Mrs T: Time for a wax and a peek inside the new Banks in Cliftonville

Mrs T will get you beach ready

I’m Jo, (Mrs T), a local girl, born in 1977. Follow me as I approach my 40th birthday. Having lived and worked in London for many years finally the draw of the sea and the more relaxed life won my heart. You can take the girl out of Thanet but the sea will never leave you!

Settled now in Margate for 10 years, and diagnosed with M.E in 2006, I  recently ditched the corporate life and concentrated on building my own business – Mrs T’s Beauty.

Learn tricks of the trade, follow the tribulations and triumphs of being an entrepreneur, discover the people I meet and, as I love a glass of fizz with friends, the places I party, hidden local gems, and local recommendations.

 

The wonders of waxing

So, there is a hint of Summer in the air, temperatures above 10 degrees that is, and us ladies are starting to think about de fuzzing our “winter plumage” and getting beach ready.

Problem is, what method are you going to opt for? The choices are endless, shaving, warm wax, hot wax, sugaring, threading, laser hair removal…… #dilemma

Over the years, I have tried and trained in a great many hair removal revolutions, the next promised big thing, I once trained in Epil 2000, which was where an electrical impulse was waved over the legs and then legs waxed as normal. I have to be honest, I wasn’t too sure what that was all about! It’s meant to make the hair grow back thinner and reduced, but if you wax normally over a period of years, that happens anyway!

Then, of course, there was electrolysis, where you insert a tiny probe under a microscopic light, into the hair follicle, release an electrical current, with a sensation of a quick bee sting, to kill the base of the hair then remove. This is meant to be permanent, though as it’s just one hair at a time it’s incredibly labor intensive and the amount you can do in 30 minutes is negligible. This is an old fashion treatment now  and with today’s time poor society, no-one has the patience to wait years for the effects. They want results now  and preferably without feeling like they have been stung by swarms of tiny bees in a session!

Lasers are great, but it’s costly and contrary to popular belief you need more than one treatment. This varies from person to person depending on hair types and response to treatment as to how many sessions needed to clear your focus area.

This also used to be a very painful treatment, but technology has come on leaps and bounds, some of the latest laser machines have been compared to the sensations of hot stone therapy, although in the same sentence it states everybody’s threshold is different!

For me it’s still waxing that is my most popular hair removal treatment. It’s quick, large areas can be removed at same time, it’s good value, no stubble, and the more you have it done the less the hair grows back and it is usually finer.

There is some debate concerning  whether you should use warm wax or hot wax for a more pain free treatment. I personally use a hybrid wax combining all the benefits of a hot wax with the simplicity of strip wax removal. It does not stick to the skin, resulting in less trauma. It also encapsulates hair, reducing the tendency for hair to snap and ingrown hairs. However I have news, it is not the tools that are important. It’s the technique!

We have all been there when we have faithfully booked our bi-annual bikini wax to have the most agonising experience, only to then find out we received treatment from a newly qualified beauty therapist! #everybodyhastostartsomewhere, It’s enough to put you off for life! Some have even compared it to childbirth! Perhaps a little dramatic, but you get my point.

So, usually I am met with shock and surprise from my clients who come all psyched up for a painful time, tense and apprehensive and then leave saying: “That’s was the best wax I have ever had, really not painful at all.”  They are even more surprised when the hair  doesn’t grow back for four weeks, one of my clients had had her first season wax 6 weeks before her holiday and then was messaging me every week worried as the hair hadn’t grown back and would it be long enough for her holiday wax lol, not normally a concern having no hair! #mrstbeauty #waxexpert

Waxing with me starts at £5 for brows up to £30 for full leg and bikini or back wax, average waxing appointment is just 15 to 20 minutes, so if you want to be silky smooth and summer ready drop me a line to book in. Follow the links at the end of the article.  Those sandy beaches are calling!

Banks to bars

Has anybody noticed how suddenly Cliftonville has exploded? There are all sorts of trendiness going on and seemingly they have sprung from nowhere. Don’t get me wrong, this is long overdue. Having watched Margate great demise and then its gradual development, it was only natural that Cliftonville would follow, but I am surprised how quickly this seems to have happened. I really thought it would be a few years yet. #whatdoiknow

So Saturday saw myself and my husband at a bit of a loose end, hearing that the old HSBC bank on Northdown Road had opened as a bar, appropriately call Banks,  I felt it was only right that we go and check it out. #anyexcuse

I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t too sure what we were going to find, you can’t see in because of the frosted windows and I thought it would probably be a posh ale house, a bit blokeish….

How wrong could I have been! We were greeted by the wonderful Julie and Shelly, they were so attentive, service was exceptional. I watched Shelly carrying drinks straight to the table, even though the customer was standing at the bar. Nothing was too much trouble. They were engaging with conversation and made you feel so welcome. I also noticed they were remembering previous customers, that in my book is so important, the welcome was reflected in the upbeat yet relaxed atmosphere and the bar was filled with laughter.

The range of drinks are exceptional, a frequently changing offering of real ales, housed in a glass tap room adding a fascinating factor.  My husband opted for Naked Lady! Don’t worry, it is ale and  I was spoilt for choice. There was a beautiful selection of gins, rums and fine wines but the draw of the champagne cabinet was for me. It was chilling a fine selection from the local Chapel Down rose to the heights of Dom Perignon. I fancied something a bit different and Julie suggested the Binifadet brut from Spain. It had beautiful yellow tones and was fresh and very tasty, plus it has an awesome bottle, pictured here with Julie, which didn’t sway my choice at all. #honest

Not surprisingly in no time at all Banks was super busy, good news travels fast it seems and having an exciting new local had bought all sort of people out from hibernation. The outing soon became a mini school reunion for my husband, bumping into friends he hadn’t seen for years, some of our #misfitgroup showed up too, then  neighbours from our road, who we had not previously socialized with, came in. We had the best evening, such a warm community spirit, just like the old days, sometimes the unplanned quiet nights are the best. We will definitely be back – a lot. Stock up girls, lol.

https://www.facebook.com/banksmargate/

Mrs T

www.mrst-beauty-aesthetics.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/mrstsbeauty/

07837773010