Pampering...

Listening to: All Saints - Never Ever
Feeling: Tired


Sarah S had preached me endlessly on the importance of grooming yourself, she is the beauty writer after all. Manicures and pedicures are god sent, she says. I have always thought that they were too expensive and hey, I can cut my nails myself. Boy was I wrong.

Went for my very first mani and pedi last Thursday, mainly because Cin's wedding on the 31st and curiosity got the better of me. Got there and sat down for a manicure first. I had wanted to do a pedicure as well but because I was wearing sneakers, they had advised me against it. I might spoil the nail polish because it takes about an hour to dry.

I wanted to take pictures but I so shy la. They were already laughing at me because of my noob-ness. Being the manicure virgin, I have no idea what to do and where to put my hands and shitz like that. So all I did was lay both my hands on the manicurist table. The rest is up to the Indian lady who is manicurist for the day.

First she cuts my nails, 'Oval or square?' she asked. Hrmm.. I know this one, 'Square' I answered. Square shaped nails always look nicer and neater, compared to oval ones which I sometimes think look skanky with red polish. So snip, snip, snippety snip went off all my dirty and unkempt nails. Then she files it to length and proceeds to buff off the nails to give it a nice sheen and even up the nail surface. Then she slathers on cuticle oil onto it. I've got horribly dry skin around my nails and it flakes all the time. So when I took my hands out from the soapy water that I had been soaking my fingers in and looked at it, I was totally in love with the manicure (not the manicurist, mind you). My nails looks healthy and pink! Yay~

By then, I had already decided that I am doing the pedicure as well. Hell, I'll risk ruining the paint job, or just stay there a while more to dry it. I hopped up to the pedicure 'throne' (because it looks like one!) and let my tootsies fall into the basin of warm soapy water. The pedicurist starts clean my toenails like how the manicurist did. Then, she squeezed out some scrub and started scrubbing my feet and soles with it. My god, that was the point I decided that I will HAVE to do this once every two to three months. What had I been missing? I love being a girl!!!

After painting my toes a deep shade of red, I had to decide again on the color of my nail. I chose baby pink at first but after remembering what ciggies does to nails (it yellows it) I settled on a funky shade of shocking pink/purple. OK, I admit I was in love with the name. Kinky in Helsinki. Who the hell can resist that? So with Kinky in Helsinki in arm, I marched over to the manicurist table again and told the lady that I want nail art too. (I AM GOING ALL OUT HERE!!). Paint, paint, paint, draw, draw, draw and RM100 poorer later, we went out like happy bunnies from the nail parlor. Though I do think that the nail art (which costed a bloody RM3.50 per FINGER, so that works out to RM35 for ten) is not wonderful, I loved the service there. People were friendly and environment was relaxing.

I now totally understand why Sarah S would insist on going for her mani no matter what. I am now a total fan of it. I doubt that I will still do the nail art, its too ma-fan. I had to eat like a tai-tai with pinky sticking out because I was afraid to ruin my RM3.50 nail. It takes about a day to totally dry, so I had to sleep with my arms splayed open just in case I'll smudge them while I'm in bed. The end results...


I heart Kinky in Helsinki


Detail of nail art

My next appointment is in March!!!!