Other than the vague description of a "unique beauty playground" offering "more than 50 brands and exclusive services", we actually knew very little about what we were signing up to. However, the promise of free champagne, cocktails and frozen yoghurt was enough of a convincer.
At the outset, everything was very unorganised. Despite the fact that we had already collected our receipt-tickets, we still had to queue up again for around 15mins, this time to collect wristbands. At the same time, we should have been given tokens to use to claim the £10; we weren't given any, and in the end the redemption was based more on trust than anything else. The place was so busy that you could hardly move, yet they continued to sell tickets to people turning up there and then. And there was no sign of the free champagne.
We perused around for a while, contemplating eyebrow threading, excessive fake lashes and glittery eyeshadows in every colour a psychedelic rainbow-toting lephrechaun could imagine. However, we found ourselves a couple of available manicurists and partook of a Nails Inc. mini manicure - I went for "Baker Street" blue while Tanya opted for a neon pink. This was £9 with our "token" and included a couple of free pink-iced cupcakes. A bit of careful positioning meant we could avail ourselves of some free health drinks, mojitos and tubs of froyo, after which our nails were dry, our fingers ice cold and we were hungry for some dinner - 90 minutes of windowless mayhem was quite enough for us.
In general, it was an enjoyable event, although I wouldn't have wanted to be there on my own, as a large proportion of the fun was derived from circling stalls piled high with small plastic bottles, wondering what on earth it was all for. I think it was let down by the number of people who were there, crammed into a relatively small area. While the nail treatment itself was great, the manicurists had to then rush off to the next customer straight away, meaning I was left to find the till myself (and trusted to pay for it!) Then again, at £10 for a ticket, it wasn't going to be the most exclusive event ever.
This is for you if...
If you cope well in TK Maxx, you should be able to manage events like this - it was a similar sort of manic, overwhelming experience. I wouldn't want to try it on a hot day, that's for sure.
Recommendations
For events like this, turn up early and get involved straight away. The later it got, the longer the queues became. As there were fewer people at the start, we were able to spend our £10 token on a manicure, which is not something either of us would normally get done.
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