Pixie Archives - Page 3 of 4

Waxology: The Science of Waxing

You know by now Voyeurs that I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to intimate waxing, it’s probably top of my agenda when it comes to waxing treatments and good waxers are hard to come by.

you’ll know from previous posts that I’ve lived between Newcastle and London for a number of years and have found a select few very good, very reliable waxers who specialise in the “Hollywood” – that’s everything off down there for intimate wax virgins – and these expert waxers should be top of your emergency contact list, right above your partner and / or mother.

Waxologist Frances Nixon has practised out of a converted room in her home in County Durham for a few years before deciding that it was time to branch out and bring her services further North, enter Waxology. Frances has set up shop on Saville Street, Newcastle, The discreet entrance provides the perfect cover for “shy waxers” and the period art deco staircase is a pleasant surprise as you enter the building; the Waxology room is clean and bright and Frances takes all clients through a pre-treatment questionnaire to check for any contra-indications, to say she’s thorough is an understatement. She talks through the treatment and shows me to a room where Im asked to go through the standard procedure before a Hollywood Wax, yes Voyeurs, this procedure is done panties off and it’s a breeze, way more pleasant than a visit to the Gynaecologist and the room smells amazing so we’re already streets ahead in the points stakes.

Frances chats through what she’s doing as she works, she tells me that she prefers to use Waxperts Hot Wax than the more widely known and used, Lycon Wax. She tells me she’s involved her regular clients in testing and found that this product is less painful, faster to use and more economical as less is used, making it cheaper for you, the customer.

The premise is simple, skin is prepped with oil and the hot wax only clings to the hair, shrink wrapping around it to remove hair, but not skin. The wax itself is painless, I’ve been having this treatment now for a million years and I’ve become acclimatised to it, although i’m advised that Wax Virgins could pop two paracetamol 20 minutes beforehand to help dull the pain, I’m super brave and just run with it…..

After 20 minutes I’m done. Frances is very thorough and gets to the parts that lesser Waxers can’t reach and there isn’t any of the stickiness often associated with intimate waxing afterwards – in a crude little nutshell, your underpants don’t stick to your bits.

I usually leave 6-7 weeks between waxing appointments and true to form this was the case with this wax, however I did notice a slightly more ingrown hairs than usual. This may be down to the fact that I usually have Lycon treatment and that’s what my body has become accustomed to, I’m not sure.

Frances currently practices out of the Newcastle studio Thursday and Friday and there’s a late night opening on the agenda too in the run up to Summer, for the rest of the week she’s in Spennymoor – literally covering all bases.

So, if you’re a regular waxer and can’t get booked up, have a waxing emergency or fancy trying an intimate wax for the first time, add Waxology to your list of Expert Waxers and check it out…

Pixie x

Waxology Newcastle: 17a Saville Row, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8JE

Waxology Durham: 20 Abbey Green, Spennymoor, Durham, DL16 6PD

Categories: The Archives

BCharmd Jewellery Blogger Event

I was recently invited to a Blogger event at BCharmd, a cute little jewellery boutique in Newcastle, I’d heard of the brand, but never actually visited the store so was curious to find out more.

I decked myself out in a Giles Gothic Victoriana blouse, as modelled by Kendall Jenner on the LFW FW15 runway, paired it with a Year One leather skirt and Chanel boots and bag, tucked my hair into my collar and off I fled.

The boutique, situated on Shakespeare Street, just South of our famous Monument, is small and cosy with a light airy feel. With a feature central island and wall fixtures, it’s easy to navigate and the great thing is, unlike so many other jewellery boutiques, the products are accessible – you can, and are actively encouraged, to pick them up and try them on.

I’m greeted with champagne on arrival and introduced to the boutique owner and Creative Director, Stephanie Milburn who not only designs the jewellery herself, but also makes a lot of it in her secret workshop below the boutique. She’s actually developed and patented a sliding fastener which can be used to lengthen or shorten a necklace or bracelet to give a completely different look each time you wear it – not just a pretty face this one.

BCharmd actually has a pretty cute back story, let me set the scene:

It was 2009 in the coastal town of Tynemouth….

Back to the boutique itself, the cool white and grey colour scheme lets the jewellery do the talking and boy does it talk, clever lighting highlights and reflects just the right amount of sparkle and glass cabinets and mirrors are polished to perfection to create a beautiful environment in which to showcase the products. There are some great gift ideas and some great interchangeable pieces which can be mixed an matched. Shop Girl Lindsey Crawford demonstrates the twist and stack technique like a pro on a range of necklaces which can be worn in several different ways. Lindsey tells me it’s about maximising use and getting the most out of a piece of jewellery and I certainly get that.

