Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: Beauty, North East

John Lewis Beauty Retreat

If you’ve visited John Lewis department store in Newcastle you’ll know it stands as a flagship shopping destination in the city.  Along with Fenwick it offers shoppers everything from fashion and beauty to kitchenware and appliances.  What you might not know is that hidden in plain sight, is the Beauty Retreat.

You’ll find this urban sanctuary hidden behind smoked glass at the back of the Beauty Hall and I’ll admit, I thought it housed only the Clarins beauty rooms.  What’s actually back there is a little more exciting than that….

I was invited along to the inaugural store specific blogger event aimed at discovering the beauty offerings from the department store giant.  You guys know already that I work with John Lewis on a national scale already and my ongoing love for inhouse denim brand AND/OR, but the beauty rooms are actually something that despite being right there in plain sight, are actually pretty easy to miss.  I’m here to tell you why they’re worth a visit.

I arrived to a super warm welcome from staff and a live performance from Music Newcastle’s David Ball (seriously, look him up, he’s young, hot and uber talented), our coats were whisked away and we were treated to a champagne reception and canapés that looked way too pretty to eat.  Well, I say that but I ate about twenty so maybe not strictly true, anyway, after an introduction from Spa Manager Claire, we were divided into two groups to explore on and off counter products and treatments.

With Taster Treatments on offer from Decleor, ESPA, Liz Earle, Elemis and Clarins we were spoilt for choice but managed to indulge in almost everything going.  The Retreat is a calming environment, despite being just yards away from the busy shop floor, it’s easy to find peace and tranquility in the soundproofed rooms.  So, what’s back there to aid the stressed out shopper in Newcastle?

DECLEOR

I hotfooted it to Decleor to try out a condensed version of their signature deep tissue massage on back and shoulders and as usual was told that my body is like a block of concrete.  Saying that, this girl almost had me sleeping, her firm touch was perfectly pitched for my aching shoulders and had me mentally adding her to my list of Fashion Voyeur approved Massage Therapists.

JOHN LEWIS URBAN RETREAT SPA DECLEOR

LIZ EARLE

Next up I headed to Liz Earle’s dedicated beauty room to hear all about the latest limited edition Hot Cloth Cleanse and Polish.  This cult product introduces a limited blend to its fragrance line up each holiday season, it doesn’t stick around and is always worth picking up, if you’re not familiar with the product then basically it does what it says on the tin.  it’s a eucalyptus blended cleanser that you ‘polish’ into wet skin using a muslin cloth and it removes ALL traces of grime, dirt and makeup without drying out your skin in the process.  The beauty room offers bespoke Liz Earle treatments that can be discussed and booked on counter in the Beauty Hall.

CLARINS

Clarins monopolises the upstairs space with a large counter and treatment spa which looks out over the store through smoked glass.  Therapists were on hand to give pressure point massages in those weird massage chairs that you can never quite get comfortable in.  The space upstairs is clinical, contemporary and quiet, despite being right in front of the busy department store.  With several treatment rooms at their disposal, the Clarins team have a suite of face and body treatments available to book as solo treatments or as a discounted block.

ESPA

ESPA are a spa specific brand I know and love, much like Decleor, their focus is on the power of aromatic blends which work deep into the muscles and surrounding tissue.  Their friendly Therapist was on hand to provide short massage treatments on the neck and shoulders and talk through the ethos behind the brand in the best smelling treatment room I’ve ever been in.  There’s also an Elemis beauty counter in the Beauty Hall with all of those candles you’ve come to know and love (Mama Tenenbaum buys me one every Christmas).

ELEMIS

Elemis was the last treatment room I visited and personally it’s where things unravelled for me, lack of attention to detail meant I was left with muscle cooling gel in my left eye causing blurred vision and if I’m honest, a pretty scary amount of pain, I wasn’t given any water or anything to try to clean it out, just a cotton pad.  Unfortunately my eye and the skin around it swelled and was left bloodshot meaning I couldn’t participate in any of the beauty hall counter action and this lasted long after I’d left the Retreat and arrived home.  If you’re booking in, maybe specify no muscle cooling gel on the eye area in advance to avoid any mishaps.

