Dolmen Mall to get its first salon after Eid

Toni&Guy to collaborate with Pond’s Skin Centre to open flagship salon in September.

KARACHI:

During a two-day workshop at Toni&Guy in Clifton, owner Saeeda Mandviwalla shared some exciting news: her salon will be collaborating with the Pond’s Skin Centre for a new venture at Dolmen City Mall.

“We have news to share; Toni&Guy Karachi, in collaboration with the Pond’s Skin Centre, plans to open a flagship salon and skin center at the Dolmen Mall. We want to share our expertise in hair and nails as well as skin care with our clientele,” said Mandviwalla.

All set to open on the mall’s first floor in September, the salon will provide the hair services that Toni&Guy is best known for and also connect Pond’s to a younger crowd with a new concept. From hair extensions and pedicures to facials and foot reflexology, the flagship outlet will cater to just about every beauty requirement. “Whether you have 40 minutes or four hours, we can provide you a service,” Mandviwalla told The Express Tribune. “If you need to get back to work in a hurry, we can give you a buff and fluff for your nails or a quick blow dry,” she said. Mandviwalla also explained that the 3,700 square foot salon will have purpose-built pods, where a client can go into a “cocoon and cut off from the surroundings”.

“It’s a good synergy to have hair, skin and nails under one roof,” she added. “Pond’s has been around for such a long time and now, they will bring their services to a young crowd.”

Senior Brand Manager of Pond’s, Humayun Farooq, said he was delighted to be a part of this team which he feels “will raise the bar higher, from experts giving not just hair care and nail care but skin services too.”

Also present at the workshop was Francis Campbell, the British Deputy High Commissioner, who earned a few laughs when he said, “I think the Dolmen Mall will somehow become the British Mall, with a cluster of British brands available. With Unilever being the longest serving company here in the country, we are proud of the British operations and plan to take it to the next level. This joint venture of Toni&Guy and Pond’s Skin Centre will serve as an indication as to how Pakistan is changing and transforming, and on behalf of the British Government, I would like to congratulate you all.”

Leighton Denny workshop

At the Toni&Guy salon in Clifton on Tuesday afternoon, a trainer of Leighton Denny — a leading beauty connoisseur famous for an ever expanding beauty portfolio from lip care to tanning — shared her expertise on the importance of nail care during a training session.

London-based Fareedah Abbar emphasised on complex colour polishing techniques and how specific colours can help glamourise nails.

Present at the nail bar were five young girls getting manicures or pedicures. In the pedicure section, a vibrant red titled ‘Do Me A Favour’ was being painted onto toe nails. The catchy ‘Blue Lagoon’ also looked like a hot favourite.

Mandviwalla, who runs the Toni&Guy salon in Karachi, said: “Training is the most essential part of salon culture, so we are giving a two-day work shop to young employees on how to take care of their nails.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2012.