The spa
Color Me Spa’s interior certainly lives up to its name – rainbow wall hangings and multi-coloured furnishings give the spa a cheery
and playful atmosphere. Massage, waxing and facials are all on the menu but they specialise in manicures, offering everything from French tips to super-shiny Minx colours. The atmosphere is upbeat and the spa is deliberately very kid-friendly, with hot pink child-sized chairs, a big television and Li’l Miss manicures for the under-12s. A constant supply of drinks and biscuits make it a perfect place for mums who need to bring their tots with them when they get their nails done.
Step by step – Coconut Indulgence manicure with Minx nail polish
Mani-pedi packages at Color Me include all sorts of luxurious lotions and potions, from white rose creams to green tea soaks but we opted for the Coconut Indulgence. We sat in a huge comfortable chair with our feet in a hot tub of water while two beauticians got to work at the same time. The treatment began with a thorough filing, shaping and cuticle removal, before our arms and lower legs were exfoliated with a creamy, rich-smelling coconut scrub. Next, we were treated to a firm hand and foot massage, using a softening coconut oil that left our skin smooth and deliciously scented. Color Me has a huge range of nail products. As well as the standard spectrum of reds and pinks, it has some bright, popping neon shades and OPI Shatter, which leaves an edgy broken glass pattern on your nails. But we were drawn like a magpie to the blingtastic Minx nail art range, which is being sported by celebs everywhere at the moment including Rihanna, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Minx manicures use a strong sticker, rather than paint, so all sorts of wild prints and metallic colours are available, including a shimmery pink and racing car red. We chose a bright, ghetto fabulous gold, and were led to a special station with a hot lamp for the application. The manicurist placed the stickers on to our fingers and held them under a heat lamp before trimming them to fit the shape of our nails. This took much longer than a conventional nail polish application, because getting the stickers on was pretty fiddly work. The manicure took around an hour and a half to complete, but there was no waiting around for the paint to dry – as soon as it finished we could leave.
Pros
The nails look terrific and extremely eye-catching – everyone we ran into commented on them straight away. Part Wonder Woman, part hip hop video extra, they seem to scream LOOK AT ME! all the time. The polish doesn’t smudge or chip and is very satisfying to wear because you can’t forget about it for a second.
Cons
We’re actually slightly intimidated by the dazzling, extrovert personality of our own hands – we feel like we have to keep dressing up to match them, which is a very strange state of affairs. But when your nails look like they’re made from 10 chunks of solid gold, wearing anything more casual than a Cavalli leopard print gown seems like you’re letting yourself down. The tendency for colleagues to continuously come up with Star Wars references – the gold is a very specific C3PO hue, we’ve been told – may also get slightly irritating; although this isn’t necessarily a con. The stickers themselves are comfortable to wear, but don’t sit quite smoothly in the corners of the nails, which makes it tempting to pick at the rough edges.
The verdict:
The spa visit itself was enjoyable, with relaxed, professional staff and an easy-going atmosphere. Customers seemed very happy, and we really loved the nails, and got a buzz from all the compliments. Standard red paint just isn’t going to cut it any more.
Coconut Indulgence Dhs80 for hands and Dhs120 for feet. Minx Manicure polish cost extra – contact spa for details. Open Sat-Thu 9am-9pm, Fri 3pm-9pm. Color Me Spa, Khalifa City A (02 556 4557).
