First Impressions

I've always passed by Nails Magic in SS2 but never tried their services. One fine day, I realised I hadn't done up my nails in a few months and thought, why not give them a shot as Tenshi, the one I normally go to had closed. They had a nice interior, wide screen television, with three staff working. A woman was tasked to serve me but appeared to not be a full time staff. They also had a tiny puppy in the shop but was not much of a nuisance. I am not sure if the puppy is permanently there when the staff works there or if that was a one-off incident.  The woman serving me seems experienced but was not attentive and careful. Firstly, she was very interested in the TVB drama going on and kept turning back to watch it, and at times completely paused her work during tense scenes.  Secondly, perhaps in her hurry to return to the show, she was very careless and hasty. She ended up pulling too hard a few times when trimming my cuticles and to my surprise, she was not apolog

Serena was doing a Groupon deal awhile back on a microdermabrasion facial. I purchased two and attended the facial in Paradigm mall.  Service was fair, ambience was good. We received a foot wash, rub, and then proceeded to the facial.  The facial overall was average, a short 60minutes session and later on we were giving consultation and further package deals. I did not return as I realised after this that I would prefer my facial salon to not be in a mall cos crossing the mall to the parking lot as well as resisting the temptation to do some shopping with a red face and no make up on was quite the challenge! Overall Serena is a good place to start for beginners who'd like to learn more on facials but I stuck on with Lavines for a more personalised experience.

One day on impulse I purchased a Groupon deal for a gel manicure + normal pedicure to be used at Tenshi Nail House in SS2.  Having frequent SS2 so often, I had no idea where Tenshi is and have not heard of it before. The deal was really cheap and how bad can a mani/pedi turn out even if the services are bad, right? A week before it expired, I made an appointment and called up for directions. Turns out it is on the same row as Rekindle cafe, and one floor up.  It is a small cosy shop with pretty pink decor of angels; owner and staff were friendly and tended to me with their full attention. There was no hard-selling or them being pushy about upgrading me to other services, but I upgraded my pedicure to gel anyway to be longer-lasting.  Before my departure, I was offered a 3-session package which would cost me as much as the Groupon deal would per session, which totals to about RM138 (if memory serves me right). I happily signed up, pleased with the staff and service, and

A friend recently renewed her driver's licence and showed me that it is now in a new card format instead of the laminated ones we all have been using, and apparently this new licence has been implemented since mid 2013. Pink in colour,  with English translations, I thought it was a great improvement and wanted one immediately. I had 5 years remaining on my current licence and immediately felt left out that I had to wait for it to lapse before I could renew and get the new licence. However, after enquiring at the counter, the staff informed me I can extend my existing validity and still get the new licence.  Great news! After checking out the Electrolux sale in Jaya One, I chanced upon a post office and it had no customers! I immediately walked in to upgrade to the new licence and pay for a year's renewal fee, which is RM32.  I signed a simple check form, handed over my old laminated licence and IC for him to process. A few taps at his computer, and the licence was read

We had some time to kill in the afternoon and decided to drop by and see the progress of Jaya mall and check out its new tenants. Browsing the third floor which is pretty quiet at this point I spotted a beauty parlour which offers manicure and waxing services, as well as threading! While the boyfriend waited for a juice at the kiosk in front, I popped in for a quick eyebrow tidy-up. Ten minutes later, I had neat brows, and to my satisfaction, all for RM5. Here's the current price list, and the boutique's front: Definitely will recommend the threading services. L2-09A, Jaya Shopping Centre, Jalan Semangat, Sekysen 14 46100 Petaling Jaya 03 7931 7453

Honestly, a Google search of Lavines did not turn up with any reviews or solid websites that reassures the sceptical online shopper such as myself. Instead I found page after page of discounted deals that Lavines ran in the past, and also a Facebook page which was last updated in 2011. I was extremely attracted by the location of its outlet and drove past it one day to see what it looks like. Unlike some smaller, unknown beauty outlets in SS2 occupying the upper levels, this outlet is located on the Ground floor and looks fairly attractive and proper. The staff looked professional and despite scaffolding and construction work going on beside it, business seemed alright. photo taken from Groupon deal page I took the plunge and purchased a 2.5 hour facial + massage deal  and made an appointment for myself. Lavines has a text system where they confirm your appointment or contact you by text if you did not answer your phone, which I appreciated.  The facial and lymphat