With the boutique right in the centre of town, it’s well hidden enough that you might never have heard of it, but so well placed that you can’t miss it. So if you like a bit of sparkle and you haven’t yet been then I’d urge you to check it out, the staff are friendly and approachable and the boutique has a warm atmosphere, you’re bound to find something you love in there – I know I did. Plus, you’ll be supporting local North East business and getting something relatively unique – what’s not to love?

I was gifted some beautiful jewellery by Stephanie and the team at BCharmd to wear to a fashion show and couldn’t believe how many compliments I got in just that one night so huge thanks to BCharmd for surprising me with that, you guys rock!

BCharmd is having a Champagne Christmas Party this weekend and you’re invited! Its an all day event on Saturday November 21st 10am – 6pm so there’s never been a more perfect time to get in and check out the cutest little jewellery store that’s right under your nose.

Maybe I’ll see you there this weekend, I have a big Christmas party coming up and I could do with an injection of quirky sparkle….

Pixie x

Categories: The Archives

Fenwick Unveils its Food Hall

A huge makeover and multi million pound overhaul of Fenwick Food Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne has finally been unveiled to the public and man, is it good. I was invited along to the launch night and it didn’t disappoint.

The family run Fenwick department store on Northumberland Street has long been a mecca for shoppers, offering something for everyone and recently expanding into stocking more niche, desirable products such as vintage Chanel handbags and Fifty Pound Gin.

Plans for the new and improved Food hall have been well publicised but with a launch date under wraps, and cleverly cordoned off sections, the revamp was very much a secret operation and one which was overdue.

Award winning interior design consultancy CADA design have overseen the transformation of the Food Hall and created a much lighter, brighter feel. The world famous design company have previously worked with Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and Charbonnel et Walker to name a few so there’s no doubting that our flagship department store has been in good hands.

With a brand new Wine Room featuring floor to ceiling bespoke shelving with sliding ladders and a chiller where customers can purchase wine by the glass, this new area really is something to behold. With attentive and knowledgable staff, Fenwick have gone the extra mile to make sure that whatever it is you’re looking for, you’ll absolutely find it here.

There are three new dining areas offering different experiences for guests. Mediterranean restaurant Fuego serves hand stretched pizza and has a casual bar area for shoppers who just want to rest their feet in luxury surroundings with a glass of something cheeky. Pan Asian restaurant Ko Sai is billed as a noodle bar but on closer inspection it’s way more than that. It’s a deceptively spacious dining area with 43 seats for guests hungry for something a little bit different than the city’s usual offerings. Finally Mason + Rye, a patisserie with a dine in option and a cake display to die for, it’s worth visiting the Food Hall for this alone.

Other new additions to the Food Hall include The Saltwater Fish Company which brings with it an Oyster Happy Hour where fresh oysters are only one pound per shuck. With more of a focus on local suppliers and locally sourced foods, Fenwick will house produce from North Eastern favourite Doddington Dairy, The Honey Store in Ponteland (to sit alongside the in-house range of honey which Fenwick itself produces in store) and Durham Green Lane who are known locally for their herb preserves and jellies.

The Food Hall itself boasts a fresh new look which brings it right up to date with the larger department stores found in London. With high ceilings and clever use of light, the Food Hall feels twice the size that it previously was and with intuitive zoning, shoppers are guided fluidly around each area. There’s a whole area dedicated to artisan chocolate with counters displaying freshly made truffles and pre-packaged chocolates which make for the perfect gift.

A view of Mason + Rye at Fenwick Food Hall

Heaton’s famous Naked Deli have set up shop in Fenwicks offering healthy, gluten free lunch options, smoothies and salads and the genius positioning right next to the door means city workers can nip in and out with a healthy lunch option – something that has been thin on the ground in Newcastle, until now. Directly opposite Naked Deli is Ouseburn Coffee Company, set up like a bar, it’s a great pitstop for shoppers and has a handy seating area where you can ditch the bags and mull over your purchases with local coffee.

By opening itself up to a whole new audience, Fenwick has assured its place at the top of the food chain (pun intended) when it comes to gastronomic warfare. It would be easy to wax lyrical about the new Fenwick Food Hall, it’s been a long time coming and has been a certain success, but the best way to find out is to go there for yourself and drink it all in. My parting advice? Take comfortable shoes, you’ll be in there a while….

