Hey Good Looking…
Mallorca has no shortage of Yummy Mummys and Glamorous Grannies. Is it that the island has an overflow of "high maintenance women" or could it be that beautiful places attract beautiful people?
When I was young I loved watching my mother get ready for a special night out.
She’d spend the afternoon in her bedroom with an array of fascinating products. There were heated rollers and hairspray, eyelash curlers and tweezers. She’d put on a Voodoo-type facemask before soaking her feet in a basin of hot water. Painting her nails was a slow art, requiring perfection and several coats. She always looked calm and beautiful when she went out, leaving me with a kiss and the smell of Cabochard.
Looking back, I wonder how she found the time? When I have a special event I rush madly from one appointment to the next, arriving hot and out-of-breath. The days of DIY beauty seem long over and modern women have a specialist for every body part. Is this because we are busier than our mothers, have more money to spend on ourselves, or is it that appearances have become more of a priority than ever before?
Faye Price owner of Miracles Hair and Beauty in Marivent agrees Mallorca does have scores of beautiful women, which in turn makes other women around want to look good too.
"They say ‘no pain no gain’ and looking well-groomed requires a lot of time, effort and money, especially from 35+, but a good salon or spa makes the experience enjoyable. It used to be that going to a salon was for the pampered, but I think today’s busy women regard it as part of their routine. For some of my clients looking good is a part time occupation, but they are not necessarily doing it for themselves. Many are in the hospitality industry and need to look good for work and others have their own businesses on the island."
One such glamorous working mother on the island is Joanne Shawcross who has her own successful HR/Recruitment Consultancy. "For me looking smart and in good shape is all part of creating credibility. Having said that, my efforts to look my best are totally personal. I suppose it has a lot to do with lack of self-esteem. Nice clothes and accessories make me feel better and give me confidence. A lot of people are surprised when I admit this, as they perceive me as confident. Sometimes I wish I could chill out more about how I look, but then I suppose there are worse vices…
I do like to have a regular cut and highlights at Di Stefano in Son Rapinya and pedicure and waxing with Francesca at the same salon. I feel better for being fit and am a member of Mega Sport. I had a personal trainer for a few months to help me recover from a knee op and loved every minute of it. They’re expensive but very effective."
Denise von Birgelen, owner of Holistic Shanti in Bendinat, which offers a complete range of treatments, says it is hard to put an age on women who spend a lot of time on their looks. There is a lot of variety on this island and I find my clients have all sorts of reasons for wanting to present a fantastic appearance.
"Mostly though, I would say it is the non-working women, whether they are newly married or retired, who has the time to experiment with all the up-to-the minute treatments and products.
"As summer comes to an end well-groomed women will be coming in for hair masks to bring their hair back to peak condition, and paraffin wax treatments to soften their feet and help cracked heels. I think most women agree that attractive hands and feet are vital for good grooming."
Joanne Shawcross agrees. "This year I tried gel nails (€40 per set) for the first time and loved the results. The only drawback is that if a nail does break you have to go to the professionals to have it redone. Having said that, this rarely happens. I recommend Ninfa Nails (www.ninfanails.com) as they are extremely professional and use top products. They open at 8.00am until late, so I can drop my son at school and then get an early appointment."
At Holistic Shanti, Denise von Birgelen says that women wanting to look Christmas-perfect should consider an anti-acid massage (€65) to help prevent cellulite and remove the toxins that may have accumulated over summer, especially if one has been entertaining a lot.
Glam M’am must haves
On average a very well groomed women could spend €150-€300 a month on beauty basics, depending on salon prices and which products they use. Clients on the more "high maintenance" side would probably spend even more on hair extensions, nail art, lash tinting, fake tanning and teeth whitening and slimming treatments.
Basic Expenditure
- Six weekly cut and highlights (around €100)
- Weekly wash and blow (€15-25)
- Waxing (€25-40)
- Facial (€40-100)
- Massage (€30- 80)
- Gel nails (€40-50)
- Manicure (€20)
- Pedicure (€30)
- Eyelash tint (€10)
- Clothes (the sky’s the limit!)