Needless to say, the Beauty Hall itself has some great cult brands represented such as Sisley and Creme de la Mer – if you haven’t tried the Creme de la Mer Tinted Moisturiser then hit up the counter for a three day sample pot straight away, it will change your life.  Bobbi Brown gave Influencers an exclusive preview of the new 2017 Christmas Collection ahead of its official launch and Chanel were on hand to give lip makeovers with their signature Rouge a Levres shade collection.  Something else you might not know about John Lewis Newcastle is that the GHD counter actually offers hair demonstrations with GHD tools; so if you’ve been wondering how the GHD Curve might work on your hair, or how to create the perfect curl with a flat iron, then pay them a visit on the ground floor, the girls on counter are always happy to help.

All in all it made for a pretty awesome night actually, except for the eye mishap which left me flustered and headache-y.  The event itself was very well organised and the staff who man the retreat are friendly and knowledgable when it comes to their specialist areas – especially the team manning the Decleor room.

We were given a programme of events on arrival meaning everything ran to time and we were given ample exploring time, the added bonus of us all  being entered into a pretty epic beauty prize draw was the climax of the evening and saw one lucky lady take home £300 worth of Charlotte Tilbury goodies, swoon!

Basically Voyeurs, go check it out, the fact that it’s a separate entity at the back of the store shouldn’t put you off, the team are lovely and they might just manage to revive you if you’re running out of steam during the festive shopping season.

Pixie xo

To book an appointment or enquire about the range of services on offer, email BeautyRetreat_Newcastle@johnlewis.co.uk

Categories: Beauty, Uncategorized

KISS Beauty VIP Launch in Newcastle

Last week beauty addicts from all over the North East were treated to a VIP product launch like no other in Newcastle and I was invited along for the scoop.

Set in the plush All About You Spa in the basement of Grey Street Hotel, KISS Products laid on a champagne fuelled party in the quartz crystal lined beauty cave hidden underneath the hotel. With a grey and white colour scheme, the spa lent itself perfectly to the stylish range of peripheral beauty products by this exciting affordable beauty brand.

Specialising in press on nails, glue on nails and strip lashes, KISS Beauty laid on a pop up nail bar allowing us to select our favourite styles from the huge range available, along with Nail Technicians to teach us the best application methods for long lasting results and beauty rooms with Lash Technicians on hand to apply our chosen styles.

With a chance to network with press and other bloggers, this VIP launch event set the bar high & that bar kept the champagne flowing all night long. But what about the all important products?

KISS NAILS

The selection of nails is impressive, there’s a whole range of shapes including square, almond, stiletto and classic. Different lengths from short to uber long, and finishes from matte to glossy, and that’s before we even get into the styles available. Basically if you can think it, they have it. From cool matte dove grey to mirror finish chrome and everything in between, this collection has got it going on. I didn’t get to try any of the nails as I was jetting off to vacation the next morning and had a fresh set of gels, but I took a selection of both the press on and glue on nails home with me to add to my beauty kit.

KISS STRIP LASHES £5+

The other KISS specialty is lashes, with the promise of something for everyone the range doesn’t disappoint. There’s literally a set of lashes to suit every eye shape and occasion, whether you want a flirty flutter or a subtle enhancement, KISS Lashes have got it going on.

You can buy these lashes as single packs, containing one pair (these Retail at around £5 upwards), or as a Starter Kit, which contains two pairs and a pair of angled, shaped tweezers that make it easier to get close to the eye (around £8).

My favourite styles are the super full and multilayered Midnight, which are a mink effect strip lash applied with glue to give a wide eyed Victoria’s Secret Angel style look, and the less dramatic xxx, which blends with your own lashes to give a subtle enhancement of thickness and length. I took both on vacation with me and they can be trimmed to fit your own eye shape as with all strip lashes. One thing to remember with these lashes is that the adhesive is sold separately so if you’re stocking up then don’t forget the lash glue.

Yes, they’re fiddly, all strip lashes are. Get over it. Practice makes perfect and it’s worth practicing with lashes as they’re effective if you can persevere and get them right.

KISS GEL LINER KIT £12+

KISS have a few other tricks up their sleeve with the launch of their Perfect Wing Gel Liner Kit. This consists of a small pot of jet black gel liner, a liner brush and a handy little wheel with cut out templates to create the most perfect and even winged liner. Winning.

KISS BEAUTIFUL BROW KIT £10+

There’s also a Beautiful Brow Kit in the KISS arsenal. A quad palette containing two powder shades, one highlighter and a clear fixing wax. With this quad you can create a custom shade to match your brows and fix them in place all day long.

