Are you Investing your Money Wisely? Beauty Facts Every Woman Should Know
If you had to choose between a quick fix beauty treatment in a comfortable environment where high quality products and materials are invested in for the purposes of repeat business, or a quick treatment simply for this reason alone without taking into account the types of products being used and the methods through which they are applied, which one would it be? If the latter, then I think it’s fair to say that you just might be cutting off your nose to spite your face. Cheap and cheerful products may work for a short while with no longevity. You will find cheap nail salons everywhere but how many actually practice quality care in the form of high customer service, investing in top staff training and more importantly ethical products to give us peace of mind? Low-end nail salons tend to operate more non-conventional codes of practice as opposed to adopting traditional ways of carrying out beauty treatments. Do you think that using a blade to remove dead skin during a pedicure is acceptable? Or using a drill to remove nail varnish is the best way to care for your nails? In the long run, they will end up unhealthy. What I can share with you is some beauty facts that top-end beauty salons practice. They do not:
- use a blade which is like surgery as you are cutting the skin
- use an electrical drill to remove nail varnish
- use nail files that are too rough which can damage your nails
- use counterfeit products
- use incorrect tools to carry out a treatment
The luxury in beauty has somehow become lost in translation over the years due to the rise of ‘convenient’ nail bars surpassing the number of ‘convenient’ stores. Although Cucumba isn’t a luxury brand, they offer a dynamic concept based on time bands where you can choose a therapy to fit into a particular time in a luxurious setting. The ambience, product quality and customer care make you feel like you are getting value for your money. I found it rather refreshing when my therapist mentioned the name and type of product she used on me, also giving tips on how to maintain my nails after the treatment. It’s this personal engagement that makes you want to go back! Until now, I hadn’t heard of a dry pedicure which has longer-lasting effects. Unbelievably, Cucumba do not use water to aid the exfoliation process of their dry pedicure. My therapist used a sander to smooth down the soles of my feet initially which is an effective form of exfoliating. I guess the whole notion of water-based services within the beauty industry stems from a time when bathing was considered a luxury. The head of the household (lord) would bathe first, followed by the men, then the lady and the women, then the children followed lastly by the baby hence the saying “don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” as it became so black this could potentially happen!
As part of Cucumba’s dry manicure and pedicure, the gel polish tends to stay longer without soaking the nails in water. This also helps to dehydrate the nail bed leading to stronger cuticles. The final stages of the dry pedicure involved the therapist placing my feet in heated mittens for about10 minutes, then applying Essie’s ‘Leggy Legend’ colour – Number 932 which looks elegant. Solar oil was applied and then the tips of my feet were wrapped in cling film (which I haven’t experienced before) to hydrate my cuticles.
The entire experience of having a dry pedicure left me feeling completely satisfied. There was no discomfort as I am usually very sensitive and sometimes your feet can feel sore when a blade is used to remove dead skin. Although blades are disposed of there is still a risk of being cut, and bleeding. After hours of having this treatment, your feet are still soft and moist from the oil. Cucumba are paving the way for a beauty revolution; introducing products and services that are user-friendly and do what it says on the tin “spreads the love” through ethical practices.
Written by Natalie Robinson @styleiconnat
