Brazilian Review #1: Strip Ministry of Wax's Strawberry Brazilian

This is the Lot10 branch

If you're wondering why every beauty blog in town seems to be nattering on about brazilian waxes the answer's simple. The salon's have realised that this isn't something girls are going to jump at without a few reviews and personal retellings. I, for one, did copious amounts of research before even saying "yes" to this invite.

I've actually turned down quite a few but with the flurry of invites So Loverly's been getting, I finally gave in to my journalistic curiosity (it's a terrible thing that'll get me killed someday) and accepted an invite from established chain, Strip: Ministry of Wax to try their new Strawberry Brazilian.

This is a review of Strip's wax and services, it's not about my experience a first-time waxer. It didn't seem fair to mix the two, so the full telling of my "virgin deforestation" is in part 2 on Thursday.  If you notice, ParisB of MyWomenStuff is doing the same - great minds and all that. =P

Strip is a pretty decent place to go for your "first time". They have a special Brazilian Virgin package for RM88 that comes with a briefing... complete with the following booklet...

And an after-care package that we'll review later.

Strip is a line that started in Singapore and they formulate all their own waxes, so every now and then they'll release a new one. The last one was the Chocolate Berry hard wax, and now they have the Strawberry hard wax.



Hard wax? Soft wax?
For reference, hard waxes don't need a cloth strip to be pulled off, they put them on you, let it set and pull them off, ripping off hair with it. Soft waxes apply liquid and need a waxing strip to get them off. Hard waxes are generally better for more sensitive areas that aren't flat as it clings less to skin and will conform easily to body contours. Soft waxes are cheaper and a lot faster, so they're preferred for less sensitive areas like legs and arms.

On with the show!
After the briefing you're shown to a private cubicle to remove all clothing below your waist and given sanitising wipes. I like how Strip has an unsealed package of wax application spatulas and wipes that is opened in front of you. No reusing possible! And no double dipping either. Each spatula, once used, is tossed. 

Its' little details like the sealed package, specially formulated waxes and the word "Breathe" in cotton wool on the wall that make a difference in salons. When it comes to services like Brazilians, I say never go budget. Ever. 

They also give you cute squeezey animals to clamp down on when they rip those hairs out.

The actual experience
My wax-specialist was Angel, a lovely girl with 3 years (yes THREE years) experience in waxing beavers so feeling self-conscious around her just seemed silly. She's seen them ALL.

"Aiyo you dont' have a forest, you have a mini-garden. Some women and men... wah. It's like a jungle with Tarzan in it..."

You can opt to chatter or talk. Keeping quiet lessens the chances of you squealing OUCH! but it's also boring. So I chattered. And didn't squeal. Ok. Maybe once.

Because it DOES hurt. Of course lah. But it's not torture and you won't burst into tears. I have a fairly high pain threshold but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt for me. It just means I can disregard it.

I was a little disappointed that they didn't actually get all the hairs. I'm not sure if I'm being anal but I went over again with tweezers when I got home. Now that. Hurts.

The Strawberry Wax
Smells of strawberry candy, and not too sweet. Quite fun really! The waxes are kept in pots that are preset so the waxes never get hot enough to burn. Even so, be paranoid and ask them to test it. Nobody wants fried pussy! I've never had a wax before so I can't compare this to any other wax - but I also have no complaints.

 
After

Here's the adorable kit they give first-timers. It contains a (new) cute squeezy animal, a loofah, their anti-burn, anti-itch soothing cream "Ice Cream", and the antibacterial anti-ingrown hair cream X'ed Out.

Of the two creams,X'ed Out worked for me and Ice Cream doesn't. Ice Cream does feel cool and soothing when applied but I have a feeling that it's a little heavy for me and contributed to the post-wax breakouts I suffered (more about that on Tuesday).

X'Ed Out though is brilliant and I just may buy the full sized tub (RM98) even though it's pricey. It contains tea tree oil, Bromelain, a pineapple enzyme to for gentle exfoliation, Vitamin A to open follicals for Resorcinol to penetrate deeply, preventing and treating itchiness and ingrown hair.

Conclusion
Regardless of how I feel about brazilians, Strip: Ministry of Wax is a safe bet for any first-timers. They also have quite a loyal clientele and, considering how long Angel's worked for them, decent HR practices (you'll be surprised how much employee treatment affects customer care). They're also established and not a fly-by-night enterprise that you can't find to sue when things go horribly wrong (not that I want to sue Strip!). Prices are not the lowest, but honestly, WHY would you want a budge brazilian? Eeek!

Personally, I doubt I'd ever get another brazilian wax - I'll explain why on Thursday. But I enjoyed Strip's professionalism, cute touches and customer care so if I ever want anything waxed I'll likely head back there.I was also going to publish a list if tips for first-timers but Paris has done such an amazing job, you should just go read hers!