City Guinea– she’s the angel that will try anything in the name of retaining her youth and figure. Is there no end she will go to defy the ageing/heading south process that eventually catches up with us all. So why we sit thinking about what we could do to eliminate our body bug bears or reading about others brave enough to actually do something about it, she is actually out there trying the latest treatments and baring her every experience for WATC readers.
it was less of an attack and more of a determined mission to rid me of the extraneous hairs I had been lovingly hanging onto for the best part of a year”
Having bagged my man on the internet-dating site… and almost a year down the line, I suddenly realised that I had let some of my grooming habits slide just a little. In fact, my list of things to do, in order to enhance what Mother Nature had been so spiteful with, no longer included (amongst other things) waxing, plucking and other beautifying rituals. My reasoning for this avoidance of all things painful was that “him indoors” needs reading glasses to eat toast so probably wouldn’t notice.
So, when WATC asked if I would consider “Threading” I was a bit concerned that it might be something to do with the Women’s Institute sewing circle and I could well be asked to remove my clothing for a Calendar at some stage. However, thanks to Wikipedia, I discovered that it is an ancient method of hair removal-which originated in the Indian subcontinent, and that “Practitioners” use a thin twisted cotton thread to pluck the hair at follicle level.
Still unconvinced, I polled some female friends and asked them whether they had ever tried Threading and if so, what was it like?
The answers I got ranged somewhere between it being “a close second to execution” and “didn’t feel a thing”. So still none the wiser I had to decide whether my pain free existence could be extended at least until I was of pensionable age, or did the “Wookie” staring back at me in the mirror, really need to start making the effort somewhere along the line.
My curiosity (and the caterpillar wandering above my eyes) finally got the better of me and a visit was arranged with Malika at Toni and Guy in the Wharf.
I am not sure I was as nervous about Threading as I was about Botox and internet-dating but it came a close second for some reason. Mostly because I remember how unpleasant plucking was. It’s the fine hairs under the brow that seem to cause most of the pain as I recall and it had been a while since I’d left a magnifying mirror, red eyed, nose running and with mascara fuelled tears streaming – so yes I was a little apprehensive.
I wandered into Toni and Guy and was directed to a corner of the very busy Salon, where Malika is located. Darshana and Sumita, (both lovely and with amazingly sculpted brows), welcomed me like an old friend, beckoning me towards a comfortable chair. Sumita then tilted it back, at the same time handing me a mirror so I could see the disaster that is my eyebrows one last time, I held up a bit of forehead and held down an eyelid . and then she attacked me with the Sylko…
Actually, it was less of an attack and more of a determined mission to rid me of the extraneous hairs I had been lovingly hanging onto for the best part of a year if I am being completely honest.
But it did take me somewhat by surprise because I expected pain and what I actually felt was a sort of odd “scraping” feeling with the occasional annoying twinge of what could only be described as almost pain.
Within a minute (or so it seemed) she was swiftly moving onto the other brow and a minute after that – I was groomed in the eyebrow department. The area felt a little hot but nothing more and even that lasted no longer than it took Sumita to apply some cooling and very soothing cream.
She then looked at me meaningfully and asked the word I had been dreading which was “your lip?”… I confess that I wimped out completely and graciously declined. My mother once told me that if you pull out the fair hairs around your mouth, they grow back into big black moustache and I am not prepared to look like Tom Sellick for anyone, even if it is in the name of research.
So what do I think?
My eyebrows look better than they have ever looked and it is not only because they finally received some attention. They are perfectly even and I have never been able to achieve that with tweezers. (I always went a bit too far on one eye and then tried to balance the other one up…and so on – I’m sure you can see where this is going!). The benefit of threading is that multiple hairs are removed each time the cotton does its stuff so the result is most definitely better, and even though there was the strange scraping feeling and odd twinge the big plus for me was the speed and accuracy at which it was done.
All I can say is does anyone want to buy a pair of second hand tweezers – last used in 2008…?
A full list of treatments and contact details for each of the salons (Westfield, Sloane Square, Canary Wharf and Covent Garden) is available online at www.malika.co.uk
To book, please quote City Guinea
MALIKA WESTFIELD 020 8762 9752
MALIKA COVENT GARDEN (Trevor Sorbie) 0844 445 6901
MALIKA SLOANE SQUARE (Toni & Guy) 020 7730 8113
MALIKA CANARY WHARF (Toni & Guy) 020 7719 1369
Threading – The Truth!
So do I look different?
Yes, I have beautifully defined eye brows.
Did I have any after effects?
No, nothing, no major swelling.
Would I recommend it?
Without hesitation.
How much is it?
- Eyebrow Shaping £15
- Upper Lip £10
- Side of Face £13
- Forehead £10
- Chin £10
- Full Face (all above) £45
- Neck £15
- Ear £10
- Nose £10
- Eyebrow Thinning (for thick eyebrows) £30
How long does it last?
approx 3 weeks
Would I have it again?
Yes. At Malika as they now have a proven track record as far as I am concerned.
