Posts tagged SAKS Bandra

Pretty nails and me? You’d think it’s a match made in heaven. Far from it. I am one of those kinds who have a desperate need to bite my nails. Red nailpolish…gnawed just a little bit. Burnt orange? Better still, I seem to break my thumb nail while chopping veggies for the Sunday pasta. What you see is a half eaten nail that shows broken strips of red – grotesque-looking and simply annoying.

I do dream of those round long-tipped ones that women “shush” men with and make love on satin bed-sheets. The ones that seem to be attached to endlessly long fingers that run seductively along the rims of champagne glasses. No siree, I seem to have angered the nail gods a lot the last few years– but this month, I got a second chance to prove that I’m capable of nail-beauty once again. This time, in technicolour and off I went to Saks, the newest salon for some mani-pedi love.

Saks Hair & Beauty is UKs largest luxury chain of Salons and the very first salon just opened in India, in Mumbai, in Bandra. Now there are approximately 190 salons in UK – and it seems so popular over there. But then, there are very few things people know about it here in India. So when the sweet PR girl offered me a treatment to choose – I chose nails. Yes, exactly what I needed after a few long days of stress and work (remember, the cool project I was talking about).

And so at Saks, they have this really nice nail label – called Jessica Nails. I was like “ok, let’s see what this is about” and as I walked the pristine white corridors, I saw a rainbow. No silly, a rainbow of Jessica shades. There were colours I only dreamt of – seriously! Lime green (not the tacky one, the nice limey one) and orange ( just like a popsicle) and the coolest purple-red ( ok, it’s undescribe-able). And so in a quiet room, where white towels parade as ghosts of minimalism, I sat down with a nailboy ( the manicurist) who told me a lot of stories and offered me lots of nail advice.

Apparently, Jessica Nails was every celebrity’s manicurist. It was founded by Jessica Vartoughian in 1969 and she was actually called “First Lady of Nails,”. Now really, I didn’t know that when I opted for this treatment. And this is the nail go-to for people like Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlet Johannson, Reese Witherspoon, Madonna and more.

But then, slowly I learnt that Saks is the only place in the city that offers Jessica Nail Treatments. Before the manicure even begins, each Nail cultivist analyzes the client’s nails and prescribes a precise regiment based on the nails’ condition which is used throughout the manicure and pedicure. And yes, he saw my nails and prescribed me a nice scrub (which btw was soft and scrubby and made my nails gleam) and lots of cool products that made my hands look all satiny-like. They ask you a lot of questions- are your nails brittle? Dry? Do they break easily? Do they get all peeled up? So do some research and tell the specialist who you really are. Nail biter? Yes sir!

And now to the special bits – there is the Nibble No More – a kind of serum-type thing, made especially for nail biters. A fast and effective treatment formulated with bitter Cactus Extract giving nails an undesirable, bitter taste, helping to break the lifelong habit of nail biting, while stimulating healthy new nail growth. You must try it!

The Shatterproof Nail Coat called Diamond Endurance, the “Bend, Don’t Break” nail treatment and also, an anti-aging hand spa – there’s something for everyone.

And then to the best part – the orange zest nails. Call me anything but classy – my nail rituals only end with dark or bright shades. Something about neons – they just call out to me and Orange Zest was super duper good. You gotta see the beauty here. And they also have an express lunch-time manicure ( approx 30 mins) that works wonders for those starved for “me-time”.

Saks is looking to expand though I’m not aware of the details. But you can join their facebook here and twitter here and their blog here.

I am not joking when I say that I’ll go there again. Coz I think that red-purple is stuck in my brain. When I do, I’ll tell you how.

Have a good day!

P.S I couldn’t resist - I bought the Orange Zest for a cool Rs 525 and I tell you, it lasts for a very very long time. Minimum two weeks without chipping! Hurrah!