How to get a salon treatment — for FREE!
As shops compete to woo you, in-store pampering just got a whole lot fancier. Here’s...
Getting a free makeover at a cosmetic counter is a sneaky trick savvy women have known about for years. But today, the freebies have become even fancier.
With so many beauty brands competing for your custom in department stores, it’s now possible to enjoy for free the sort of expensive hair and body treatments you’d normally expect to pay for in a beauty salon — just as long as you know where to go.
Here’s how to find the pampering that won’t cost you a penny.
A BOUNCY NEW DO
WHERE: Best known for their hair straighteners, gHD now has retail counters in John Lewis (johnlewis.
com), Selfridges (selfridges.com) and Harvey nichols (harvey nichols.com). THE TREATMENT: Depending on how busy they are, gHD stylists will offer anything from a demo of how to use their tools to a quick touchup or full hair makeover.
i’m hopeless at styling the back of my hair, and when i popped into John Lewis mid-week the stylist’s day was quiet enough for her to show me how to use the brand’s Platinum stylers for perfect curls.
Sorcha demonstrated the technique on one side and the back of my head and then let me do it myself. the result was a head full of bouncing curls and a load of hair tips into the bargain. TIME TAKEN: 25 minutes. MONEY SAVED: An in-salon styling session would cost about £20.
THE FREEBIE FACIAL
WHERE: Murad counters (check murad.co.uk for your nearest). THE TREATMENT: A consultant introduced me to the brand before doing a skin assessment. they used a combination of a mini questionnaire and technology called YouthCam, which takes an image of your skin and then analyses what’s going on beneath, giving you a score for wrinkles, pigmentation, inflammation, redness, and pores.
the technology confirmed that my skin needed help with pigmentation and fine lines.
You then get suggestions of the most suitable products to target and treat your concerns, and it’s these products that are used in the express facial.
the facial began with a double cleanse, followed by a mask and, while the mask was taking effect, they perform a hand and arm massage, then add a face serum and SPF.
For a freebie it’s generous — the only downside is you’re lying on a chair in a department store and it’s difficult not to feel pressure to buy. even so, i found it surprisingly relaxing and my skin was positively glowing afterwards. TIME TAKEN: 40 minutes. MONEY SAVED: You’d expect to pay £15-20 for a mini facial and the sort of skin analysis you get beforehand uses the same assessment technology that some salons charge £30 for.
BANISH EYE BAGS
WHERE: La Mer (check cremedelamer.co.uk for your nearest). THE TREATMENT: the sales assistant started by explaining the different eye creams that luxury brand La Mer offer, and showing me the silver-tipped applicators you use to apply them. then it was time to lie back in the chair and let her at my eyes. thankfully the counter at John Lewis had a discreet booth so i wasn’t gawped at by other shoppers.
the assistant did one eye at a time so i could see the difference. She started by using a micellar water to clean the area around my eyes, then a cooling applicator to dot eye cream and smooth it across the skin, moving it in circles. this improves circulation and drainage, helping you look more awake.
When she showed me the difference in a mirror, the fine lines underneath were much improved and the area looked more hydrated. then she did the second eye, letting me use the applicator to check i’d got the technique, and i left looking much brighter-eyed than when i came in. TIME TAKEN: 15 minutes. MONEY SAVED: An in-salon eye treatment can cost £10-15.
A MASSAGE TREAT
WHERE: Molton Brown (check
moltonbrown.co.uk for nearest). THE TREATMENT: You sit on a stool and soak your hands in a basin filled with warm, bubbly water fragranced with one of their bath and shower gels.
then a body scrub is applied, massaged in and rinsed off, before a final massage of your arms and hands. throughout the process the shop assistant will talk you through the options available. it felt indulgent and relaxing and i left with softer hands.
You can drop in if you’re passing but it’s best to book ahead so you know they’ll have the staff free to perform the treatment. TIME TAKEN: 15 minutes. MONEY SAVED: Massages generally cost £1 a minute, so £15 saved.
PERFECT YOUR POUT
WHERE: elizabeth Arden counters (check elizabetharden.co.uk for your nearest). THE TREATMENT: Lips are all too often forgotten about, but this treatment — an anti-ageing facial for lips — puts them front and centre, with a ritual to cleanse, buff and moisturise.
Just like having a manicure, where you choose your nail colour first, before you get to the treatment proper, you choose a lip colour to be applied at the end (and no, there’s no obligation to make a purchase.)
the therapist starts by using a cleanser to ensure the lips are bare before massaging in a sugar scrub to exfoliate away any dead skin. After that’s been removed, the classic elizabeth Arden eight Hour Cream is applied to soften the lips.
While the waxy cream is sinking in, you get a blissful neck, back and shoulder massage, and then the whole thing is finished off with a lip liner and slick of colour. TIME TAKEN: ten minutes. MONEY SAVED: A lip treatment during a facial usually costs £10.