So last month Edinburgh Bloggers put together our first competition association with Bamboo Boutiques! After following the instructions Emma Philbin from Elikes was chosen by prize draw!
Read Emma Blog post also available: http://elikes.co.uk/getting-my-beauty-on-with-bamboo-boutique/
I was recently lucky enough to win a competition with Edinburgh Bloggers and Bamboo Boutique in Edinburgh for some amazing beauty treatments at their salon. I rarely win anything, or actually go out and get beauty treatments, so when I got the email, you pretty much needed to scrape me off the ceiling! My prize included a shellac manicure, eyelash extensions, a hair cut and style, and a facial. I think the only treatment I'd actually had before was the haircut, so I was so excited to try the rest out!
I arrived at the salon bright and early at 10am, still a bit sleepy despite my coffee stop, and was greeted by the bright and bubbly staff at Bamboo Boutique. The lovely Donna took me down to the room where I'd be getting my facial, and got me to relax (something I don't often get the chance to do!). The whole downstairs area is so relaxing, and the room was so soothing. The thick covers on the beauty bed had me almost nodding off within minutes! I was offered tea and water, with the greatest care taken to ensure my comfort during my time there.
I was getting an Agera acid peel. Not going to lie, that put the absolute fear in me. I had visions of myself walking out with a bright red face like Samantha did on Sex and the City. It was nothing like that thank goodness! A layer of vitamin C solution is applied to the skin, and Donna used my reaction to this to guage how many layers of the acid peel I should have. I was told to guage the discomfort on a scale of 1 to 5. It was around a 2, so we proceeded with the acid peel. It was a mixture of 3 types of acid, which stung a bit more, but it wasn't too bad. I like to think that means it's working! The peel penetrates deep into the skin to draw out impurities, and is good for sun damage and acne scarring. After just 1 layer, my skin was the best it has ever been! I don't think I've ever had skin so smooth in all my life! Donna even put some Bare Minerals make up on me so I didn't have to go out with a naked face.
Once Donna had worked her magic, Callie came in to do my eyelash extensions. She let me choose the length and curl I wanted, opting for a medium length D curl with a few long lashes at the ends. Now I don't know how she did it since my eyes were closed, but I know that the end result was amazing! She put cooling gel pads under my eyes, and took great care and precision in applying the lashes. I've got a terrible habit of forgetting to put mascara on, and with these beauties, I could forget as much as I wanted because my lashes looked amazing! I'd never had my lashes done before, but Callie explained everything thoroughly and kept me relaxed. I got full aftercare information too, which was a big help!
Next it was back upstairs for the lovely Sharon to sprinkle a little glitter on me! Well, my nails anyway! Shellac is another thing I've never had, and I was intrigued by it. SURELY I can't got more than 2 days without taking chunks of nail polish off?! Well with Shellac that's exactly what happened! A good few weeks of high shine, chip free gorgeousness! After spending what is probably too long trying to pick the colour I'm going to commit to for a few weeks, I settle on a nice coppery colour. Then change my mind just as she takes the brush out of the bottle and go for a dark purple! I'm given a glass of prosecco and a ferrero rochet, and I feel as though I should be on Made in Chelsea or something! I felt utterly pampered by this point, and as Sharon put the final touches of glitter on my nails, Bonnie was ready to get stuck into my mop!
I think this may have been the first time that a hair stylist has taken time to actually talk about my hair with me rather than saying "what am I doing to it? Okay, let's do it" She sat with me and asked what I liked about my hair, what I didn't like, how I usually styled it, how confident I was about styling it myself, which products I used and what I'd like my hair to be like. She asked me if I wanted to be relaxed or refreshed. I went for refreshed after feeling quite snoozy from my facial! She got me to smell 3 different oils and choose which I liked best, which turned out to be peppermint. She dropped some on my scalp and massaged it into my head and neck. The smell of the peppermint woke me up, and it was such a great way to start off a haircut! She washed my hair using Aveda products, and talked me through everything she was doing and everything she used. She used serum in my hair, then taught me how to do a salon blow dry, a lesson I really needed! She cut a few extra layers into my hair and generally tidied it up, then gave me the perfect curls that I love!
Here is the final result:
I felt amazing once the girls had finished with me. I'd gone from a bit dull to absolutely glowing in just a few hours! I've never felt so welcome in a salon, and Bamboo Boutique have set the bar extremely high for all future beauty treatments. Donna, Callie, Sharon and Bonnie are passionate about what they do, and that is clear to see. They are extremely talented, knowledgeable and professional, while still keeping an amazingly friendly atmosphere.
I honestly can't recommend Bamboo Boutique enough, and I will definitely be back!
Huge thanks to all at Bamboo Boutique, and to Edinburgh Bloggers for running the competition!
19 Henderson Row
Edinburgh EH3 5DH
t: 0131 558 3116
e: contact@bambooboutique.co.uk
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