If you’re not great at creating that perfect arch then fear not, this kit contains handy brow stencils that you can play around with to find your perfect shape.

One of the great things about KISS is that it’s a budget brand that’s available all over the highstreet and online, meaning it’s one of the biggest and most accessible ranges on the market. With prices starting at just £5, and even lower in Superdrug if you catch it in their Big Brand Offer, it’s something that’s not just for the big gals, this is something beauty loving teenagers can access too.

Affordable, long lasting and innovative.  what’s not to love?

Pixie xo

 

Categories: Beauty, North East, Uncategorized

Gel Nails at The Wax Bar

You’ve heard of The Wax Bar right?  Long story short, it originated in Edinburgh then opened up in Newcastle in December 2016 specialising in all things wax, if you aren’t familiar then shame on you, I wrote a post about their launch party, their branching out from wax into the art of LVL Lashes, and their awesome resident Waxpert Gemma, formerly of Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic.  Get acquainted Voyeurs and do your homework.  Now.

The Wax Bar specialise in way more than just the sticky stuff, they may be Wax Connoisseurs, but these gals do a mean set of gel nails at their inhouse nail bar.  Situated on upmarket St Georges terrace in Jesmond on the outskirts of Newcastle, and most importantly, with a boat load of free parking right outside the door, The Wax Bar’s pink white and grey colour scheme and minimalist decor offer a fresh, modern alternative to those who flock to Jesmond for their beauty treatments.

I was invited along for a luxury gel manicure  and got way more than I expected when I took my seat at the New York style nail bar.  Usually when you drop in somewhere for gel nails you get just that, a lovely shiny coating of gel polish in a colour of your choice that lasts for somewhere in the region of 2 weeks, give or take.  At The Wax Bar, you get a full nail overhaul;  Nails are shaped and matched in length, cuticles are clipped and oiled in preparation, nails are buffed and then you make your choice from the huge selection on the wall.

Gemma tells me that they’ve found the perfect combination of gels to give the best finish at The Wax Bar, using a branded base coat with super staying power under Shellac gel they’re able to achieve optimum shine with maximum resilience.  I opt for black (obvs) and after some very thorough prep, my nails look healthier than when I arrived, and shinier than a choir girl’s church shoes.  Once the topcoat is cured, I’m treated to a hand and arm massage to reinvigorate the skin on my hands and make it more luminous, to match my shiny new nails.  Sound familiar?  Levoi offers a similar service right in the centre of the pedestrian zone in Newcastle.

Personally, I love the convenience that The Wax Bar offers, being able to pull up and park (for free) right outside the door is a major bonus.  For people who suffer from post wax redness, particularly after facial waxing treatments, having easy access to transport home is an absolute godsend.  The fresh, urban feel of The Wax Bar is in keeping with the other new businesses breathing life into St Georges Terrace, the Ouseburn Coffee Co. is right next door meaning if you’re early for your appointment you can grab a locally sourced brew and chill in the sun outside.  One of my favourite things though, is the music; weird, I know, but when you’re lying there for 40+ minutes for a beauty treatment, the music is a big factor.  The Wax Bar don’t play typical spa music, they soundtrack their treatments with Ministry of Sound and Ibiza style chill out music and I’m telling you Voyeurs, it makes a huge difference to the feel of a place.

I’d say it’s worth taking the time to schedule a visit, whether it’s for waxing, HD Brows, LVL Lashes or gel nails, every service The Wax Bar offers is a five star treatment and the service is excellent.  My gel nails lasted a whopping 18 days before the first tiny chip appeared  (I was peeling a label off a delivery box) at the time, the second chip appeared after 21 days.  I’ve visited since then and had the same treatment, I’m 19 days in with no chips as yet.  If you’re like me and you can’t function without a bit of colour on your nails, then give The Wax Bar a try for your next gel manicure, you won’t be disappointed – that’s a promise, not a threat.

Pixie xo

I was gifted a Luxury Shellac Manicure in exchange for an honest review.  A simple Shellac file and polish is £27, rising to £37 for the Luxury Shellac Manicure.  The Wax Bar offers a 10% discount for customers who check in on FaceBook during their visit and also runs a loyalty scheme offering a stamp for every visit where £20 is spent on treatments.

Follow @pixietenenbaum