London has stepped up its grooming game recently, pushing cheap, fast treatments to the top of the menu. Rather than doing a bodge job on your commute to work, get yourself booked in for one of these speedy fixes.
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Top treatment: The Quickie conditioning mask, £5 (10 minutes approx)
While you might arrive at the newly souped-up Barber & Parlour in search of an instant beauty fix, we can’t guarantee you’ll actually want to leave. Spread over three floors, there’s quick cuts, blow-drys and root touch-ups courtesy of colourist extraordinaire Josh Wood, fun fast mani-pedis from Cheeky and grooming for blokes by Neville Barbers. That’s not to mention the cinema, the juice bar and the in-house kitchen…
Top treatment: 15 Minute Manicure, £16 (15 minutes)
Don’t have a manicurist on speed dial? Us neither. The next best thing is Milk, whose crack team of mobile beauty therapists mean that a salon-standard mani-pedi is just a click away. They’ve recently expanded their service area, too, so living south of the river no longer means you’re stuck in a beauty black spot.
Top treatment: Luxe Blow, £25 (30 minutes)
Blow Ltd’s brand of speedy blow-dry bar is one American import that you’ll never catch us moaning about. The ‘fast beauty’ guarantee means that even the most unruly of manes can be transformed from haystack to hit in a mere thirty minutes – simply choose from the eight styles available on the no-nonsense menu.
Top treatment: Airbrush Tan, £30 (15 minutes)
New to London, Priv is like Uber’s better-looking sibling. Download the app to find a beauty pro in your local area, who’ll arrive at your home or office within the hour. Services include anything from a gel manicure (£25) to a full-on spray tan (£30). Available from 25 Nov.
Top Treatment: Eyelash Application, free (5 minutes)
Done properly, false lashes can get you party ready in the blink of an eye (sorry.) The only catch is that they’re almost never done properly, creeping spider-like down your face as the night progresses. Thankfully, MAC’s Lash Bars can prevent the accidental ‘Clockwork Orange’ effect: simply choose your preferred pair, then have a professional apply them there and then, at no extra charge.
London is vibrant, varied, exciting, seductive, sprawling... and just a little bit exhausting. At some point, you're probably going to need to pause to unwind.
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