Pixie x

Fenwick can be found at 39 Northumberland Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE99 1AR

Categories: The Archives

The Best Bikini Wax in Newcastle

You know by now that I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to waxing, particularly that of the intimate variety (Sorry if you’re reading this Dad but this is real important stuff), so when an opportunity crops up to try out a new place then provided it’s using hot wax rather than strip wax, I’m absolutely in.

I’ve favoured the “Hollywood” (that’s everything off folks) since the 90’s (talk about jumping on a beauty trend right?!) and living in London I shared my amazing Brazilian waxer with Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller and countless other celebrities, indeed Otylia Roberts was, and still is known as one of the best hot waxers in the world. When I relocated back to the North East this left me with a bit of an issue, largely existing as a six weekly trip to London for my fix.

Fast forward to right now and the North East is all over the Brazilian / Hollywood waxing “trend” with dedicated waxing salons opening up and existing beauty salons adding the service to their treatment menu’s. When Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic invited me to road test their Lycon Hollywood wax, they didn’t have to ask twice……

I arrived at the clinic and was introduced to Alex, my therapist for the afternoon. After being shown to a super cute and kitsch floral treatment room, Alex gave me instructions usually reserved for the OBGYN clinic: Undress my lower half and cover up with the towel provided.

Now for anyone new to this type of procedure, this is totally standard; you have to understand that to get a perfectly clean finish, you have to be sans underwear, it’s just that simple. Alex is an absolute pro – she understands that clients often book this particular appointment with trepidation and she instantly makes you feel at ease. There’s no awkwardness, it’s not uncomfortable at all, she tells me that she’s done it for so long now it’s the same as doing an eyebrow shape or a leg wax, it’s all about precision and providing the best service possible. So far so good.

Lets pause for an interlude; the wax Alex is using today is Lycon wax. If it’s not on your radar or already part of your beauty regimen then familiarise yourself with it because you’re going to like this one – It’s very different to traditional strip wax, where the wax is applied to the skin and a cotton strip is used to remove it, removing the very top layer of skin cells with it. When it comes to intimate waxing, strip waxing can be tricky, the same area shouldn’t be covered twice meaning that if the hair isn’t removed in one go, you’ve got a problem….

Enter Lycon Precision Waxing. Using only the finest resins, natural ingredients and aromatherapy oils, Lycon delivers superior performance, removing stubborn hair as short as 1mm. The area being waxed is treated first and then the hot wax is applied directly to the hair, the wax then shrink wraps around the hair meaning that only the hair is removed and not the skin. Once set, the wax is pulled away from the skin without the need for fabric strips, it means that large areas can be done quickly and because Lycon Hot Waxes can be re-applied to the same area many times there’s no skin trauma or irritation and I can honestly say that it’s relatively pain free.

So, back to Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic, as Alex gets to work, she chats the whole time about anything and everything, from tattoos to dungarees from Topshop, we could be in the line for the checkout at Tesco it’s so relaxed and within a mere twenty minutes I’m done. On a whim I decide to have my legs and underarms waxed whilst I’m there and before long I’m smooth all over and feeling inspired to book a holiday. There’s no stickiness or residue that’s often associated with waxing treatments and no redness so I’m good to go.

If you’re a regular hot waxer, a current strip waxer or a wax virgin just looking to take the plunge then I’d highly recommend Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic for several reasons: 1. It’s an uber professional service, there’s no awkwardness, these girls have seen it all before and just want to make you comfortable and give you the treatment you booked in for. 2. Situated above Superdrug on Northumberland Street, it’s a central location in Newcastle city centre meaning that you can be in and out in between hitting the shops and sipping an Americano, no biggie. 3. This is the clincher: This is without doubt, the best hot wax in Newcastle, if not the North East – trust me, I’ve done the research and even had the bruises to prove it. :-/

So, if you want a piece of the action, get yourself booked in with Alex but don’t go telling everyone, it’ll be our little secret, right?

Pixie x

To book an appointment at Newcastle Hair & Beauty Clinic call 0191 2320411

Categories: The Archives

The Plough, Alnwick

With its cool calming colour scheme and hunting lodge detailing, it’s hard not to feel relaxed and comfortable in the newly refurbished Plough in Alnwick. With £150k ploughed in to the renovation (see what I did there?!) everything from the contemporary decor right down to the staff and their uniforms, has been carefully selected in order to create a real luxury boutique brand identity.

