Brows beaten (From Living Northeast)

Brows beaten

1:22pm Thursday 18th February 2010 in

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As she heads for the new season’s designer bags collection, Lucy Richardson is side-tracked by Collectables’ latest addition – the beauty bar.

NESTLING among the designer handbags, charm bracelets and scented candles, a department store has launched a beauty bar designed to prolong the retail therapy experience.

After browsing round the cookeryware and enjoying a spot of lunch at Collectables, on Portrack Lane, in Stockton, customers can enjoy a thorough pampering.

The therapists at Beauty at Collectables offer Indian head massages, henna tattoos, eyelash and eyebrow tints and brow threading. Shoppers can also take the weight off their tired feet by opting for a pedicure or manicure using the OPI nail range.

The shop, which has branches across the region, has seen its core customer base change over recent years from mature lovers of ornaments and crystal to younger fans of brand name bags and unique jewellery. Now it hopes to capitalise on the trend for in-store pamper parlours by giving its clientele an indulgent shopping experience.

At the foot of the stairs leading up to the restaurant, a team of beauty therapists perform their magic. I decided to let them show off their skills and rather than opting for a 20-minute “shopper’s manicure” chose to have a full set of gel nails, my first foray into the world of false talons.

I try to look after my nails and regularly treat them to home manicures with cuticle creams and polish, but the urge not to nibble sometimes proves just too much to bear.

My only experience of false nails was when my glamorous mother opted for a full set in the 1980s. My abiding memory when one fell off while she was cooking tea.

It turned up later in a dish of lasagne.

At Collectables, my small fingers were transformed from childlike stumps to digits any self-respecting footballers’ wife would be more than proud to flourish. The painstaking process, which took about an hour-and-a-half, was thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing. Angela Evans gave my new, natural looking nails a French polish highlighted with tiny crystals.

Intrigued passers-by were able to watch the transformation taking place while I got the chance to pursue one of my favourite hobbies – watching the world go by.

Next up was brow-threading. I sat back in what felt like a dentist’s chair while therapist, Alex Flavell, armed with just a reel of cotton, arched my brows using the ancient art.

The painless procedure, which involves hairs being pulled out by the roots was over in a flash and looked much neater than my usual tweezing method.

So this time I may have walked out of Collectables without one of their fantastic designer bags over my arm, but I had still treated myself and it felt fantastic.

WIN A PAMPER SESSION AT COLLECTABLES

LIVING magazine is giving you the chance to win one of five gorgeous pamper packages worth £60 each at Beauty at Collectables, Portrack Lane, Stockton. The treat includes afternoon tea, eyebrow- threading, manicure with luxury nail polish and a glass of fizz at the beauty bar.

There’s also 15 per cent off any treatment at Beauty at Collectables, plus a free afternoon tea in the restaurant for every reader who books a treatment.

Just cut out the voucher on the right and take it along.

For your chance to win, simply send your answer to the question below, along with your name, address and phone number to Collectables Competition, Living Magazine, PO Box 14, Darlington DL1 1NF. The closing date is March 22 and usual Newsquest competition rules apply.

Where is Collectables Stockton store?

■ Collectables, Portrack Lane, Stockton.

Tel: 01642-676675