Monday, October 5th, 2009
by J. Baker
New York – Judging from talks with friends recently, I’m pretty sure the words “saving” and “cutting back” have invaded our personal vocabularies more than we care to admit. In 2008, yours truly was seriously caught up in the madness of $14 lunches, $20 drinks after work and a quick stop by a boutique or department store on the way home. The Parlour mavens and I weren’t ballin’, but we weren’t exactly on a budget either. Fast forward one year and we all find ourselves patting ourselves on the back that not only did we make it this far, we did it on our own terms, we did it with style, and we made sure to schedule a few “pick-me-up” trips to one of our favorite places to have a sweet-yet-smart indulgence: ‘Cure Beauty Bar of Brooklyn.
Bright, airy and inviting, a trip to ‘Cure takes care of the three places you’d usually have to run into the city for; eyebrows, waxing, nails, etc. And for many of us Brooklyn girls, the spa is close to home. You walk in and instead of feeling like you are in a factory (”pick a color/write your name”), you are offered a seat, a glass of wine or water, the latest fashion & lifestyle mags and a portrait of John Coltrane to ease you in. Because ‘Cure specializes in natural nail care, you can forget about dealing with the smell of acrylic powder and those godawful nail art portraits. Recently I decided to treat myself since my paws started to look like something out of The Flintstones, and ‘Cure’s weekday $30 mani/pedi special was a great way to walk into the weekend:
First up, the pedicure. Normally, I have one eye on my technician and one eye on my book when I get pedicures. Every woman has at least one horror story when it comes to their feet, but after one minute with Annie (pictured above) I was pretty confident that I could chill and just be. Everything is tailored to your liking, from the temperature of the water to the shape of your nails, with some tips on how to keep your pedi tight sprinkled in. It wasn’t too long or too quick. All of the quality products used, from Carol’s Daughter to Yoza, were to ensure that my feet looked the same a week after my pedi—and they did.
On to the manicure. To be honest—until recently, I never saw the point in manicures. I spent most of my college years in a darkroom and printing studio, so the combo of chemicals and pigments made the idea of a manicure kind of pointless, now I still carry the same attitude—why spend money of something that I will ruin? After briefly examining my bare nails, Annie took the time to explain that she would file them in a way that would help them grow stronger and LaShunda, the owner of ‘Cure, helped me get out of my safe-zone of natural colors and try something new—a matte red. I know I think I’m a celebrity in my head, but it seems that getting the star treatment is the norm at ‘Cure. After we prepped my hands and nails with a thorough cleaning, shaping, hot-towel treatment and moisturizing, Annie worked out my color.
<< My fab fingas + toes, lol!
One thing that I noticed about Annie and the other ‘Cure technicians is the time they dedicate to prepping and applying nail color and how it really does go a long way in making the color last. The process isn’t daunting and there seems to be a sense of pride in what they do, which makes for a great experience. The combination of good (ie. not cheap) products with a focus on the process not only gives you a fly set of finger & toes, but saves you time and money in the long run— a week later I was still going strong on the top and bottom without having to touch myself up. Maybe I’ll get Minxed on my next return, it’s another specialty at ‘Cure.
Other than offering great services like manis/pedis, waxing, massages and facials, ‘Cure also carries a variety of brands to compliment your pretty “after” style, like the Cubannie Links line of jewelry (pictured above) and Kissable Couture lip-glosses. Unlike most nail salons or “spas,” you never feel like a number in an assembly line—you just want may to hang out all day. It seems like I have my own little ‘cure for my beauty blues right on Fulton Avenue.
Go see for yourself this Saturday as Parlour helps to celebrate Cure’s anniversary with complimentary food, wine, music and spa services throughout the day. Stop by and receive a $7 manicure between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or $10 off of a manicure/pedicure when you mention Parlour.
Details:
‘Cure Beauty Bar
921 Fulton St
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 622-7100
http://www.curebk.com/
Hours: Wed - Fri.12pm-8pm; Sat 11am-7pm; Sun 12pm-6pm
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Photography: Berman Fenelus for AAC
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