MAILING LIST
Loading...Loading...
Blog

July 23, 2010 at 1:15 am

Advertorial
 

Some of you may remember that I did an advertorial for Toni & Guy Essensuals some time back. That was my first time
doing a proper advertorial and I was pretty worried at first that it may seem to some of our customers that we were
getting too commercialized/selling out. But I’m glad that the response we’ve received so far has proven otherwise!
We chose to accept advertorials not only because we wanted to answer queries about where we/Claire our model
get our hair/nails/facials/make up done but also to share additional perks as a small thank you to our loyal supporters :)

Anyhow in my previous post, I mentioned how both of us have been pretty obstinate when it comes to accepting new
advertorials because we only believe in supporting a brand that we have personally used and trust. Well, you can rest assured
that we’re intending to stick by that little motto regardless and sift out the best deals for you girls :)

Anyway this time round.. we’re collaborating with Strip!

While I don’t normally do my nails/waxing in Singapore, Mag was a happy happy camper because shes been going
to them since some time ago and absolutely loves the place.

She brought me to Beauty Emporium at House, Dempsey for a leg waxing session and full mani/pedi. Honestly, I wasn’t
expecting much of the place so I was pretty damned surprised when I walked through the entrance to this,
 


 

which you have to admit kind of looks like a quaint mix of Ikea and Marche.
 


 

I love the concept they have; little counters, booths and sections for different types of treatments -
aroma therapy, massages, essences, spa products, a small nail parlor and Browhaus and Strip right at the end.
 


 

They’ve even got this incredibly cute concept for their Test Kitchen :)

If the marketing director hadn’t told us, I wouldn’t have realised that Beauty Emporium, House and Barracks are
under the same company!

Basically during lunch time, they’ve got a baker to come in to make cupcakes/brownies/cookies.
You’re encouraged to try any of them although you don’t have to pay for it. But if you like what shes made, you pop what
you think is worth into a tin box. All you have to do is fill out a feedback form and she’ll work on it before she perfects
the recipe and that’s when the pastries are sold downstairs at Barracks Cafe :)

Anyway, moving on to the waxing session,

No pictures allowed during the process but for someone who is terrified of pain, it was manageable.

Actually, considering I was able to camwhore afterwards in the room while waiting for Mag, it was pretty damn good hahaha
 


 

And moving on to our full mani/pedi session :)
 

Check out the seat/view :)
It’s pretty refreshing to have greenery (and leaping squirrels) peeking back at you whilst stoning/getting your nails painted.
 


 

If you’ve got heaps of patience, the full mani-pedi is good because you get to properly sink into the armchair with hot lemon tea,
fluffy blankets and pillows, the full cleansing, trimming and nail painting treatment as well as a light massage.
 


 

Haha and heres me admiring my nails while waiting for our vouchers :)
 

When you pop down to Barracks on Thursdays and Fridays, you may also notice that they’ve got a high tea buffet from
3pm – 5.30pm at Barracks Cafe.

They’ve got a really pretty array of cakes, scones, tarts, mousse, cookies and finger sandwiches and these are the
pastries that would have been approved previously by customers from the Test Kitchen :)
 


 

A small perk for those who decide to pop down to Beauty Emporium on Thursdays or Fridays for treatment;
during checkout, you’ll be offered a discount voucher for 2 for their high tea buffet :)

The usual price is $25 nett per person but the voucher entitles you to $10 off per person and a free pot of tea!
 


 

Cheers to a relaxing afternoon pampering yourself before hopping off downstairs for high tea.
Now you know why I was sold ;)

And since we’re doing a small collaboration with Strip, the first 300 customers to make payment during our next
collection will receive a 20% discount voucher off a la carte service* slotted into their parcel!

*Services include:
Strip Waxing
Manicure & Pedicure

You can use this voucher at any of the outlets listed below:
Strip Co-Ed Beauty Emporium 8D Dempsey Road #02-01
Strip Co-Ed Cathay #02-10
Strip Co-Ed Great World City #03-09
Strip Co-Ed Ion Orchard #03-17A

Strip Co-Ed Mandarin Gallery #03-37

Strip Co-Ed Shenton Way Malacca Centre #B1-00

Strip Village 34C Lorong Mambong

**For those who are interested, please remember to call up to book an appointment and to clarify the availability of
services at the respective stores as some stores do not offer certain treatments/services.

