Rockstar French Pedicure

About two weeks ago I had a very interesting pedi job done, it's what I call the 'Rockstar French Pedicure' ... fiery red, black and a hint of glittery silver, bold and glam. I'm totally loving it! Kudos to the newly opened Lacquer Couture at Bangsar Shopping Centre. Well, it's almost fading now, next round maybe I'll try fuschsia and deep purple ....

Rockstar toes!

Terrific Turquoise Tips

Once in a while I deviate from my usual nail colors and go for something that shocks the system. I enjoy making people go "wah" *gasp*

One of my favorite nail colors, unfortunately, is not very wearable for day to day ..... presenting OPI Teal the Cows Come Home. This is actually a past seasonal shade, when I discovered it many moons ago, it was actually one of the last piece so I decided to make it mine. I had good reason to wear this yesterday as I had to match a Turquoise dress for a wedding dinner.

OPI Teal the Cows Come Home on me digits.

OPI Teal the Cows Come Home on me toes, methinks the manicurist did a good job. Credit to Colour Culture Bangsar Village II for a job well done!

There is one thing I'd like to highlight though; the shade name! It's abit the tak betul. Technically this is not TEAL, it's TURQUOISE, no? See below chart, I got the shade swatches off Google Images and placed them side by side for comparison. Please feel free to enlighten me if I'm wrong. I love both shades and I think they go so well together. I guess it doesn't really matter what they call it, as long as it's gorgeous.

Teal vs Turquoise.

Paint Me Pretty!

I finally managed to book an appointment with Color Culture... I chose BVII as I was planning to get my hammam at the same time. It was a complete relaxation cum pamper-me-silly weekend!

Here's the verdict:

Good:

• When I called them, they were pretty efficient; they even asked if I wanted a ring in advance as a reminder. And they asked if I have a preferred 'Color Artist' (which is what a manicurist here is known as)
• The uniforms, name tags, appearance of all the artist connotes a high standard of professionalism and seriousness in what they do here.
• The OPI color selection here far exceeds any other nail salons! Seriously.
• This is the first salon I went to who had 2 strategically mounted TVs! They had on Discovery Travel & Living which was superb.
• I was impressed with the Color Artist servicing a lady next to me; eventhough you can gauge that her spoken English was not good, she explained in decent English (complete with technical and medical terms) on the lady's nail fungus condition. Speaks of good training.
• My artist was a gentle girl called Joey who did a good job and was not overly pushy to try to sell me too many things.
• A good selection of services on their "menu" plus various "packages" to suit specific needs and budgets.
• The freebie! I got a mini set of stuff worth RM90 upon signing up the package!

Love watching TV while I get pampered!

The free gift worth RM90 which comprise 2 cleansers, one lotion and one full sized Avoplex Cuticle Oil. And a pretty pouch!

Not so good:

• They forgot to give me my receipt at the end of it, I had to turn back to ask for it.
• I signed up for a package which makes me a 'member', I would prefer to have some sort of card so I can track my appointments, colors used, purchases and the name of my artist. To rely on my memory alone is rather daunting.
• Lack of space within the salon to put my handbag and shopping bags.
• The place is really small and may not be able to accommodate too many clients at a time, and it gets noisy when alot of people come in at the same time.
• They are not as affordable as most neighborhood salons, but they gave me a certain level of confidence. Also, they use all imported OPI stuff, even the foot scrub, nail sanitizer and tools, which adds up to the slighter uppity price.
  

The end results .... see pictures of my pretty done-up nails!

For my manicure, I chose a pearlized nude shade.

For my toes; a shimmery pink, a drastic change form the usual deep vampish toe-colors I am used to.

Find out more about OPI colors at Bee's Reviews Galore.

Details for those who are keen to doll up your digits here ....

Colour Culture, Bangsar Village II
1F-11, 1st Floor, Bangsar Village II,
No 2, Jalan Telawi Satu, Bangsar Baru,
59100 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 03-2287 5129 / 2129
Fax: 03-2287 8129
Email: colourculture.bv@opi.com.my

Color Culture in One U

I was pleasantly surprised to see this advert board at One Utama over the weekend. I did mention in a previous post a while back that I wanted to try out Color Culture but I still haven't had the time and opportunity to make an appointment. Now they have expanded to One U, and apparently they just opened this month.

Well, for the benefit of those who stay in PJ area and frequent One U regularly but have yet to discover this, here's an irresistible offer of 15% off which is valid till end May:


If you can't see the number clearly, it's 7710 2290.

Have fun :)

What to Look for in a Nail Salon?

I really love getting my nails done ... I love the way it's so smooth and shiny and pretty and my badly bitten cuticles suddenly look picture perfect ... can almost be hand-model!

I've tried a few salons and I am hopelessly 'unfaithful' when it comes to salons, curiosity always gets the better of me. I've given it some thought and decided to list out what should we look out for when selecting a salon...

