When I received a tweet offering a free facial during last week’s #NorfolkHour on Twitter, I’m sure you can imagine my response. Having not had a facial in Norwich for a very long time, I snapped the invitation up with no hesitation!
The offer was made by Jackie Hamilton School of Beauty for an hour and a half Dermalogica facial and I couldn’t believe my luck. The appointment was organised very efficiently by email and they even supplied a map!
As I walked to Chamberlain House in Norwich (a building I have walked past hundreds of times but have never noticed), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have never been to a beauty school before, so didn’t know what the format was. When I arrived on the second floor, I discovered that I wasn’t the only person in for a facial, and nobody seemed entirely clear what was going on. I received my health questionnaire after a few minutes and took a seat, writing down my skincare concerns and routine while I waited.
Mixed experience
When all the therapists came to collect us at the same time, there was a bit of a crush to get into the treatment area, where roughly six treatment beds were laid out side by side. The clients were encouraged to get comfortable and answer some questions on the bed, meaning it was a bit noisy and not altogether restful. It was then that I was asked if I’d had a patch test for eye lash and brow tinting, which I wasn’t aware was going to be happening and caught me off guard. Thankfully, one of the tutors explained that the tint would be applied but no developer would be added, and I heaved a sigh of relief. That wasn’t what I had signed up for at all!
My therapist then got down to the treatment, double cleansing my skin with Dermologica products, before toning and providing a skin analysis (which was very helpful – the tutor came over to help the trainee to identify my skin type and explained where problem areas were and what I could do about it).
Then the therapist commenced the tinting, which, if you’ve never had it done before is a slightly odd experience. Vaseline is applied around the lash line and brows to stop the dye leaching onto your skin and then they are painted with a tiny brush. As promised, the dye didn’t take though and my eyebrows are still my own (even after being tidied up).
Around this time the experience became much more relaxing; the lights were dimmed for a relaxing neck and shoulder massage, a face mask (made up of two different masks to tackle the different areas of my skin), followed by toning and moisturising.
Life skills
Throughout the treatment my therapist explained what she was doing, while her tutor was on hand with advice and answered any questions I might have, which was reassuring.
As well as knowledgeable tutors, the school seemed to have lots of equipment and used quality products, which made my skin feel incredibly soft and my complexion glowed afterwards.
Jackie Hamilton offers lots of different courses, from facials and skincare to nails and eyelash extensions. If you were looking into starting a beauty course, it does seem to offer a lot of choice, with great products and tutoring. You can find out more online here.
