




My mama always told me that first impressions were important. She said that beyond the gesture of being polite and friendly, you can’t help that most people will look at appearance first. She stressed the importance of keeping personal hygiene in tip top shape, starting from a fresh cleansed face, to neatly combed hair down to your nails. My mama always keeps her look polished and natural and when it comes to her manicures and pedicures, she keeps things simple.
Having being in Hong Kong for almost seven years now, I’ve definitely found my manicure and pedicure path heading towards a more cosmetic route. I’ve gone from getting occasional manicures and pedicures throughout the year to making it a regular part of my schedule. From being a big fan of nail polish to a diehard shellac-only kinda gal, I’ve definitely seen my natural nails go through quite the beating to upkeep a polished look.
Thank goodness for Albin! His goal that day wasn’t to apply a fresh coat of polish (although, he’s not against nail polish – he just believes that it should be used for special occasions and be removed in 4 to 5 days) but to enhance the natural shine and beauty of the nail. The process starts off like what you would expect a pedicure to be like however using precision made tools that included a drill made from diamond dust (!) to smooth out the surface of the nail as well as remove dry skin and a natural chamois leather horn buffer! This part of the treatment paid homage to Bastien Gonazalez’ grandma who at 92 years old had the best kept nails with no polish and thanks to daily buffing; his grandma had a natural French manicure every single day. Bastien took this family secret and made it his own and a part of this luxurious treatment.
- Give yourself (or ask your partner – especially if you’re pregnant and can’t reach your feet like myself!) a home foot massage by lightly pinching and making circular motions on the areas of your feet where they tend to get a bit more dry.
- Use a toothbrush (an electric one is even better!) to brush away dead skin around your nails.
- Sprinkle some baby/talcum powder in your shoes before wearing them to help soak up any perspiration and to avoid turning the inside of your shoes dark.
- When clipping and filing your toe nails, don’t clip down the sides as it promotes ingrown nails.(Who would’ve known?!)
- Make sure to dry each toe nail thoroughly after a shower or bath.
You can check out this luxurious and well worth the indulgent treatment at the Pedi: Mani: Cure Studio by Bastien Gonzalez at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Spa.
Pedi: Mani: Cure Studio, Landmark Mandarin Oriental Spa, Landmark Mandarin, Central, Hong Kong, 2132 0011, www.mandarinoriental.com