We check out the value of two treatments that require saving up for.
Like everything about weddings, beauty costs can mount up fast. Brides are advised to book and trial hair and makeup artists well before the wedding day, but increasingly many are planning even further ahead, choosing to invest in more than a fetching makeover when they walk down the aisle.
With mortgages and children often flowing on from marriage it makes sense to splurge, if you're that way inclined, before the responsibilities of married life kick in. Older brides are also influencing the growing trend to spending more on wedding beauty, with everyone aiming to look as picture perfect as possible. Consequently pre-wedding visits to appearance medicine clinics are on the rise, with a bit of Botox or filler added to some To Do lists. (If you're after a good natural-looking result it pays to consult about this sort of thing months in advance.)
Clinics tell me they sometimes receive visits from entire bridal parties, with mothers of the bride and groom also looking for a little lift. Botox to control excessive underarm perspiration is another trick that some women - and men - sign up for.
Many brides invest in courses of skin treatment to improve tone and texture, embarking on everything from laser resurfacing to micro-dermabrasion sessions and hi-tech facials.
If your skin is in good nick, simply concentrate on maintaining a healthy diet and hydration levels and staying out of the sun and you could save yourself a bundle. Consider treating yourself to a few gentle pre-wedding facials and restorative hair masques. To save money these can be done at home as can hand, feet and nail care.
Today we look at a couple of other treatments that deliver lasting results. You obviously don't have to be getting married, to embark on these, but a big occasion may help justify the expense.
SMOOTH OPERATOR
Bride-to-be Rebecca Barry tries out a new hair straightening technique
It was when my fiancé nicknamed me "Harry Bouffante" that I decided something had to be done before the wedding. Almost a year had passed since my last chemical hair straightening, which had left the ends super straight, but the roots frizzy and out of control.
I'd been having Japanese hair straightening done for years, and while I'd otherwise loved that it made my hair manageable, what I hadn't liked as much was that it left me looking drawn, with pancake-flat hair that looked unnaturally straight. I'd also noticed that as it grew out, the contrast between the roots and ends looked a bit odd.
I'd toyed with the idea of having a Keratin straightening, but after being quoted $700 for a treatment that might only last four months, and might not drastically improve my hair (it tends to work best on coloured or chemically damaged hair) decided against it. So when L'Oreal launched their new straightening product, X-tenso Moisturist, I was intrigued. You can choose your results: Brazilian straight, (very smooth) slight wave (to retain some volume) or a relaxed look (de-volumised but retaining some curl).
The treatment costs between $250-$450 depending on the length and density of your hair, and can be used on some colour-treated hair, after an assessment by a hairdresser. For someone who has only ever wanted smooth, silky hair (as opposed to the dead straight look), this sounded too good to be true.
"I'm always amazed at how shiny it looks afterwards," said L'Oreal's national technical manager Hayley Pullyn, as she painted on a reducing creme to break down the natural bonds of my hair, at the L'Oreal Academy in Elliott St.
She says this is because of the product's softening waxes that help to give the hair a healthy sheen. And good news: it's formaldehyde-free.
After 25 minutes the creme was washed out and my hair dried, before Pullyn got out the straightening irons. Rather than going over tiny sections of hair a million times to achieve the flat look, she used the tongs to smooth larger sections of hair, being careful to leave a few centimetres (for volume) at the root. The hair is too delicate at this stage to use force, which is why blow-drying it straight with a brush is not an alternative - the air in the hair wouldn't last anyway, she says.
After my hair is straightened a formula is applied for 10 minutes to reform the bonds in their new, sleek shape. Once again, this is washed out, and my hair is blow-dried. The effect is immediate: it dries with volume but is definitely silkier - there are no fly-aways and my hair is easily manipulated by the brush.
Three hours later (rather than the five hours I'm used to), I have healthy-looking, straight hair. I'm not allowed to get it wet for the next two days - another bonus, as most chemical straightenings stipulate you wait for three.
Three weeks later I'm still enjoying the results - the treatment should last until my hair grows out. I still blow-dry it occasionally but it takes drastically less time to style.
