I was never bothered about appearances, if I could get Laura to school on time, that was an exceptional achievement in my eyes.
But everything changed the day Sandra trotted her way up to the school gates. She was the new girl’s mum. She always looked perfect. Flawless foundation, nails shining, brows defined, lashes curled with a bold red lip, every day.
I could not believe it. Who has the time for that?
I tried to rock the cool and casual look in a tracksuit with a bit of tinted moisturiser and bed hair. Sandra always just strutted past, never introducing herself. At the last school charity bake off, I’d overheard her complaining to the other parents about my brownies. She said they were just ‘missing something’.
Well, she was clearly missing her taste buds.
The other morning, Laura’s dad dropped her off and I took the dog for a walk into town. As I went down the high street I noticed a poster with a bold title ‘The Staycation’, if you booked a new set of nail extensions you could get 20% off a lash or brow treatment. Just what I needed! Their number was at the bottom of the poster, Hampson Beauty Clinic 01732 773434.
On my way home, I called the clinic, asking her all kinds of questions about eyelash treatments. I never knew there was an alternative to strip lashes. As soon as she replied, I got onto their website and booked myself in for the earliest available slot. Later that day, at 4 pm, I arrived for my treatments.
There were so many colour choices for my set of nails, I thought I would be there all night! Luckily the technician was so helpful, she recommended the perfect design. I went for bright neon orange with a black statement nail covered in gold glitter on each hand.
Next up, my lash treatment. Although I had never had eyelash extensions before, I always applied strip lashes for a night out. So I thought, let’s go for it. I tried out hybrid lash extensions which are a mixture between classic and Russians. They were the exact look I wanted, building volume and length whilst still appearing natural.
Even though I’d opted for lashes as part of my Staycation offer after they were done I just had to go for definition brows. The technician managed to tame my brows in just 30 minutes!
The next day, I was ready to make my entrance.
“We’re taking your dad’s car today,” I said.
Laura looked at me, confused.
“Why would we take the Porsche? We always walk?”
“We’ll get pizza tonight love, just get in” I replied.
Laura never argued against a pizza night.
We pulled up at the school gate and I stepped out, leopard print heels on, neon nails gleaming. As I joined Laura on the pavement, Sandra was stumbling around the corner, one of her heels had snapped and she was clutching a pair of flip flops.
As she spotted me, her jaw dropped.
“Hi, Sandra! Hope you’ve got everything ready for the cake sale on Friday, I can’t wait to try your homemade vanilla buttercream, I’ve heard it’s wonderful” I smiled, knowing full well every contribution Sandra had ever made was always Tesco’s finest.
I shut the car door, linked Laura’s arm in mine and walked through the school gates.
Save time in your daily makeup routine, book in for a full set of nail extensions and receive 20% OFF a brow or lash treatment of your choice! Click here to book
Feeling adventurous? Explore our exclusive summer packages here.
