’s an expensive way of ruining your face framers.  I was horrified after using this on myself and almost resorted to a Sharpie.  Yes Voyeurs, a fucking Sharpie.  Avoid, and Maybelline if you’re reading this, do better.

Pixie xo

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Pixie Tenenbaum 2023

Pixie Tenenbaum 2023

People will stare, make it worth their while

Pixie Tenenbaum

FASHION VOYEUR

Freelance Fashion and Beauty Writer
Currently taking review slots
Hire Me: pixie.tenenbaum@gmail.com

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Freelance Journo, Copywriter/Editor with EDS I write about fashion, lifestyle & beauty, & sometimes other stuff. ex-NHS https://t.co/GaeU4EHkOy

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pixietenenbaum Pixie Tenenbaum @pixietenenbaum ·
24 Nov

🤦🏼‍♀️

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pixietenenbaum Pixie Tenenbaum @pixietenenbaum ·
21 Nov

Wow

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18 Nov

Had a lush day at the @WynyardHall #ChristmasFayre yesterday. Gorgeous crisp Winter weather, lovely company & some lovely sellers. All in the most beautiful setting

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