Ted Baker - Ted's Grooming Room

I’ve been writing this blog for over eighteen months and it has seen a wide variety of beauty and grooming products reviewed, which included a large number from Ted Baker’s Grooming Room. So when I was asked if I would like to go and try out one of their legendary salons I couldn’t wait, and asked if there was anything they could do with my hair, eyebrow (I say eyebrow as I’ve had a mono-brow for about thirty five years) and beard.

After being booked in for ‘the works’ it was simply a case of turning up – in my case in particular I opted to go along to the shop tucked away in Holborn on Theobald's Road, it being just a twenty minute walk from my office. You can see a full list of their locations, plus their new premises on Commercial Street here.

Upon arrival I thought I’d got the wrong place – while looking effortlessly cool with a number of barber’s chairs and a hive of activity I wondered where the luxurious experience was going to take place. After giving my name my photographer in chief (aka beautyqueenuk) and I were guided downstairs into a cool, and rather open area.

After being offered a complimentary cocktail (I declined wanting to keep a clear head) the other half jumped at the chance and after trying it I really wished I’d gone for one – it had rich flavour and a kick like a mule! Anyhow, we weren’t there to get sloshed, we were there to sort out my face…..

‘T’, my barber for the evening was given carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to my hair, but the sad fact was that it was actually too short to do anything drastic to the style and as I have quite straight hair we settled on a much shorter style than usual, down to the bone at the back and sides with a very short messy top – a sort of cross between bed head and spikes. What struck me first was that rather than reach for the clippers to shave around the back and sides everything was done using scissors and the look of concentration was intense as the scissors snipped away. Clearly a man with symmetry on his mind, T really knows his craft and within thirty minutes my hair looked perfect – I was delighted, but this was just the start of my happy surprises.

The moment I had been dreading arrived – the treading of the brow (yes, dreading the threading)! Christ it hurt and I could hear a light cackle coming from the direction of the missus (who was filming at this point). It actually wasn’t that bad, the worst part was when T uttered the words “so you did want them looking feminine?” and my heart stopped! He was joking and within a minute my brows has been separated and shaped without completely altering how I looked. Nice, neat and tidy and something I will have done again.

After the brows (it still seems weird talking about them in plural) came the beard – I opted for a trim rather than cut throat shave and this was done without incident, the beard being trimmed and shaped properly (for the first time ever). This followed with the hairs in my ear being burnt away. I admit seeing a flame getting so close to my face had me getting a little bit nervous but it was painless and the inside of my ears are now incredibly smooth (like you needed to know that!)

Finally, and this really sealed the deal for me – for months I’ve had a trapped nerve in my elbow which has caused mild numbness in my left hand. Step forward T with the most relaxing massage – a hot towel was placed over my face which nearly sent me off to sleep and then crack! I have no idea what he did to my arm but ever since the numbness has gone and I feel like a new man! Awesome!

The full treatment would have cost £75 and I have to say, just the massage alone and removal of the pain in my elbow makes this worth it. Add in the fact that my hair looked and still does look neat and tidy with a nice twist on my usual style and you have a winner here. It’s strange having two eyebrows, and I’m sure they will take time to maintain but I think the whole package has improved how I look, which ultimately is the point of such obsessive grooming!

I have nothing but praise for T and the folk at Ted’s Grooming Room – it was an experience I’ll never forget and I will be back again in a few weeks when my hair and brows need doing again. This may have been provided gratis but I wouldn’t hesitate to stick my hand in my pocket and pay for this myself.

FORGET THE REST, TRY THE BEST

You can see the full list of treatments available here.

  

You can read more of my reviews of the Ted’s Grooming Room range by following the links below:

• Ted's Grooming Room Face Scrub
• Ted's Grooming Room Shave Gel
• Ted's Grooming Room Post Shave Balm

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Nelsons Arnicare Bath & Massage Balm

There is nothing better than a nice relaxing soak in the bath. Whereas in my youth and early twenties a relaxing soak meant Calvin Klein Eternity bath salts since getting married and fast forwarding far too many years the wealth of options to add to my bath has exploded - there are literally sixteen different things I could add to a bath (if I can find the bath in the bathroom after wading through the obscene number of products in there). 

