Autumn’s here. And while the catwalks may have just been full of sherbet lemon and pistachio ice-cream shades, here in the real world we’re thinking cold nights, electric blankets and hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream.
Autumn’s here. And while the catwalks may have just been full of sherbet lemon and pistachio ice-cream shades, here in the real world we’re thinking cold nights, electric blankets and hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream
We’re also looking at our hands and realising all the wind and single-figure temperatures are playing havoc with our nails. Time, I think, for a manicure.
Leighton Denny is on the case. His autumn/winter collection is all about decadence, drama and elegance, with six bold new colours inspired by a female icon, and echoing the season’s catwalks of Dior, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent and Gaultier. And so we have Drama Queen. Starlet. Temptress. Maneater. Femme Fatale. And Leading Lady. Which one am I? Which one do I want to be?
I have to confess, I didn’t look at the names when I arrived at the Pure urban spa in Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal one night after work (it’s open until a very user-friendly 9pm on weekdays); I was more interested in what might match the clothes I’d be wearing the following day. So, while Drama Queen is a dark purple and Maneater a glossy black, Starlet a shimmering gold and Temptress a glittering ruby, I decided to go for Femme Fatale, a dark, rich green, which, I hoped, would match anything (Leading Lady looked like a boring old pink to me, and I prefer not to be boring ... or pink).
The manicure is a thorough affair – a nail soaking, a rich cuticle treatment and a hand massage. All my uneven, ragged cuticles were trimmed to nothing, my hands left smooth and nourished, my nails buffed, filed and healthy-looking.
Then came the polish – an undercoat, followed by two coats of colour, then a top coat to seal it all in. The colour is less green, more slate grey in some lights, and here’s the miraculous thing. It stays on. Not for a couple of days, which is my usual routine with nail polish. I’m still wearing it a week later and it is only just beginning to fade at the tips. There has been no chipping, no cracking, no drama, despite a hammering on the keyboard, plenty of plunging into washing-up bowls full of hot, soapy water, and the general battering my nails get on a daily basis. This is a record, no question.
The colours may be decadent and exotic, but the formula is made for plain old hard-working hands.
Pure Spa, Ocean Terminal, Edinburgh (0131-561 1320, www.purespauk.com). Leighton Denny polish, £11 each to buy.