**Further terms and conditions can be found at the back of the voucher.

More details will be up in our upcoming HVV post as well as in the vouchers :)
 

And here’s a small preview of what’s coming up the next post!
Will update this space with more pictures once Mandy uploads the rest of them :)
 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4830303862_be36b3560d.jpg

May 28, 2010 at 12:12 pm

Advertorial

 

Since some time ago, me & Mag have been receiving questions about where we usually do our hair/which stylists we go to.

And for the longest time ever, we’ve always recommended Toni & Guy for their brilliant expertise/skill, their willingness to listen
(if it’s one thing I hate, it’s when I request for the stylist to trim 1 cm off my fringe and he snips off half of it instead!),
their professionalism (it’s always nice to know there’s a senior technician around to analyse how a new cut will suit you),
the way they wash your hair (no one likes to have their hair manhandled), and their after-sales service (within a week, if you’re
unsatisfied you can always go back for complimentary styling/a second cut).

Prices can be pretty steep though especially if you require frequent maintenance for your hair!

A normal cut and wash is around $90 if you engage a senior stylist;
Some of you may also recall me going for a cut and straightening session (here) for $700+.
And for styling alone, like what I did for the Nuffnang Awards (here), it was about $200.

While some sponsors have been nice enough to offer us their products, unfortunately both of us have been pretty obstinate especially
when it comes to accepting advertorials because we only believe in endorsing a brand that we have personally used and trust.

So.… when we were given the opportunity to work with Toni & Guy’s younger sister brand, we jumped at the opportunity to share
the perks with our customers! :)

 


 

Newly opened at Bugis, Essensuals is basically the branched out, younger and edgier version of Toni & Guy.
Originating from the UK as well, the brand is run by David and Henne Mercer, the same people in charge of Toni & Guy Singapore :)

Best of all, there is no compromise or difference at all in terms of expertise and you get everything at a fraction of the price!

And I say that because what Toni & Guy did was relocate some of their top stylists and hair technicians to Essensuals.
Bryan who straightened my hair previously is now style director and Seline the person who styled my hair for Nuffnang has also moved over.

See see, same people! :D


 

These are some of the current promotions going on, but HVV has managed to clinch exclusive benefits on top of existing offers specially for our customers :)
If you’re interested, do remember to check our upcoming collections for further details/vouchers!

Anyway, since me & Mag were due for a haircut, we decided to pop down Essensuals to have a look/try out the new salon.

I decided to trim my hair, curl it and go for the treatment.
And because I was whining about how I wanted to blacken my hair, Bryan added a special little semi-permanent ingredient for me!
I figured that if my hair was darker, I’d look fairer ;)
 


 

Here’s Mag getting her signature alien pouf before Bryan taught her how to style her hair differently.


 

Sidetracking a little,
Another thing I really dislike is going for a treatment and having immediate soft flowy hair the whole day only to go back, shower,
and be rudely shocked into realizing that my hair was merely coated with products to look good temporarily.

For Essensuals, while there was a slight difference in hair texture after my treatment, I did notice that results were not instantaneous.
On the contrary, what I really liked about it was, the difference became more apparent over time, especially after you’ve washed your hair.

Gotta think long term you know?

Anyway, I was so pleased with the results and it was such a good deal, I brought Claire our new model to try it out as well!
 


 

Claire’s hair is naturally wavy and her results didn’t show all immediately either.

But …
tell me if you cannot see the difference in the pictures below!

The first picture was taken you know, during our last post and the second picture was taken 3 days after the treatment.

Now that is what I call Princess Hair.

$49 for a haircut and treatment.

You likey? >:)

Click on the picture for an enlarged version of the vouchers :)

And for those of you who asked, here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming up in our next collection! :)
Am still trying to rush out a couple more… If I’ve the time, will squeeze in more preview pics!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3384/4641396431_5395fc0687.jpg

Anyhow, for this coming post, I’ll be clearing all existing emails while my helpers verify payments so please rest
assured that you’ll definitely get a reply :) As long as you don’t send multiple emails, I’ll definitely be able to get
back to you asap. Thanks!! xoxo