It’s a good job I’m decisive and go to the bath armed with a map and compass!

Enter stage left Nelsons Arnicare Bath & Massage Balm, containing natural Arnica Montana (Arnica Montana? A long lost sibling of Hannah?!?). I’m not sure what drew me to this in the bathroom, after all it is to be blunt rather plain looking and me, being blind as a bat struggled to read what it was until I squinted and drew it to within about an inch of my eye (I‘m not kidding - small fonts and certain colours mean I see nothing, nothing I tells you)!

Having no idea where this came from it’s safe to say that my thoughts have not been clouded in the slightest by the theory of reciprocation (the book Nudge is worth a read on this - it’s where someone gives you something and you either feel obliged to be nice about it or to actually make a purchase).

If after reading this you feel the urge to pick up a bottle yourself then you can do here, with 200ml bottle costing £8.49.

This is what Nelsons say about the bath balm over at their website:

‘A dual-purpose product helps you relax and unwind after a tiring day! You can use bath and massage balm to massage into tired legs, shoulders, arms and neck or to add to your bath to help soak away the day’s tensions.

The balm is enriched with natural Arnica montana extract to leave the skin soft and silky. It also contains 

Evening Primrose and rich Sweet Almond oil to naturally hydrate the skin, whilst Lavender and Grapefruit essential oils help to calm the senses and relax the mind.

Dermatologically tested. Free from parabens, lanolin, mineral oil, SLS's and PEGs.’

While I haven’t massaged this into my skin directly I have used it a few times to get a feel for it. Like an idiot rushing around to just try something new I didn’t smell this before pouring it free hand into my running bath. Two things struck me - first the bath took on a cloudy, almost milky colour which weirded me out a touch but then the fragrance that had been seemingly absent started to become stronger. 

For me, and for most other people fragrance evokes memories and this evoked all the wrong kind. The Evening Primrose oil and Sweet Almond blend to create an aroma that reminded me of Dulux paint! Yes, not a strong chemical smell, but just a bland paint……bizarre. An examination of the bottle and I thought it could be redeemed if the lavender and grapefruit oils could overpower it and come to the fore. 

After around ten minutes of soaking I personally do get used to the smell and while washing it was evident that the oils were going to town on my skin. My muscles were relaxed and yes, even me, stressed Eric relaxed and felt calm after drying off. You can't argue with that.

With only a few caps of the oil needed for a bath this will last for ages (more the pity in my opinon). Our bottle had about a third left (the other half must like it) but it’s one of those products where you shake your head and think “that’s a shame” as the results were fantastic. My skin felt amazingly soft, I don’t think it has ever felt so smooth and any fears of an oily residue on my skin were unfounded. However, and this is a massive however which kicks my urge to say buy this into touch - the smell.

I’ve used it three times, loved the results but really found the fragrance to be a huge let down. Sort out the fragrance and I would say this is the bomb, but as it stands, it reminds me too much of Dulux paint, and I don’t want to smell like a painter and decorator after falling into a vat of gloss.

If you can get over the fragrance then you will be impressed but it has to be a no from me. 

People, I think I have found a Marmite like beauty product - you'll either love it or hate it.

NOT RECOMMENDED 

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Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Facial Peel

I have over time devoted more and more time to a cleansing regime to ensure that the skin on my face despite the constant battering it takes from the London air and my sometimes unhealthy lifestyle remains smooth, soft and generally appealing. Nobody wants to stare at or get up close and person with someone with a layer of grime on their face with dead skin aplenty. 

