The bag lady tries to resist temptation

I'm Helena Biggs, aka 8 item packhorse.

Well, today was 'one of those.' You know, when you wake up and think, 'Yay, it's Saturday!' then realise it's only Wednesday, you've slept through 12 snoozes on your alarm then rush into work looking redfaced and bedraggled like you got caught in some form of woodland tryst. All in all, I was feeling pretty flustered, and got swamped with work and phonecalls from the moment I stepped into the office at half 8. Just call me Grumblestiltskin, I'll understand. Oh- and to top it all off, when I finally sat down for lunch I had to digest a godawful beef ready meal that tasted like stale plane food. I officially hate Wednesdays.

At about 2ish I slung my grumpy bum onto a train for a meeting and some press launches. Don't get me wrong, I adore press launches - seeing new products, innovations and locations and having a good ol mingle over some Champers - but it was raining, I had no umbrella and my shoes were doing that really annoying 'clip, clop, scrape' thing when you know you should've had them re-heeled about three months ago. I cheered myself up with a Brunch Bar (not in my diet plan. Didn't care) and hotfooted to Fulham to meet a lady about some cupcakes. I can't say too much, as it'll ruin the surprise (and suck for those of you who aren't invited) but I'm having some cupcakes custom-made for a work event, so went to look at some samples and design ideas. I met 'The Maker' at The Shed, a cute little coffee shop owned by Mel B's sister, Danielle, and was wowed with six gorgeous cupcakes, all different flavours and designs, perfectly presented in a pink cardboard box. Cheered me up momentarily until I realised I had to transport them back on the tube and to two press events along with my massive, awkwardly shaped handbag (I'm the 21st Century Mary Poppins - never enough stuff, but never enough useful stuff either), clumpy work camera, jacket and pair of shoes. "I'm a journalist," I thought. "I'm used to multi-tasking and juggling things." And then it started raining. Reminder: the cupcakes were in a cardboard box. Bad times.



The mani area featuring ORBs



Cue peculiar, slightly limping (attempted the gym this week. Ouch), child-like running in the clip-clop-scrape heels trying to balance my bags and hold the cupcakes flat, all the while wondering whether I had enough willpower not to eat them before the boss gives them the onceover. I managed to make it to the tube (finding my ticket was a whole new saga) and headed to South Ken to check out the launch party of the very swanky Hand and Foot Spa on Fulham Road. 

The deluxe pedi area



 Well they certainly know how to cheer a (somewhat soggy) girl up! With a fresh glass of juice in hand, I had a lovely chat with the owner before being shown round the spa, a gorgeous set-up decked out in restful grey, lilac and white that concentrates solely (pun intended) on hand, foot and nail health, as well as aesthetics, with threading on the side which can only be had alongside a mani or pedi appointment to keep the salon's niche appeal. With its own coffee bar and lounge area downstairs, the launch party was buzzing, and I was spoilt rotten with eyebrow threading and a luxury mani with oil and paraffin wax, opting for a purpley-pink shade on my nails with Essie's Splash of Grenadine.



My Essie mani, by Mia



I bumped into friend of Scratch mag and nail judge extraordinaire Ketan Patel, and was recognised from Twitter by the lovely Nicky from Spapliance, who has provided the amazing ORBs (funky, globe shaped paraffin wax and oil heaters) for the spa. Oh - and it really is a small nail world, as the tech who did my mani recognised me from when she worked at a different nail bar and I came to do a review! Maybe I just get around too much...



Feeling refreshed and less stressed, I left the salon with perfectly polished nails and a goody bag (the balancing bag lady act was getting beyond a joke) I headed back to the tube, only to accosted by a slurring tramp asking me if I'd buy a packet of ciggies from him for £3. Would've been a good deal if I actually smoked and they weren't all soggy and crumpled.



