Pamper Your Skin For Weddings at Salon Meraki

It's the Wedding season OFFICIALLY!!!

Now, we all love this particular time of the year when we get dressed to impress, unapologetically hog on our favourite food, and get to dance unstoppable on the DJ music. The beauty of the Indian Weddings is just that happy state of mind! Isn't it? Also, this is the time of the year when every girl looks like Alia Bhat from Student of the Year when she’s grooving on the Radha song or like Kareena and her girls gang in Veere di Wedding. More than the Bride, it’s the “Dulhan ki Saheli” who has in the limelight and why not? The bride already got her D-day, it’s now OUR time to shine.

Honestly, a lot of my friends are getting married this year, and I'm having the best time of my life selecting my outfits. But, one very important aspect of looking my best is to pamper my skin and experience rejuvenation. With my busy schedule, I really don't get time to take care of my skin, but I did manage to take some time out and visit SALON MERAKI recently and get some super beauty services done!

WAXING (@INR 1500)

We started with the first service : Waxing. One of the most important parts of our beauty regimen is the removal of excess, unwanted hair, which can help contribute to the softer, cleaner look. I personally feel there are some benefits of getting waxing done at a professional salon, which are :
1.) Improved skin texture.
2.) No skin irritation or allergies.
3.) No cuts and minimal bruising.
4.) More comfortable, rapid, and produces even better results.

I got full arms, underarms, full legs, and my back waxed. The professional at Meraki made it really comfortable for me, so that I could feel no pain why she pulls the hair!

DE-TAN (@INR 3500)

The second service I opted for was a complete body de-tan. We started with the face, then the arms, the entire chest, the legs, and lastly the back! I personally feel, after a session of de-tan, it becomes easy for our skin to remove a layer of tan, and lets our skin pores breathe and retain its nourishment; also it helps me deal with acne (specially on my back).

FACIAL (@INR 1800)

Okay, so post de-tan I went for a quick bath, and dried myself to lay down for a facial. Honestly, nothing can match the feeling you get when you glide your fingers over your face and feel that soft and milky skin; and that only comes with a good facial done by a professional! Thanks Meraki for the best feeling in the world.
In case you're wondering why is it necessary, I'd really like to share some benefits of facial :
1.) Reduces stress and relieves psychological distress
2.) Promotes blood circulation
3.) Helps detoxify the skin
4.) Eliminate whiteheads and blackheads
5.) Exfoliates & tightens your skin

The facial included cleansing, exfoliating, scrubbing, moisturising, and then the professional gave me a face & back massage that helped relieve complete stress.

THREADING - Eyebrows & Upper lips (@INR 50)

TBH, I started getting threading done just 4 years ago, and since then I'm addicted to the procedure. There are months I don't get time to visit the salon and I skip the process and I start looking terrible! This time I made sure I leave no service untouched. Okay, one very important aspect of threading is that it's a technique that requires a great amount of skill and takes hours-upon-hours of practice to master, and all professionals at Meraki know their job best so I recommend you to visit them for a perfect set of eyebrows every month, and chemical-free removal of unwanted hair from your upper lips, just like I got done.

MANICURE & PEDICURE (@INR 850)

Lastly, I got a very relaxing manicure & pedicure done at Meraki. I feel both these treatments are a must not only to acquire a well-groomed look but also to keep your finger & toe nails healthy. And, while manicure and pedicure is a great way to feel pampered, their benefits go much beyond indulging yourself :
1.) Removes Tan
2.) Stimulates Blood Circulation
3.) Exfoliates Dead Cells
4.) Relieves Stress
5.) Ensures Soft and Smooth Skin

The professional at Meraki was very well learned, and he knew the exact pressure points to press post the cleaning of the fingers and the toes. I was super satisfied with how my hands & feet now looked - very well groomed!

Kudos Team SALON MERAKI for providing the best beauty treatments / services, using the best branded products, all under one roof, at the most affordable prices! I've always had the best experience with Meraki and would recommend everyone to visit them for all their salon requirements!

Location : Paramount Apartments (Basement), New Berry Rd, Near, Butler Colony, Lucknow.

Photographed by : Saud Ansari


~xoxo~

My First Facial and Waxing Experience at Juice Salon Lucknow

Hello pretty ladies, hope you are all doing fine! Its been a while since I've updated the beauty category on this blog, and your messages kept on piling about the same in my mail box. So, to clear them all at once I thought of sharing my recent facial and waxing experience done at this newly launched JUICE SALON located at Shahnazaf Road, Hazratganj, in Lucknow. Not so new as to say, this salon has been into existence for about one and half years now but I came across it only a month back when the owner called me over for a trial!

Juice as a brand is quite known for its exemplary services offered to both men and women by extremely talented professionals to maintain the quality and class! As for me, I'm not a regular visitor to salons and I don't even prefer splurging on my beauty and skin regimes but Juice seemed a mid-ranged affordable salon to try when I enquired about their service charges. You can read all details about my facial and waxing experience below!

