Beauty news: DIY days

The Go Smile tooth-whitening kit. Photo / Steven McNicholl

With the high cost of professional treatments, it's no wonder there's interest in at-home attempts for the likes of tooth-whitening, hair-straightening and dye jobs. Another trend is for beauty salons to offer services once accessed only from skin specialists. Dentists, hairdressers and dermatologists may not be thrilled, but many women looking to save money are giving DIY or cheaper providers a go.

Be realistic about results - you may not end up with the pearliest of whites or a salon-style do but providing you're using reputable products correctly, you may be happy enough with the results from less concentrated formulas. If you are considering the likes of laser hair removal by non-medically trained staff ensure they are experienced and be aware of the possible risks, including burns.

Of the raft of DIY products out there, several new ones have caught our eye including the Go Smile tooth-whitening kit. An American dentist developed this whitening system, which I tried at my own expense with pleasing results in a beauty salon overseas. The procedure involved exposing the teeth to light to improve the penetration of the whitening ampoules, a step lacking in the kit on sale in New Zealand, but I did find a few shades of improvement after three days' use, unlike after using many brush-on whiteners from which I can barely see any difference. Go Smile also appeals to me, because it does not require the wearing of gag-inducing trays or fiddly strips.

As an option for maintenance of a whitening job or for teeth that are not badly discoloured, it is worth a go. A discovery kit costs $115 from Mecca Cosmetica.

British hairdresser Scott Cornwall has followed up on his hair-straightening kit with the Foil Effects Cap, a kit which includes instructions on achieving various foil techniques including highlights and multi-tonal effects. Those with a knack for applying their own colour might want to get creative. From selected supermarkets for $44.99.

On the move

Me Salon is making the move to new digs on Ponsonby Rd, shifting from number 282 to 209. The fitout designed by salon co-owner and award-winning stylist Iain Smith includes a fresh, airy Eastern look with access to a courtyard at one end of the shopping block, which also contains Cafe Bambina, Mei Mei and Superette. A mezzanine area inside the new Me will cater for the beauty side of the business.

As part of the move, Smith, partner Andy Grant and former ghd education manager Gillian Tippett have teamed up to found Teach Me, which they say will fill a market gap for ongoing hairdresser education. "Me will release three collections a year and showcase these around the country, providing on stage creative shows incorporating cutting, styling and dressing," says Smith. "Hairdressers will be given a take home training DVD outlining the steps they have just learned."

Further down the road Louisa Pilkington has sold Servilles Ponsonby to concentrate on her other career as a jewellery designer. A new collection of her Loumina range is due out soon and she is also doing a men's line.

Movie with a mission

Fancy a little French fling, then get along to see the romantic comedy L'Age de Raison (The Age of Reason). The film stars New Zealand actor Martin Csokas and Sophie Marceau. It's not the only film of this genre in the French Film Festival, but picking to see this one on Friday evening will help support the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation. Festival sponsor L'Oreal Paris is hosting the special charity fundraising screening at the beautifully renovated Victoria Picture Palace in Devonport. Attendees will get a glass of champagne and be in with the chance to win a gift bag of beauty products valued at more than $300. All proceeds from the tickets, which cost $25 per person, will go to the foundation, which aims to develop an effective screening programme for the disease. Ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in New Zealand women and is difficult to diagnose. Book tickets at ticketek.co.nz or 0800 842 538.

Wedding bonanza

Butter London has got in early with Royal Wedding fever, developing a nail colour called No More Waity, Katie. The limited edition shade isn't expected here until April and is not regal purple, but instead a soft mushroom grey with lilac glitter, described as the perfect marriage of fashion and fun. Expect more product tie-ins before the big day on April 29.

Head scratchers

Women are more likely than men to want to mimic some behaviours. A recent survey carried out for Head & Shoulders scalp care shampoo found that just over half of women wanted to scratch too if they saw someone else scratching their head, compared with just over a quarter of the men. In all, 34 per cent of people say they scratch their head when nervous. Let's hope flakes don't fall, because the survey of 1000 people found 75 per cent of people would be less inclined to date anyone with noticeable dandruff, though many felt sympathetic towards sufferers.