Nails

As well as being addicted to beauty products, those who know me – and those who don’t, will know I’m also addicted to bling.  From birth my dad called me Magpie as I gravitated towards foil and my love of all things shiny, sparkly and glittery is still with me at the ripe old age of.  I took my love of rhinestones into Essex, years before TOWIE tried to steal my crown and added diamantes to everything I could think of. Flip-flops, bikinis, cards, tops, even my trainers were adorned with Swarovski crystals (must remember to patent). In fact, one would often know my gym routine as I would leave trails of crystals, from bike to gym mats (must patent strong glue) – even members of Legs, Bums andTums were distracted by their sheer brightness, blinding them from doing that extra sit up (excuses).  So it was only a matter of time before I took my love of bling to French Quarter, an Aladdin’s cave of gifts and accessories and introduced Tanya Lee’s stock.  Thriving, my legacy lived on as girls adorned the streets of Brentwood with their shining headbands and glittering phone cases. It doesn’t stop there, expect to be held at ransom should I spot you wearing something sparkly, only yesterday in Starbucks I stood gawping at a toddlers sequin boots.  The mother was glaring at me, whilst I stood in oblivion and wanderlust at these shiny boots and I shamelessly went into a strop when Google couldn’t find them. Next time I will just ask!

So it was a typical morning last week whilst ordering my de-caff skinny cappuccino at my gym, Virgin Active Clearview, when I saw Meghan one of the girls who worked in the salon. Actually I didn’t see Meghan, I saw her nails – and they had me transfixed. Dancing before me, were the twinkliest, glitteriest jewels I’ve ever seen.   A mirror of pink, Swarovski, micro particles adorned her nails catching the bar lights.  Mesmerised and mouth open I drooled, and once again I stood there gawping unable to move. Now I’ve seen glitter nails - I invented them, but these were of a different league, the ruby slipper of all nails and I didn’t care what it took I had to have them and this time I was asking.  So it was to my absolute ecstasy (yes, really),  when she told me the beauty salon had just got this colour in and best of all they were the new Jessica GELeration  polishes, so last at least 2 weeks. 

I immediately booked an appointment with the Virgin Active Tranquillity Spa to give my nails the Cinderella of all mani/pedis. On the day of my appointment I was led into the nail bar area of the salon. The soft aubergine tones, dimly set lights and wonderful aroma of essential oils from their Espa range, immediately transported me away from the bustling activity of the rest of the club.  My nails were first prepped by removal of nail varnish, file and an in-depth cuticle tidy up, which is essential for making the colour last. Then with precise application the colour was painted onto my nails, whilst between layers I had to insert my hand under a LED lamp to set the colour.  The colour dries instantly and once the final application of top coat is applied, it’s wiped with a solution to rid of any residue and nails are then good to go. The same procedure was then applied to my toes, whilst I was topped up with Costa drinks (thanks Lauren).  I was assured by Laura Cole, the Health and Beauty Manager, that GELeration does not damage the nails, in fact they prevent environmental damage to the nails to enable them to stay strong.  Removal takes minutes and can be done at the salon. The beauty of this procedure is the high shine quality and long wearing formula. I chose Aphrodisiac, but there are over 50 colours to choose from.

I’ve since worn flip flops in the rain, been stopped in Lakeside twice asking where I got them done and best of all I’ve got my title back as the Queen of Bling of Brentwood!

Clearview Virgin Active is offering a 20% discount on their GELeration nails valid until end of November. To book call 01277 815640 (choose option 4), quoting askmollybeauty. For an extra £10 they also offer full use of gym, pool and spa facilities.

If you would like a review of your beauty business or have a beauty query contact me via twitter @askmollybeauty or email askmollybeauty@gmail.com.