Long-lasting beauty treatments to book now

Game-changing beauty treatments: get hair and body ready for your next break

A laissez-faire attitude to beauty is not the best approach if you want to feel groomed on your next holiday.

To look low maintenance, and save not only time but stress on a daily basis, these are the beauty fixes that not only work but are also what some might call life-changing.

They help you wake up looking prettier, leave the house faster and also help you look groomed if you’re heading for a city break, humidity-prone tropics on the green list or the windy shores of Cornwall.

So whether you want to ditch the hours of blow-drying and humidity-proof your hair or sport semi-permanent lashes, brows and nails – here are the places and practitioners in London you should be booking in for now to keep you looking calm and carrying glamorously on this summer – now all you need is this season's pick of the best summer dresses and SPF.

​Best long-lasting blow-dry

If your hair puffs up like a Pomeranian with the merest hint of humidity or post- sea swim, then a long-lasting, semi-permanent blow-dry could be for you.

Unlike the chemical versions of the past, now there’s more of a natural approach, called the Braz. The nasty chemicals and formaldehyde have been replaced with Brazilian Botanical Bioactives, including guarana, cashew, and brazil nut oils to help smooth the hair cuticles for up to three months.

Book in at Neville Hair & Beauty Salon, from £250, click here. The salon also has a resident expert, Flavex Lima, a native of Brazil and treatment specialist, who can offer consultation on what, would work best for your hair type. Not only will you be able to wash and go and ditch the straighteners, but your hair will also be in the best condition all summer long.

Long-lasting medical pedicure

Pierre is the go-to man at the Mandarin Oriental and in the 60-minute Bastien Pedicure he treats skin, nails, muscles, joints and over-worked shins. The therapy finishes with diamond drilling, chamois leather buffing and the Révérence de Bastien Pearl Baume, all of which aim to keep toes looking shiny for up to four weeks.

Plus, being polish-free means, there’s no chipping or yellowing and no lugging lacquer around either. From £140, click here.

For the best pedicures in London – click here.

Hair removal that lasts

Just think: no more shaving, waxing and epilating when you book in at the D.Thomas Clinic for laser hair removal.

They offer different wavelength lasers according to skin tone, type, and gender, and you can remove everything from nipple hair to face fuzz, and even have a full Brazilian, which puts an end to those six-weekly (ouch!) salon visits. From £70, click here.

​Best long-lasting fake tan treatment

There’s no denying the restorative aspects of a self-tan session, but DIY treatments don’t seem to have the longevity of a salon version.

The go-to premium tanning service in London is Amanda Harrington. She offers Full Body Brush-On Tan (from £100) or the Bespoke Body Contouring (From £120), where the aesthetician can sculpt, slim, or tone specific areas for the ultimate confidence boost in the comfort of your home courtesy of InParlour.

James Read The Signature Tan, £60, offers a bespoke colour – in shades 1, 2 or 3 – which is a quick spray that provides a non-tacky finish and lasts over a week. Try at Hersheson's at Harvey Nichols.

BeauBronz at Browns, £55, is a three-step treatment that exfoliates, tans and moisturises the skin to seal in the colour and help it to last longer.

The best lash extensions in London

Lash extensions are one of the sure-fire ways of avoiding the dreaded panda-eye when on your holiday. Edyta Kurowska is the woman to book if you want super-subtle lashes.

She offers the standard black and a soft brown and navy, too, and will never extend further than 2mm beyond your natural lashes for the most realistic effect. Visit her Fitzrovia salon, Edy London, or she will make home visits in London, from £200.

​Best long-lasting brow treatments in London

Brows frame the face, add dimension, depth, and help lift the eye, so it makes perfect sense to keep them neat and tidy 24/7 and not worry about them washing off in the sea or pool. This is where microblading, hyper-realism and microshading come into play, as this artificial boost lasts a lot longer than your average pencil.

The semi-permanent treatments can last for between one and two years but might require top-ups depending on your hair and skin type. The feathery strokes (blading), tiny dots (shading) fill in sparse areas, streamline arches, and give the illusion of fluffier boy boys. Hyper-Realism Brows is an advanced tattoo technique that mimics the natural movement of your hair.

Practitioner expertise is critical here and we’ve seen brilliant results from Suman Brows – (POA) and Nez Hasan (from £550) and Tracie Giles (from £495).

Make sure you book your treatment at least two to three weeks before your holiday as you can’t get them wet for a week, and it allows for any tweaks, skin tests, and top-ups too.