The Archives Archives - Page 22 of 31

The Wax Bar Newcastle

With only a few more days until Christmas, party season is well and truly upon us. If you’ve let your party prep fall by the wayside then fear not as I’m about to tip you off with a brand new beauty offering you’ll want to add to your little black book.

What we’ve lacked in Newcastle for some time now, and you’ll know this because of my endless rants about it, is a dedicated wax bar. Somewhere that specialises in the art of hot waxing, from eyebrows to intimate waxing and everything in between, it’s something we’ve been in need of for a long time.

Brand new salon The Wax Bar aims to address that. On upmarket St George’s Terrace in Jesmond and with free parking right outside the door, the salon is perfectly situated for fly-by appointments. With salons in Edinburgh, Fife and now Newcastle, The Wax Bar is an established brand that’s rapidly expanding largely because of their expertise and quick appointment turnover. Founder & Head Therapist Nicole Peterson is a graduate from the Mary Reid International School of Beauty; an institution with a reputation for being the best of the best in the beauty industry, and those high standards are reflected in The Wax Bar.

From its signature charcoal and white colour schemes complemented by fuschia pink branding, The Wax Bar prides itself on being sleek and minimalist, much like its signature Hollywood wax. ??

I arrived for my appointment and was greeted by two smiling faces and a salon that smelled like fresh grapefruit. The place is gorgeous, pretty damn near perfect in fact. Smart, slick and very clean, there’s a nail bar in the main reception area too. I was introduced to my Therapist Gemma and taken through what to expect from my Hollywood wax (£38) in a well equipped room in keeping with the theme of the salon.

The Wax Bar favours hot waxing and uses Lycon wax throughout, if you’re not already familiar, here comes the science: Lycon is the market leader in hot waxing. Used with an oil prep, Lycon wax shrink wraps around the hair to remove only the hair and not the skin, reducing the pain caused by waxing to almost nothing. Because of this, the area can be re-waxed to remove stubborn hairs, something you can’t achieve with strip wax.

Aside from the gorgeous, simplistic colours scheme and genius branding, one of the best things about The Wax Bar is the speed at which they can turnover an appointment. With over ten years experience in the beauty industry and a flair for waxing, these girls have got mad skills and it shows. With no rushing, but also no waiting around, it’s the perfect appointment – done and dusted in a cool 20 minutes including changing time – perfect for days when you need to be in and out with minimal fuss and with online booking the process is streamlined from start to finish.

Obviously you all know by now that I’m a bit of a waxing connoisseur and after living in London, I’ve come to know where to find the best Wax Therapists in the UK. The Wax Bar definitely makes the cut. With a mission statement similar to Strip in London, although the salon also offers additional sought after beauty treatments such as LVL Lashes, HD Brows and nail services, the focus is firmly on the waxing with a full, diverse treatment menu dedicated to the sticky stuff.

Uncomfortable about intimate waxing? Don’t be. There’s just no need, yes there are places out there that may make you feel uncomfortable, The Wax Bar isn’t one of them. These girls eat, sleep and breathe wax, it’s their lifeblood and their job is to make you feel at ease, which they excel at. It’s a virtually pain free process, (yes, you read that right) and there’s a wickedy loyalty scheme to boot.

If you’re an intimate waxing virgin and are mildly intrigued, then man up and book an appointment, it’ll change your life. If you’re not brave enough to opt for the Hollywood wax then The Wax Bar offers a full suite of waxing treatments including eyebrows (£10), underarms (£15) and legs (£30). If you’re quick you still have time to grab one of their Festive Offers including a Half Leg Wax & Hollywood Wax for £40 instead of £56 and I’d stake my kid on the fact that you’ll be back for more….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Dress Me Luxe Launch Night

If you’re a fan of fast fashion then online boutique Dress Me Zara is a must for your Instagram feed. Currently undergoing a relaunch as Dress Me Zee, with its fast paced style turnover and an inhouse designer ready to replicate the latest high end pieces at high street prices, this is one secret you need to know about.

The brainchild of Jessica Broomfield, a girl from the North East who started designing dresses in her bedroom long before the brand became the business it is today. Dress Me Zee is the fresh, funky signaturen line, whilst new addition Dress Me Luxe adds high octane glamour and serious sparkle for high end, red carpet dressing. Heavily influenced by Balmain and the Kardashian/Jenner sisters, it’s full of sparkle, tassels and body con, perfect for occasion dressing.

I went along to the pre-launch runway show at Aveika last night to see the brand new Dress Me Luxe collection, along with the best festive pieces from signature line, Dress Me Zee, proving there’s something for every budget across both collections. The night was hosted by the gorgeous Sophie Gradon who also walked the runway, and the best bit? A pop up shop offering showgoers the chance to snap up a piece of the action before anyone else. (Apologies for the quality of the pictures, Aveika is notoriously difficult to photograph).

