Tag Archives: waxing

Otylia Roberts Waxing at Gielly Green, Marylebone

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Gielly Green has been one of my favourite London salons for a while now. A stylish venue with careful and charming staff, it is a lovely place to have your hair done and pamper yourself from head to toe with the extensive beauty treatments. The Marylebone salon is extending its services and now boasts a long list of hair, face and body, nail, brow, beauty and waxing treatments.

Cheerful and smiley Otylia Roberts is a recent addition to the team. Polish born and nurse-trained Otylia moved to the UK in the 70s, she headed up the team at Harvey Nichols, and gained a reputation as the best Hot Waxer in the UK. In her long beauty career, spanning over 40 years, she has set up two companies and won numerous awards. She now brings her expertise to Gielly Green.

I was lucky to experience her mastery first hand when I went into the salon a few weeks ago to have a Brazilian wax with Otylia. Using plenty of talcum powder and chatting constantly throughout, this usually painful ordeal became a fun girly meeting. I usually sweat and swear throughout but with Otylia I felt completely at ease. She was casual and friendly but keen to do a good job.

I’m sure Otylia could wax in her sleep, in 30 minutes she perfected my bikini line. A trip to Otylia once a month should be an appointment in every girl’s diary.

More information here.

http://www.giellygreen.co.uk/

Ministry of Waxing, Covent Garden

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The Ministry of Waxing caters to men and women all over the world, with salons in New York, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore and London.

I visited the trendy Covent Garden branch. The salon is super stylish and the girls here run a smooth operation. After waiting for a few minutes with the assortment of up-to-date glossy magazines, I was escorted downstairs by Emily my waxer, waxist or waxpert (their words, not mine) for the day.

Downstairs the modern design and décor make the place look like a new bar or club. Emily swiped a silver packet (which I later discovered were cleansing wipes) from the wall and we walked to our allotted room.

I was reassured to see that everything on the Ministry menu is wax related… they are absolute specialists and experts in the field. The brand isn’t shy and the walls are emblazoned with bold facts about the company: “more than 2.5 million bushes beautifully pruned… and still counting”. But soon it was enough of the niceties and down to business, I stripped off, grabbed my squeezy monkey (specially designed for MOW customers’ pain relief) and lay in trepidation under the towel.

Ministry of Waxing uses premium hard wax for more sensitive bikini areas and soft or combination wax for less painful body areas. It was perfect timing for me as the next day I was jetting off for the Caribbean, and despite December approaching it was soon to be bikini time for me.

The Brazilian was much less painful than usual, Emily used tiny strips to quickly and effectively remove any unwanted hair. Like her colleagues, Emily followed the ‘Holy Trinity of Waxing: Hygiene, Speed and Quality’. She was very thorough and nimble and kept me distracted throughout, chatting away merrily. Before thirty minutes was up, I was beach-ready, and thanks to the monkey companion and Emily the Waxpert, it was a fun experience, far from the usual screaming ordeal.

Bikini Line            £17

Full Bikini            £27

Brazilian              £45

All off                        £45

More information here.

http://www.ministryofwaxing.com/

STRIP, Wax Bar, Notting Hill

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When it comes to waxing, girls across London swear by one beauty salon… I’d heard whispers about STRIP from girls at work, friends from school and pals from university. Finally it was time for me to break a lifetime habit (I have always visited an uber cheap place in South Ken) and venture into this pretty posh waxing parlour.

As this sexy brand grows in popularity the branches are multiplying. Notting Hill’s boutiquey venue is located conveniently near to Portobello and Westbourne Grove. I was stunned immediately by the rainbow lace display of alluring lingerie… the Hanky Panky and Mary Green ranges are particularly tempting… I found myself justifying a spend of £70 for matching bra and knickers.

I was so encouraged by the exemplary pre-wax care and attention that I even braved a Brazilian. My gorgeous smiley beautician Emily looked after me, talking me through every step… explaining the process so I could leave hairfree and educated by the experience.

Aside from feeling totally relaxed in the warm and comfy room, a tv plays background music videos, the perfect distraction. Strip have a variety of their own products, of which I tried the Chocolate and then the Lavender Hot Waxes. The use of hot wax is much less painful than strip waxing, much healthier and more effective. As a relatively inexperienced waxee, I wasn’t sure what to ask for – luckily Emily took control when I faltered! The wax was surprisingly fun, almost relaxing! The thick smooth wax smelt and felt divine, and gave amazing results, removing even the shortest hairs and leaving the skin barely red.

Emily recommended various products to improve my bikini line for future waxes… South Seas Bora Bora Body Polish for exfoliation and a very easy to use Ingrown-X-IT Solution spray to prevent ingrown hairs.

Hands down the best wax I’ve ever had, I’m hooked and am already planning my next Strip visit.

Visit the STRIP website here for more information and to book.

http://www.stripwaxbar.com/default.aspx