Leeds is fast becoming the place to be, with new shops and businesses popping up left, right and centre. The newest beauty addition to hit the city centre is the SHOW Beauty Blow Dry Bar, tucked away at the back of the store in Harvey Nichols, Leeds. I was invited to a luxurious hair consultation and blow dry on their day of launch, Friday 3rd July. My appointment was in the morning before I started work, which meant that it was a bit of a long journey as I do not work in the city centre, but the journey was well and truly worth the trip. Read on to find out more about SHOW Beauty and how my appointment went!




SHOW Beauty is the brainchild of Tamara Ecclestone, and it launched the first range of luxury hair styling products back in 2013. They first had their products available in premier department stores such as Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Selfridges, before branching out into the online world via Net-a-Porter and finally making their way into House of Fraser and Fenwick. Since their launch in the UK, they have expanded to America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East within just a couple of years. Pretty impressive for a brand that is still so young! Their products are designed to be layered and to work together, without leaving any residue, flaking or visible white marks. Every product offers its own unique hair care benefits, but consistent throughout the collection are UVA and UVB protection, colour fading prevention technology and they are all paraben and sulphate free. The packaging, as you would expect, is beautiful, sophisticated and suitably glamorous, without being tacky. As I mentioned at the time, you wouldn't want to hide these away in a drawer; they deserve to be proudly displayed for everyone to see.




When I arrived bright and early for my appointment, I was greeted by my stylist, Chelsey, and before you could say "blowdry", I was donning a oh-so-fashionable cape and offered a drink. Prosecco was an option, but seeing as it was too early even for my standards I opted for the fruit juice instead! Chelsey wasted no time in getting started, asking me all sorts of questions about my hair and telling me all about the brand. The most important question she asked was what I wanted doing, and in all honesty I had no idea - secretly I wanted my hair to look just like hers! I tried to describe it the best I could, and being the professional she is she managed to figure out exactly what I wanted. She suggested the Signature Blow Dry, which would give me lots of volume and soft curls towards the ends. As you can see, my hair was long (Has since been cut!), shapeless, with straggly ends and my biggest complaint of all - lacking in volume. I desperately wanted some "oomph" putting into my hair, and that's exactly what Chelsey did.




I never used to enjoy going to hair appointments, seeing them as a neccessity to get the job done. However, after a year of giving new places a try, I've really come around to the idea of it being a true pampering session instead of something to dread! SHOW Dry Bars are all about luxury, and giving you that exceptional quality experience. That means that you not only leave with a great result that you'll love, but you can truly relax and enjoy your time spent there too. This counter in Harvey Nichols Leeds is small, but perfectly equipped and I didn't feel like I was too much on display, due to being at the back of the store. There was quite a few people walking past who had a quick look at what was going on, but I didn't mind that at all. Chelsey was not only a wonder when it came to styling my hair, but was so friendly and chatty too; traits that must come with the job but as a self-confessed people person, you can tell that she truly loves what she does. Not only that, but she was a true ambassador for the brand as she had the most beautiful, long, perfectly styled hair; something I was seriously envious of, but not for too long!



I'm afraid that I can't remember every detail of the process Chelsey went through when styling my hair, but she started with dampening with a water spray so she had a base to work with. I believe that she then applied the Lux Volume Mist to my roots, and then the Divine Thickening Lotion to the mid-lengths and ends, to help give me the volume I so desperately wanted. Chelsey split my hair into six sections to begin with, with the intention of blow drying and styling each one. It turned out that my hair was so thick that it needed splitting into more sections, curling each one around her fingers as she went and pinning them up to cool. This way, the style had time to set and would make it last for longer. As you can see from the pictures, there's a pretty epic one right at the front of my head, giving my hair that much needed lift. When it had all cooled, Chelsey unpinned my curls and unveiled my amazing new hair!




To finish my gorgeous new style, Chelsey ran her fingers through my hair to break up the curls and set it all off with a layer of the Premiere Finishing Spray to hold it in place. This felt so fine and light on my hair, without the usual tell-tale crispiness or stiffness. It also had the bonus of smelling like caramel, just like the other products she used on my hair! As you can see, my hair looked voluminous and softly curled, just like I had hoped for - a truly elegant style if there ever was one. Sadly I was only going to work afterwards, but I received countless compliments on my hair all day; people couldn't believe that it had been washed the day before last! Harvey Nichols has been missing a hair counter amongst their beauty hall for a long time now, and they couldn't have picked a better brand to offer luxury hair consultations and styling. My appointment lasted for about 45 minutes and would have cost £35, but if you're pushed for time they offer "Express" styling starting from £20, and they last for 20 minutes. Booking is advised, and can be done via www.showdry.com or by downloading their app if you use an Apple device. I am sure that will be using their services again in the future, the next time I have an event coming up!

Do you have a blow dry bar near you? Would you use one if you had? Let me know in the comments!

Disclaimer: My appointment was free of charge, but this does not affect my opinion in any way.