15401137_678112329060950_5052538634785529609_n

Amongst the many standout pieces were Yonce worthy double split fronted gowns in black and rose gold, and cool mini dresses with high necks and long sleeves. Oh yes, and a super cute little harlequin playsuit with just the right amount of sparkle.

When Jessica put the event together, she told me she was keen to support charity Cancer Research UK and made the admirable decision to donate £5 from every clothing purchase made on the night, to the charity. She made sure she came armed with enough stock in different sizes to cater for everyone and where stock wasn’t available, Jessica beams her gorgeous smile at me and says “No sweat, we’ll post it out the next day”.

I think I made six visits to the restrooms to try on dresses before settling on the first thing I tried on – typical. A floor length black gown, aptly named ‘Midnight in Paris’. With a double fronted thigh split and the kind of embellishment you could stare at for days. It’s safe to say that I’ll be leaving a trail of glitter as black as my heart in my wake when I wear this beauty. It was a tricky decision, this same dress is also available in gold and is also pretty amazing, at £59.99 I’d say it’s an absolute steal and it comes with the colour matched panties too!

The Dress Me Luxe range will be added to the Dress Me Zee website this week to complement the current collection and with next day delivery, there’s still time to pick up something unique and dramatic in time for your Christmas party to ensure all eyes are on you. The only problem? Narrowing it down to just one….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives

London Fashion Week February 2017

Don’t freak out Voyeurs but the provisional show schedule for London Fashion Week FW17 just dropped…

So you know we’re in a season of change, that Fashion Week in it’s current guise is under loose footing, and that glimmers of the new vision were evident during the SS17 season in October. In February we can expect more of the same. Slowly, more designers are choosing to show collections that fit the season in which they’re shown and opting for the ‘See Now, Buy Now’ format favoured by Tom Ford and Burberry.

But by far one of the biggest changes is number of designers making the move to show both Menswear and Womenswear on the runway during LFW, leaving London Collections: Men (LCM) in limbo.

So, what can we expect from the new and improved LFW? Well, February 2017 will see Roland Mouret make his return to LFW and stripe fanatics Ports 1961 will show on the LFW runway for the first time. The number of fashion presentations has also increased, giving rise to the busiest LFW schedule in a long time….

Obviously we’re still two months away from LFW unfolding and as we know, the schedule could still change at the last minute. So for now, mark your favourites, sit back, and wait patiently….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

10 Years of Hublot All Black Concept with Alan Shearer

Last night Alan Shearer took to the stage for an exclusive Q&A session to celebrate ten years of the Hublot All Black Concept at ROX Newcastle.

As a society event calls for less quirk and more class, I opted for an Alesha Dixon for LBD party dress that I picked up from my favourite Yarm boutique, DC Couture with super uncomfortable Kurt Geiger shoes, because apparently fashion is painful.

Hosted by Sky Sports Presenter, and the voice of FIFA, Geoff Shreeves, Shearer spoke passionately about his football career, his recent CBE, and his beloved Newcastle.

A hand selected audience were treated to personal stories from throughout Shearer’s career, from THAT Gareth Southgate penalty at Euro ’96 to his heart-wrenching decision to retire from his Captaincy of the England team to continue to play league football. With anecdotes thrown in about in team fights, Sir Bobby Robson and playing two touch in a shoe shop in fancy dress, Shearer had the audience riveted from start to finish.

But whilst anecdotes are great, and these ones really were, the reason this exclusive event took place was to celebrate 10 years of the Hublot All Black Concept. As a Brand Ambassador for Hublot, Shearer was given free reign in the design of a signature timepiece, named the King Power Timepiece; two of which were produced to his exact specifications. One of these sits in pride of place firmly on Shearer’s wrist, the other is up for auction for a very special cause close to the ex-footballer’s heart.

The Alan Shearer Foundation is a charity set up by Shearer to benefit children and young adults with disabilities. This isn’t just something Shearer has lent his name too though, he’s actively involved in the running of the The Alan Shearer Centre, the maintenance and the commissioning of new services and facilities within the unit. It’s something he speaks briefly but passionately about. The Foundation hosts an annual fundraiser and at the next big event in February 2017, the watch will be sold during the final hours of the live auction (you can bid on the King Power timepiece here) with bidding expected to reach upwards of £50k All of which will be ploughed back into The Alan Shearer Foundation. Kudos Shearer.

After the Q&A concluded, I caught up with Shearer to discuss his plans for the foundation and the type of people it aims to help. His answer? Anyone who needs it. Plain and simple, the centre was set up to provide support and respite for families just like mine, who care for disabled children or young adults. With an onsite respite unit where children can stay overnight with round the clock care, parents are given the opportunity to take a break once in a while. The best bit? It’s all provided free of charge. ??