Fashionable guests @ Nail Rock

Oxford Circus bound, I managed to piss off a fair few - actually, a LOT - of commuters with my bags. Cupcakes were still intact though, although it was dinnertime and I almost ate the almond cuticle oil from my goody bag in an attempt to avoid the sparkling buttercream. I eventually made to the Swarovski Crystallized concept store. Ok, picture the scene: dishevelled blonde in uneven heels walks down a cobbly Gt Marlborough St balancing a stupidly large handbag, big black camera case, leather jacket, goody bag and pink box of cupcakes and walks through two bouncers toward the PR hosts. "Can we, er...put anything in the cloakroom for you?" one of them asks, giving my bags the onceover. "Here you go," I said, as I shoved my two smallest items - the cupcakes and the goody bag - into her hand. She sauntered to the cloakroom and I headed upstairs, still feeling like a packing horse, into what can only be described as an early party for the uber-glam. DJ playing and Champagne flowing (you get a lot of Champers as a journo) there were stunning, skinny and very fashionable girls flooding every inch of the room; by the Nail Rock demo stages, the set-up photo booth, the bar, and the lounge area. Never have I seen so much bling - and that was just in the display cabinets!

Champers & Nail Rock/Eye Rock

I needed Champagne to get over my feeling of bag lady inadequacy, so gulped down a glass a little too quickly and worked the room a bit: 'having a schmooze' as I like to call it. I caught up with the amazing Zoe Pocock, industry renowned for her nail work, and she showed me the new Nail Rock designs with Swarovski elements; nail wraps layered with stunning Swarovski crystals that don't require a hairdryer for application. I also snuck a peek at Eye Rock, a range designed to add sparkling embellishment to your eyes with Swarovski crystals. Highly impractical for everyday wear, but great for making a statement and showing a bit of sparkle!

Nail Rock wraps from the goody bag

My playsuit and trusty cardy weren't quite fitting with the designer dress crowd so after a few chinwags and collecting another goody bag (definitely need to find myself a chauffer...or even a camel) I picked up my cupcakes and left for home. Again, in the rain, but much happier and excited to try out my new Nail Rock wraps and polishes from the spa. I'll let you know how I get on!

And no, I still haven't had a cupcake.

*See the September issue of Scratch magazine for a four page feature on The Hand & Foot Spa.

Pretty Pinkies at The Powder Room

I kicked off my Tuesday afternoon by popping to The Powder Room in Soho for a summer pedi. Within the hour, I was scrubbed, filed, nipped and polished - all with Mavala products - and now have perfect pinkies for my impending holiday to the party island. 

The downstairs parlour where my pinkies were pampered

The salon itself is a hidden gem, just tucked away from the bustle of Carnaby St among a sprinkling of vintage boutiques and craft shops. Offering a charming menu of make-up, hair styling and manicures, The Powder Room oozes 50's kitsch with its oh-so-girly pink and black decor, touches of lace and one-off mirrors, old-style dressers and custom made stools and storage boxes. The therapists - aka 'The Powderpuff Girls' - are perfectly groomed, with thematic coiffed hair, mini fascinators and pink and black tunics with bow detailing. Pretty and petite from the outside, the salon's reception/retail area is just a taster of what the salon offers, as the real beauty appears downstairs, where a studio room caters to makeovers and pedicures, drenched in natural light from a stunning glass ceiling.

The 'ring finger' trend on my tootsies

A Mavala virgin (I've met the minds behind it but never before tried the products), I was asked to pick a polish from the new six-strong summer collection, a splattering of neon shades demoed in pop art packaging. I opted for a hot fuchsia pink (apparently the most popular with press) but ever the non-conformist, I asked for a touch of turquoise on my fourth toe on each foot to test out the 'ring finger' nail trend, as shown off by tennis ace Serena Williams at Wimbledon. But will it catch on? The therapist loved it, and so do I! And despite having to get on a tube, train and walk about a mile through torrential rain in flip-flops (that jingle when I walk - who puts mini BELLS on flip-flops? Accessorize does), my feet are still looking and feeling pretty rosy, even if they're not the most photogenic pair of flippers in the world...