Beauty & Butter Review: Hand Parafin & Manicure

I was quite happy with my first Beauty & Butter experience, so when the time came to get another manicure, I knew where to go. I got a foot parafin the last time I went, so this time I was eager to try it out on my hands. After all, my usually not-so-soft feet felt really smooth after the dipping, and I wanted my hands (full of drawing calluses) to be just as soft.

As usual, I went to the flagship Beauty & Butter store in Megamall. It's the one that's closest to me, and I love any excuse to be in a mall and shop around (hehe). The store was pretty much the same as the last time, though I did manage to get a shot of the nail art station.

The artist wasn't there when I arrived, but he came later on and was immediately hard at work. He only comes in during weekends, so ladies take note if you want to avail of his services! :)

The "hand parafin and manicure" consists of cleansing, scrubbing, and a bit of massaging before dipping your hands into the hot wax. It's different from the "hand spa and manicure" because aside from the wax dipping, the treatments are only focused on your hands. If you pick the hand spa, they massage all the way up to your arms. (If you just want pure pampering all the way, I recommend going with the hand spa.)

Here are the multitude of Beauty & Butter nail polish 

colors available! Can you guess what I picked? ;)

I like B&B because they have their own brand of nail polish that's made abroad. They've got a wide array of colors and a lot of them are teenager-friendly. It's not like when I go to the usual salons where the colors consist of pink, red, and beige-- how boring! Sometimes a twenty-something just wants neon yellow, you know? ;)

This was the tub of hot wax that the technician brought over as she finished massaging my hands. It seemed quite unassuming at first glance, but believe me, it was actually hot!

The first dip!

Both hands are dipped a total of 4 times-- 3 times palm-down and 1 time palm-up. She lets maybe 3-5 seconds pass between dips to set the wax, but not so much that it would harden completely. The process was a bit painful because the wax is hot, so I'd recommend you trying this on your feet first to see if you can handle it.

The first time I had my foot parafin done, I thought it wasn't painful at all. It actually felt quite good and relaxing. But I was surprised at the intensity of the feeling on my hands... I guess they're generally more sensitive.

After she completed the dippings, she wrapped my hand in thin plastic...

...and then put it in a comfy mitten!

After this, I was left alone with my lovely warm mittens for several minutes. I watched a bit of TV and I think I even dozed off a little. The salon is a great place to relax, as their chairs are perfectly comfortable and very similar to Lazy Boys.

Afterwards, she came back and removed the mitten and plastic bag. The wax came off quite easily, (like a thick rubber glove), and my hands felt really smooth and soft!

After that, she gave me a classic manicure. I picked out a lovely shade of apple green with a glitter topcoat, and she did everything really well. There's not much to say about this part, because these girls are pros when it comes to doing classic manicures.

The lighting in the store is a bit pale, so you can't really see how lovely and green it is...

Bur here's the final product! An awesome apple green with a lovely glitter topcoat. Such a pretty hue!

All in all, I was quite happy with Hand Parafin & Manicure service I got. I only paid Php450 for it, and that's usually the rate you get for the typical hand spa/manicure combo at other salons. The hand parafin was quite an experience-- I think it's something I'd do once a month for maintenance because I love how it makes my hands feel afterwards.

My mom has also tried this service out elsewhere, and she says that it makes her hands appear less aged. I can't confirm this since I don't have lines on my hands yet, but having baby-soft hands is definitely a plus! :)

Price List: Click to enlarge!

For readers interested in visiting Beauty & Butter, their stores can be found at the following malls: 5F Megamall Atrium (flagship shop), 2F Mall of Asia’s Entertainment Wing, and 2F SM San Lazaro.

For more information and the full price list, the Beauty and Butter website can be found at www.beautyandbutter.com