But the proof that the product doesn't strip the hair of its natural bounce comes when I have my hair and makeup trial for the wedding.
After unravelling my up do, I'm pleasantly surprised to find my hair holds the curl for the next 24 hours.
* L'Oreal X-tenso Moisturist hair straightening is available from L'Oreal Professionel salons.
NB: Beauty editor's note: A number of hair-straightening products are under assessment amid concerns that some may contain formaldehyde. Overseas, some have been withdrawn from the market. Consumers would be well advised to watch this space for action locally.
HONEYMOON DELIGHT
Janetta Mackay wishes she had been zapped years ago
If the thought of being asked if you'd like "hair on your labia" makes you feel queasy, then bikini-line laser hair removal might not be for you. But if you're used to waxing then it won't seem so intrusive.
In truth, I didn't face intimate inquisition upon embarking on varied pulse light treatment at Caci clinic, but it's the sort of decision you may end up contemplating. By session number three my nosiness about how high some women go prompted the question from the operator about whether I'd like to lose a bit more hair than we'd initially worked on. No way, thank you very much.
During my initial consultation at the Newmarket clinic, the manager explained the procedure to be followed and told me most women chose a reduced V-shape, tidying up any hairs that protrude from a bikini pants triangle and sometimes lowering the hairline across the tummy. Others do go for the more cut-away Brazilian look, but as fashions in all things - except porn movies - change it's nice to be left with something to be going on with. (For the record, the laser is not used on inner membranous areas, but can be applied to hair well back between the legs if you don't mind exposing yourself - all while wearing a disposable G-string, of course).
I can't say I particularly enjoyed the sessions, but they passed quickly enough, in and out in under 20 minutes. For women who can't handle waxing, forget about it, but I did not find them overly painful. Sometimes I felt jumpier than others and apparently pre-period women are usually more sensitive so if your pain threshold is low, time your visits carefully. Drinking lots of coffee beforehand isn't recommended - it's best to feel as relaxed as possible and save the energy shot and, in my case, a little something sweet as a reward for afterward.
When the laser is applied it is a bit like a rubber-band flick, but it's over in seconds and then you brace yourself for the next ping. I found myself thinking if it was a good ping then the laser was obviously connecting with the hair, frazzling it at root level which is the aim of the exercise, sealing off future regrowth. In a perverse way it was quite satisfying when the intensity matched the intent.
The other motivator was the thought of no more clambering on a table for monthly waxes. Consequently I wish I'd done this years ago, but my advice is that unless you've got a real thing against your pubic hair or are feeling flush then you'd need a good many years of waxing appointments ahead of you to make the outlay worth it.
I've had around half a dozen treatments and while my desired clear area isn't 100 per cent hair-free, we're only talking a handful of stragglers which can be easily whipped off at home. I've achieved about the best result that could be expected (well above the 80 per cent considered at Caci to be a reasonable removal expectation), but I will be interested to see how goes the longer-term regrowth. Having had under-arm hair removal elsewhere several years ago, there has been very little regrowth, so I'm confident of success over a period of several years at least.
Results for VPL vary widely, so it's important to get a realistic initial assessment of whether you are a good candidate. Because women need differing numbers of sessions and and often worry about possible regrowth, Caci has developed a programme called Freedom that provides treatments as needed in the first year and then some top-up over the next two years. The clinics do a lot of VPL so you have experienced operators and clear procedures in place. (Wherever you go, do check this out). Freedom's terms are strict, including keeping up initial treatments every 6-8 weeks, so before you sign up to what is essentially a 12-month term payment scheme, you need to understand your own obligations. If you're planning to go away for a few months, you'll void the most attractive part of the scheme which is reassuring access to top-ups.
Caci says the terms are as much about delivering results as locking people in because they often end up doing VPL on women who have had treatments elsewhere but not kept them up at optimum intervals to nix those pesky hairs.
* Caci has clinics nationwide, for details see caci.co.nz. A bikini line programme starts from $1140 depending on the size of area treated. The clinics will do a patch test on request so you can decide in advance if you're up for it.