FACIAL

Many girls of my age (as 23 years now) go in for frequent facials and spas, etc. but I prefer taking care of it at home in natural ways. To be honest, facials and I have never got along well. Every time I am back after getting one, I end up getting a nasty pimple the very next day or often by the evening itself. Having tried several brands, I can say none of them have shown that glow or skin lightening effect that one gets after a good facial for a good long time!

But, to my recent visit at Juice Salon, the consultants tested my skin and recommended me the MINRO VEGETAL FACIAL with BLACK MASK DE-TAN. I was particularly impressed with the name itself, and the beauty therapist guided me to a quiet and dimly lit room much like a spa setting and we went ahead with the process!

All the products that were set to use

Step 1 : Casual Cleaning

Step 2 : Cleansing

Step 3 : Toning

Step 4 : Scrubbing

(removes dead cells from your skin and also removes white-heads)

Step 5 : Ozone Steaming

(opens the skin pores which is essential for the skin to breathe easy)

Step 6 : Black & White Head Removal

(ensures removal of blockage in skin pores)

Step 7 : Massage (with Body Balm & Cream)

Step 8 : Application of Black Mask

(essential for making the face skin bright, firm and soft)

'Le Moor Black Mask by Remy Laure' claims has therapeutic properties. It is chemical and perfume free. It is rich in Vitamin A or Retinol and has natural antibiotics, trace elements and phyto hormones. It works great for de-tanning as it is full of ions, absorbs toxins and refines the epidermis to stimulate the skin. The much renowned black mask or 'Le Moor' had a wonderful cooling effect on my skin and felt gooey yet non-sticky, something like algae. It felt nice! The mask was allowed to stay for a good 25 minutes, not letting it dry at all.

Step 9 : Removal of Black Mask

The procedure was the same like all other facials. However, the techniques were so different than what I have ever experienced. Churning and grinding motion and acupressure techniques were used several times during the massage that I didn’t even realise when I went into deep slumber and believe me this has never happened before. Kudos to the beauty therapist Mitali Mishra who very sweetly managed to put me to sleep and wake me up all relaxed and rejuvenated! 

The entire facial costs Rs. 3000 in total and since its a little expensive one, I'd recommend it to each one who likes to pamper themselves once in a while for a lighter, brighter and radiant looking skin with no signs of pimples.

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WAXING

Let me just break it to you that this was my first waxing experience ever. Yes, I'd been a waxing virgin till now. Always under the impression that I have the tiniest hair so they need not be removed, but while in conversation with this beauty therapist at Juice, she managed to convince me to bravely get my arms and under arms waxed.

Picture taken before the waxing session

I'm sure many girls like me are sceptical about getting their skin waxed because of the innumerous discomforting stories narrated to them by friends and cousins, saying its painful and not suitable for sensitive skin, etc. Well, I had similar thoughts once upon a time too, and then this consultant at the Juice Salon busted all the myths, and gave me a lovely waxing session using the best products available.

Step 1 : Application of Pre-Lotion

Step 2 : Application of Hot Wax

The therapist used 'RICA' brand wax with white chocolate flavor, on my skin. This Italian-based wax uses a vegetable oil base combined with glyceryl rosinate (the sticky substance) for quality hair removal with less pain. The advantages of using Rica wax are superior hair removal with gentle and nourishing anti-inflammatory care.

Step 3 : Application of Wax Strips over the Hot Wax and Rubbing

Step 4 : Pulling of Wax Strips in Patches

I'm sure you can see the difference in my skin in the picture above. The waxed part looks super clean and de-tanned. Tanning is a major issue for all of us girls and wearing cut sleeved clothes with tanned and patchy skin makes it difficult to put our best side forward, because we tend to feel not-so-confident. Waxing helps reduce tan and you can experience that yourself in no time!

 

Step 5 : Application of After Lotion

Picture taken after the waxing session

Waxing body hair can be done at home too, but it definitely won't satisfy you like the way you're treated by a professional at the salon. Well, waxing pulls hair out by the root, leaving skin hairless and smooth for two to six weeks. For me, its been two and a half weeks already and I haven't seen any re-growth of hair on my skin yet!

The entire set of RICA professional products were used during the entire waxing process, and true to their claim, the superior grip on the hair allowed removal in just one pull. No more re-applying and pulling and tugging. Both arms were done in a matter of minutes and didn't pain at all. I think that was the best part because I hate experiencing pain of any kind, and with that, I just have to mention that both my arms felt so smooth, pretty and light that I couldn't control touching myself from shoulders to my finger tips. Its was purely magical! ----------- Cost for full arms and under-arms waxing is Rs. 600 in total.

PS : I haven't attached any pictures from the process of getting my under-ams waxed for the sole reason that it looked explicit. But, I'd like to share that beauty is not the only reason people remove hair from their underarms; waxing also helps address body odour and other hygiene problems. However, the delicate skin in the underarm area can make waxing more painful than some other areas of the body, but may be lessened if the procedure is done properly. Well, it was definitely a less painful experience for me and my skin there felt soft and brighter like never before, so it was a total win! #MustTry

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Photographed by : Saumya Kumar

~xoxo~