From its ample parking concealed behind a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ recessed archway, to the carefully planned bedrooms and suites, this boutique hotel is a thoughtful home away from home, and a real destination. I whisked Sparky for a pre-birthday getaway in the gorgeous town of Alnwick and The Plough was to be our lodgings for the night – we arrived on a bright sunny day and after a brief stop off at fab bookstore Barter Books, we checked in and were shown to our hunting lodge themed room on the first floor.

The first thing that strikes you in each of the rooms at The Plough is the thoughtful home comforts, the standard of presentation and the cleanliness – A slate tray of brownies or cookies is laid out in each room on arrival, along with locally produced crisps, soft drinks and bottled water. There’s a Nespresso coffee machine with a variety of coffee blends and a plug in fan just in case. We’re also informed there’s an iron and ironing board should we need it (we don’t, I barely iron at home let alone when I’m on vacation).

Staff at The Plough are friendly, helpful and very pre-emptive. Before I’ve even had the chance to verbalise my thoughts of dinner, I’ve been booked into the restaurant and I’m starting to wonder whether they might be trained in mind reading. Uniforms take their cue from twenties era New York paperboys and it works, the shirt, tie and tweed waistcoat combo looks super cute.

Once we’re sorted we head down to the bar to sample some of the amazing drinks on offer, the back bar is a smorgasbord of gins and spirits and once we’re settled with a (locally distilled) gin and tonic and a beer, we chat to the barman who tells us stories about how The Plough has changed over the years and how he genuinely loves working there.

After a quick change, we head out to the first floor dining room for dinner where we spent far too much time cooing over the amazingly rich, decadent menu and being indecisive, the thought of local North East produce being a real draw. Taking it’s cue from the hunting lodge theme, there’s something here to suit all tastes, from sea bass with pak choi to lamb with sautéed sweet breads and the presentation is divine, it’s almost too pretty to eat and near enough all of it is sourced in the glorious North East.

The food served at The Plough is soul food. It’s a well put together menu and although we were left completely satisfied, we still found ourselves oohing and aahing over other peoples dishes.

Following in the vein of most boutique hotels, The Plough also offers a bar menu for casual dining, an Afternoon Tea menu (natch) and an a la carte menu. Interestingly, we discovered that there is also a huge and pretty well hidden room available for weddings and functions; as we were guided through the myriad of corridors we arrived at a huge, luminescent Aladdin’s Cave with a mezzanine floor and gallery staircase – a great alternative venue for parties.

After our evening meal we took a walk around Alnwick and were surprised to find just how close The Plough is to both Alnwick Castle and Alnwick Garden, with less than five minutes walk to each, The Plough is perfectly placed to facilitate a short break just miles out of the city centre of Newcastle. There are also some quirky boutiques in the town centre, Hotspur 1364 menswear is a hidden gem and well worth a visit.

When it came to settling down for the evening, we sunk into a mass of pillows and feathers as we lay in the super comfortable (but a little short) bed and had sweet dreams until morning. Breakfast is included with each stay at The Plough and it’s not to be missed – the cooked breakfast menu is supplemented with a selection of serve yourself cereals, fruit, yoghurts and juices and everything else is cooked to order. I went for my all time favourite breakfast: Eggs Benedict (reminds me of my days in Miami) and Sparky chose a Full English, coupled with freshly prepared breakfast smoothies and coffee, what we ate made for the perfect breakfast. Credit where it’s due, the Eggs Benedict at The Plough is without doubt the best I’ve ever eaten and I’ve lived in the States so that’s really saying something.

If Alnwick is the heart of the Northumberland countryside, then The Plough is surely the heart of Alnwick – with friendly, proactive staff who are well learned in the products they’re serving, comfortable surroundings and a relaxed atmosphere, The Plough should be on your list of things to do this Summer. Whether you pop in for dinner or afternoon tea or do as we did and have a sleepover, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed and this day and age that’s a rarity. The Plough is a hidden gem that deserves to be discovered and once you do, you’ll be back again and again, this is one place that truly lives up to its admirable four star rating.

Pixie x

We stayed in Room 1 at The Plough, for more information and for hotel and restaurant bookings

The Plough, 24 Bondgate Without, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PN

Tel: 01665 602395
Email: info@theploughalnwick.co.uk