Having never thought about using a facial peel this fell into my possession while trying to escape the hell of a shopping trip to the mall from hell. I do of course refer to the place where discount goods go to die - Shopping City in Wood Green, London.  Accosted by a rather persistent sales assistant on a stall she gave me a quick demonstration which literally turned my stomach. Within seconds a pure white cotton pad was as black as the ace of spades. Yuck! What was worse was that I was only 30 minutes out of the shower! 

I was shamed into parting with £30 for a 30ml pot of Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Facial Peel

Now in my opinion £30 is a lot to pay for any sort of beauty treatment/product so the proof is in the value for money test, how it performs and ultimately if it can be found elsewhere for cheaper. 

When replacing my first tub of the facial peel some 6 months after my first experiences with it I paid only £25 from the same stall (the prices never stay the same and haggling is always the order of the day) however when looking online I felt rather violated by the fact that it can be bought for as little as $22 (yes, that US Dollars not Pounds) from places like eBay. 

So, I think I have established that this is something of a luxury item, but once you remove it from the outer box you find a mock glass (clear plastic) tub which looks remarkably stylish with a black screw top lid. 

Contained within the outer box are no instructions on how to use the product, how often you should use it or indeed what the potential benefits should be. Going off from the sale patter given by the stallholder I was told that this would remove black and white heads, dead skin whilst at the same time retaining moisture to maintain the pH balance of my skin. 

In layman terms she advised that it was good to clear off the gunk that builds up on the face that just isn’t removed by a normal exfoliator or day to day washing with soap and water. She stated that it was only to be used once or twice a week and that only a pea sized amount was needed. With this in mind, I couldn’t wait to see what came off my face as soon as I got home.

Containing Dead Sea Minerals and various other anti-oxidant ingredients such as Echinacea, Ginseng and Rosemary as soon as the lid is unscrewed the delightful aroma is unleashed. Rather than being overpowering and with a chemical base in terms of fragrance was greeted me was a subtle, fresh smell akin to watermelon, not too strong with hints of Rosemary. If I had to sum up the fragrance I would say a cross between fruity and herbal.

The facial peel has a gel like consistency when in the tub and is easy to remove and apply to the face and neck. I dipped my fingers into the tub and the pale green facial peel literally stuck to my fingertips. As recommended I tried only a pea sized amount but found that after smoothing it across my face it only covered one cheek so 3-4 pea sized amounts were needed to cover my forehead, cheeks, chin and nose. As it is smoothed over the skin it does thin quite a lot making it easy to massage into the face. At this point the minerals that should remove the dead skin and black heads were not noticeable in the slightest however there was a gentle tingling sensation and my face felt very cool.

After massaging the facial peel in for 2-3 minutes most of it was absorbed and the more I massaged it became evident that what can only be described as small clumps of dead skin started to build up from nowhere. The entire massaging process took 5 minutes and once finished I took a cotton pad and started to methodically wipe my face. The results judging from the colour of the dirt and grime that had been removed were exceptional. In the end I used 3 pads as the grime built up on each pad really quickly. A closer inspection of the pads I had used revealed something I had never noticed when looking in the mirror, blackheads, and lots of them stuck to the pad in between the obvious grime. Instead of just removing the head, the entire root was on the pad.

After washing my face down with cold water and patting it dry I took the brave step of touching my own face and found that the skin was so smooth and soft I could help stroking my cheeks in disbelief. The results were simply put - out of this world. 

After using it the first time the amount of dirt, grime and blackheads removed each week decreased slightly but it is still removing that stubborn stuff that insists on sticking to my face.

My first 30ml tub of the facial peel lasted 6 months using it once a week. Based upon the initial purchase price and the results I would have no hesitation in recommending this to any potential consumer. 

Personally I did not suffer any sort of irritation but would provide an air of caution to those with sensitive skin. The tingling if left on the skin for too long can start to burn a little. Try a tester before making such an investment. If I had to pay £30 for another tub I would happily part with it because I am delighted with the results but now that I have found a supplier much cheaper I will continue to cleanse using the Swisa Beauty Dead Sea Facial Peel.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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