With a personal invite to visit The Alan Shearer Centre in West Denton and Shearer promising to look after me, I got a real sense that Shearer is the real deal. That he doesn’t do this because it’s good PR, it’s because he’s fortunate enough to be in a position to make a difference, and he wants to do just that.

I had a great night partying with my girls, looking at beautiful jewellery and listening to inspiring stories from the most capped footballer in British history in his hometown. Doesn’t get much better than that Voyeurs.

Some boy that Alan Shearer….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Beauty Cupboard, The Fashion Closet

Millionaire Hair

You all know the struggles I’ve had with my hair and about three months ago and a course of Viviscal later, it started to show a bit of promise. My hair has always been thick, shiny and lustrous. It’s always been my crowning glory and I took for granted the compliments that people gave me on my super thick hair. That is, until it all snapped off after a horrific bleaching accident. Nutshell version: Too much bleach = unwanted haircut.

I went from having hair that could cover my nips mermaid style, to having hair that barely covered my earlobes. Bummer. It’s surprising how much it actually affected me, your hair is often the first thing people notice, and it can be an armour. But when you’re faced with an unintentional hair disaster, it knocks your confidence.

So, on my quest to grow back my thick, once beautiful hair, I tried most things, including the crazy remedies (castor oil and coffee grounds anyone? Yum). It seemed that my hair had gone into hibernation and then hit the snooze button. It literally refused to grow. I measured my root regrowth at the starting point up to this very morning and in just over 21 months, it’s grown almost an inch. ONE. INCH.

I did however have a recent breakthrough. I was sent a bottle of JKB Argent Millionaire Hair Mist which promised to be “The ultimate pick-me-up for dull, tired and lacklustre hair, it nourishes and transforms your locks from the inside out for incredible light reflecting, dazzling shine!”

Everything about Millionaire Hair mist oozes quality. From the sleek and simple packaging to the decadent, weighty glass bottle that was made to be displayed. First of all, the product is versatile, it can be used in place of dry shampoo, as a styling aid, as a blow-dry protectant or as a detangler.

Millionaire works by penetrating the hair cuticle locking in moisture and smoothing the surface. Unlike other hair oils that simply coat the hair, this oil works from the roots within solving your hair problems and preventing the singe you can get from using regular hair oil. Simples.

“I tried everything other than oil to nourish my hair. It was only when my mum said in her wise way “have you ever wondered why women in the Punjab have long healthy thick hair?” The penny dropped. Its all in the oil, but I didn’t want hair that looked greasy. No way. And that’s when I began developing Millionaire Hair Mist.” Jas Braich, Founder of JKB Argent

c05f93_563c5ff3a3e94587878a0667340b1dca-mv2_d_5213_3475_s_4_2

Because Millionaire is packed with organic ingredients, it has a shelf life of 8 months but trust me, you’ll develop and addiction and it’ll be long gone before the use by date. The smell alone makes it worth its £35 price tag. Founder Jas produces blends for herself, her family and friends and with a career honed in the retail pharmacy business, Jas understands what works effectively and the best way to deliver that without the use of harsh chemicals and parabens.

One of the best things I discovered whilst using Millionaire, is that my hair became more dense and thick pretty quickly. When I looked into why this could be, it turns out that the ingredients in Millionaire are proven to slow down hair loss resulting in thicker hair. Winning. I used it after every wash – Jas advises that whilst occasional use is good, Millionaire is like skincare and it’s benefits are longer lasting and more visible with routine use. With regular use, borderlining on addiction, my bottle lasted around 3 months, pretty damn good compared to high street products in the same genre.

There’s a reason Millionaire is garnering so much attention right now, with Harper’s Bazaar and Grazia naming it as one of their top picks, it’s definitely a must have item in my bathroom. Wanna join the Millionaire Hair Movement? Head to JKB Argent to grab a piece of the action, and with Christmas right around the corner, this would make an awesome gift. Just saying…

Pixie xo

INGREDIENTS:

Organic aloe vera leaf juice: smoothes, creates shine, attracts and seals in moisture

Organic Blackcurrant extract: a great antioxidant that helps to combat harmful and damaging effects of the environment gives great volume

Pomegranate extract: high in antioxidants which help bring life to damaged hair

Argan oil: provides essential fatty acids oleic and lineoic that benefits dry and dehydrated hair, will restore, regenerate, reconstruct and strengthen

Sage essential oil: imparts shine, intensifies colour and nourishes

Ginger essential oil: aids in stimulating hair follicles to promote hair growth

Castor oil: high in vitamin E, minerals and proteins, omega 6 and 9, replenishes the scalps natural oil and undo some of the damage of harsh chemical hair products