Autumn Beauty Reset

Davines Beautiful Things treatment
Eve Bailey

There’s something about the turn of the season that makes me want to hit reset, especially after summer has had its way with my hair. By the time September came around, my ends were practically sun-bleached and crispy, my roots were doing their own darker thing, and the overall texture? Let’s just say it wasn’t giving “healthy glow.” I’ve been so scared of colouring again after a past life of bleach blonde damage, but this year, I decided to trust the process, and the pros, and booked myself into Radio Hair in King’s Cross for Davines’ new Beautiful Things treatment.

The team at Radio are genuine experts in the brand’s eco-conscious ethos, and everything they do, from the ingredients to the packaging, reflects the brand’s consideration. During my consultation, my stylist gently talked me out of going too dark (“you’ll lose the brightness in your face,” she said) and suggested adding face-framing layers, something I’ve never tried before but now feel like I’ve been missing all my life.

We went for a dark chocolate brown, rich, glossy, and still close enough to my natural tone that it wouldn’t feel like a full identity shift. The magic part, though, was the Beautiful Things three-step treatment that was worked into the colour service. It detoxifies, restores and protects, a kind of all-in-one reboot for stressed-out hair. Think the purifying power of a metal detox, the strengthening of Olaplex, and the renewal of K18, all in one clean, biotech-y Davines way.

By the end of the appointment, my hair felt incredible, the softest it’s ever been, and so shiny it could probably catch the weak autumn sun. The colour looks expensive (in that glossy “she gets regular blow-dries and good sleep” kind of way), and the new layers have transformed me into someone who looks automatically styled.

Every wash since, the colour has stayed vibrant: no dull fade, no dry ends creeping back in. I’m officially a convert to the idea that sometimes, going darker is the best way to bring lightness back, and that a little biotech wizardry (and some trust in your stylist) can go a long way towards reviving how you feel about your hair.

Ukrainian Manicure at So.Shell 
Eve Bailey

When it comes to nails, I’m extremely particular: if I’m paying for a manicure, I want it done properly. Too often I’ve left salons disappointed: the shape slightly off, polish bleeding onto the cuticles, dry edges left behind, or colours that just didn’t feel right. It got to the point where I stopped booking altogether and started painting them myself, not because I enjoyed it, but because at least I could control the outcome.

Then I tried the Ukrainian manicure at So.Shell in Carnaby, Soho, a technique that takes detail to another level. It’s a dry manicure, meaning no soaking beforehand. The focus is entirely on the cuticles: the technician carefully cleans, pushes back and shapes every edge to create a defined nail bed and smoother surface. It’s this meticulous prep that gives the nails their sculpted, elongated look and makes the finish last so much longer.

The gel process is unlike anything I’ve seen before. Each nail is done individually, with the product applied in layers and the finger rotated in a slow circular motion so the gel distributes evenly and forms the perfect shape.

I chose a deep chocolate brown, partly to match my newly darker hair, but mostly because it feels rich and autumnal, that “quiet luxury” energy in colour form. Prices start from £63–£70 for a gel manicure, depending on the service, and though it’s not cheap, considering the level of skill involved and how long the results last, I was impressed. I had them done last week, and they still look freshly painted. The precision is unmatched; every cuticle line is identical, every curve flawless. It’s the first time in years I’ve looked down at my hands and thought: finally, perfect.

Ayurvedic Facial at Kama Ayurveda
Matteo Pini

As we all know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, but in an age of miracle cures and instant fixes, this can be easy to forget. Although Western medicine is unmatched when it comes to treating specific ailments, it rarely takes into account a holistic understanding of the body. Enter Ayurveda, one of the world’s most ancient therapeutic practices, which looks less to fix one’s illnesses than to maintain a state of equilibrium that prevents illnesses from forming. So when Kama Ayurveda invited me for their new Red Carpet facial, created in collaboration with skincare expert Katie Daisy, there was no choice but to say yes. 

I was lucky enough to meet brand founder Vivek, who set up Kama Ayurveda over two decades ago, and who explained the philosophy of Ayurveda to me. Its aim, he described, was to ensure a balance of the competing air, water and fire energies in one’s body. This is a whole-body approach, he explained, where the aim isn’t just to give you better skin, but a better approach to life. I tend to be cynical about self-help philosophies and their occasionally authoritarian vibes, but as Kama’s on-site Ayurveda doctor Shivani took my pulse to read my dosha, I was stunned by the accuracy of her reading. She correctly diagnosed me as a chronic over-doer with bad sleep, attributable to my excessive air energy. Ouch! 

To amend internal imbalances, Kama Ayurveda offers a variety of facial and bodily treatments. The one I would be getting, the Red-Carpet-Ready Radiance Facial, was developed in collaboration with makeup artist Katie Daisy and looks to brighten skin dulled by the change in season. My facial began with a double cleanse, first with a gel cleanser, and then with a walnut exfoliating scrub that also functioned as a face mask. Wiped away with a warm towel, it was time for the facial massage and sculpting with the Kumkumadi Revitalising Facial Oil. Applying a generous amount of this nutrient-rich oil onto my face, my lovely therapist Elena went in with a Kansa Wand, a dual-ended tool used to sculpt the face, massaging important pressure points along its gliding journey. 

The facial was extremely relaxing: I could feel my face, bloated from a week of salty foods, depuffing in real time. I’m normally wary of using oils on my already oil-prone skin, but days later, I have no breakouts, only a healthy radiance and glow. Vivek recommended that I apply some of their body to the soles of my feet to ensure a healthy night’s sleep, and I plan to integrate this step into my nighttime ritual. Even if I might not have the budget to get a £150 facial once a week, I gained valuable lessons in how to look after my whole body as those winter nights draw closer.