1. Brands used: reputable professional brands are OPI, Creative, EZFlow, Jessica & Orly, they should have a good selection of colors and nail art, it shows how creative and adventurous the manicurist can be.
2. Facilities: there should be proper tools, tables, proper lighting, built-in pedi-basins and seats.
3. Manicurists: The boss or proprietor should always be around and also doing the work alongside with their hired hands.
4. Hygiene: Cleanliness is key! They should have this heating disinfectants machine for towels and various tools (looks like a little microwave), cutters and cuticle trimmer should be stored into a jar or beaker with disinfectant liquid. A proper built-in pedi-spa basin is a must for me. Using a plastic basin and manually bringing in the water is a major turn off!
5. Considerate: They should be careful to ensure you are comfy; get you a drink, transfer your bag when you move from the table to the pedi-chairs, help you put on your slippers after pedi etc.They should not be overly pushy and try to cram down this-and-that product while you are in their hands, nor try to convince you to commit packages, informing politely is good.
6. Comfort: Cushy chairs and adjustable pedi-seats are a nice touch of luxury! One place I go to has a controllable massage function on their pedi-seats! Cool! Basic things like good lighting and just-right a/c temperature helps makes your 2 hours a blissful experience.
7. Pricing: The market rate is around RM70 plus-minus for a basic mani plus pedi. Special treatment prices varies. Nail art varies from RM 1 - RM5 per nail depending on the ornaments or complication of the art.
8. Focus: The salon should not attempt to do too many things. Most salons also offer waxing services, that's okay. I personally prefer a proper nail salon and not one that is also a hairdresser cum facial cum spa etc etc. Trying to do too many things comes across as less professional to me. I once did my nails in a spa place (nice spa) but the freelance manicurist cut the skin of my toe so deep that it hurts and was really red after that, thankfully it did not bleed :(
9. Recommendation: Always ask around for recommendations from others.

Shortcake's Basic Salon Etiquette:

• Always call and make an appointment in advance.
• Don't ask "will this color look good on me ar?" The manicurist does not live inside your mind nor walk in your shoes. Only you can know what color suits your skin tone, your clothes, your lifestyle. If you work in a bank, maybe bright glittery turquoise is not the right choice. If you are attending a wedding, black might be frowned upon, unless the theme is "gothic bride" but quite unlikely. I bet the manicurist can't wait for you to make a quick selection so she can get on with it as there are appointments lined up. You should go there with a clear idea of what you want.
• If you are doing your nails for a special occasion, e.g. your own wedding or Chinese New Year or Christmas party, then feel free to ask for suggestions on the popular trends. Some salons have special festive nail arts lined up, e.g. cherry blossoms or gingerbread man designs.
• Don't be shy to bring your own favorite nail colors to the salon. Some salons even practice giving you a small discount if you BYO.
• If you have to match an outfit badly, bring it along to match against their colors.
• Don't change your mind after the manicurist starts painting. She will have to remove it and re-do it for you. If the first color was a strong color, you risk staining your freshly cut cuticles, what a waste of work and time.
• Avoid wearing multiple or heavy jewelry items such as bracelets, rings, watch etc as you will need to remove them anyway.
• Do not wear long jeans / pants etc that cannot be folded up easily. GO in shorts or something that rises easily above your knees so they can scrub your legs with ease.
• Needless to say, when doing a pedi, do not go there with closed-toe sandals or covered shoes!
• Avoid indulging in salon gossips and loudly declare your household problems nor grouse about your boss, you never know who knows who there!
• Turn your phone off to silent while your hands are getting done, imagine your ringtone blasting loudly in a small peaceful salon and you can't reach into your bag cos your nails are halfway done! You can fumble around with it later when they work on your toes.

That's all I have based on my experiences and feedback from friends. Do feel free to share your thoughts or experiences as well.

These are my fav salons for now; they are pretty good:

Nails Extreme
22 Ground Floor, Jln USJ 10/1B, Taipan USJ (same row as Burger King)
Tel:+603 - 5631 9877
They have the cool massage pedi-chairs!

ProNails
Centrepoint Bandar Utama (facing school, next to 7-Eleven)
Tel:+603 - 7726 7885
always full, need to book days in advance!

I am quite keen to try out the new OPI boutique salons: Color Culture, they look really nice :) Check them out here: http://www.opi.com.my They actually have salons in Bangsar, Mid Valley, Curve and Pavilion. Have anyone tried them out yet? They look expensive to me. Are they any good?

Have any cool salons to share?

New Nail Salon: Twinkle Nails

I received this in my workplace mailbox, wonder how these people get my email address and spam me ... sigh. Anyway, this is surprisingly useful as it's a flyer for a nail salon called Twinkle Nails located in Metropolitan Square, Damansara Perdana, where Citibank is. I have not been there yet but the photo of their store interior looks pretty, they appear to use reputable good brands such as OPI, Creative and EZFlow. Cosy looking red chairs as well. I suppose I will pay them a visit if I'm that area and in need of mani-pedi :)

Hope this is useful for those of you who frequent this area :)

TWINKLE NAILS

E206, Metropolitan Square
Jalan PJU 8/1

Damansara Perdana

Tel : 03-7728 6282

Operating Hours

Monday to Saturday: 10.30am to 8.00pm

Sunday : 10.30am to 7.00pm
Just right-click and download the 2 flyers above.

If anyone have already visited them, please do share your comments / experience.