What's going on?

If there's one beauty treatment we're self-conscious about getting, it has to be the infamous Brazilian.  I mean, other than your partner, doctor or midwife, your lady areas should remain private right?  After all, a lady reveals nothing. 

I asked my sister, let's call her Chloe* to spill the beans on the grossest things to have happened while waxing the muff.  Brace yourself.  It's about to get messy.

Vagina schmagina.  Bikini waxing is one of the most popular procedures - I don't bat an eyelid at the mooey.  I see a lady garden that needs pruning and I prune it.  I've waxed family members and best friends, and guess what, I can still look them in the eye.

And yet every so often I deal with a client who makes a intimate waxing just a little less pleasant.

Poo-nani.

I always offer full service to my clients - no one wants the rear-view of their bikini to let them down right?  Well one regular client brings a whole new meaning to the word skidmark.

Ladies, the saying is wipe from front to back, not wipe onto the back.  Or indeed the treatment bed.

Aunt Flo.

If there's one thing that unites all women it's that monthly visit from Aunt Flo.  But here's a tip ladies - hot wax and a tampon string do not make for a comfortable bikini wax.

And speaking of Aunt Flo - one lady once disposed of her used sanitary protection in one of my pristine white fluffy towels.  

Wash.  Please wash.

Did you mean to leave that piece of tissue paper in that spot?  Just like you would a midday smear test, freshen up before your appointment.  Please!  Please! 

I offer wipes which most people use.  But do they manage to dispose of them in the bin clearly provided?  NO.  They leave them on the floor, bench or worse, my clean counter top.

Oh, and, there's one thing a quick wash or a wipe will not solve...when some one has done-the-deed beforehand.  Seriously, wouldn't you save the amorous activity until AFTER the wax?!

Wee, Wee, Wee, All the way home.

Weak pelvic floor exercises are a curse to many a woman.  And they shouldn't hold you back.  Empty your bladder just before your wax and advise your therapist so she can lay an extra towel down. 

Although, if it helps, I was once waxing my bestie who peed on me.  And we're still friends. Just.

Are you guilty of any of these Crimes Against Beauticians?  Or are you a CAB victim?  Tell us below!

*The experiences in this article are from a qualified Beauty Therapist. The experiences she has reported are real.  Her name has been hidden to protect the identity of herself, her salon and mostly, her clients.  Innocent or otherwise.

If you need something to take your mind of what you've just read...maybe you should feast your eyes on our Incredible Eyes Beauty Box. Over $236.00 worth of top brand cosmetics & tools for only $74.95!

How much time do you spend thinking about your nails? If you’re anything like me that time doesn’t extend much past the usual musings of ‘oh darn, I broke a nail’ or ‘holy moly, my polish is wrecked, time for a manicure’. Yet nails are super interesting. They grow faster in warmer weather than colder weather. New ridges and spots on them can be a potential heads up if something’s a little off health-wise. Continually biting them can potentially damage your teeth and gums. But what are the five nail facts that had us most amazed? Read on…

1.  Crazy fact number one - nails don’t sweat. I know! Who knew!? Why? Nails don’t    have sweat glands, so if you’re getting all sweaty on a hot day, after a workout, or when you wake up drenched from a nightmare, you can rest assured that at least one part of your body is as cool as a cucumber.

2.  Why is it you can scratch your nails along a piece of wood and not freak yourself out, but the moment you hear nails scratched on a blackboard you're ready to tackle the person doing it? A 2011 study by two musicologists came to the conclusion that it had to do with the shape of our ear canals and the frequency of the sound - which oddly enough isn't high or low, but in the mid-range of 2,000 - 4,000 Hz. Basically our ear canals hear sounds in that range and amplify them. Another part of the study was to let one half of the people participating know what the sounds they were listening to were, the other half had no idea - unsurprisingly, those who knew they were listening to nails on blackboard rated the sound as more horrible than those who didn't. We don't know about you, but it makes us glad for the invention of whiteboards...

3.  Ever wondered why the fingernails on your dominant hand grow faster than those on your less-used hand? Without getting too science-y on it, it's to do with how often you use your hands. So obviously if you're moving your dominant hand allover the place all day everyday it's going to grow faster than the other hand. Makes you wish you were ambidextrous, right!?

4.  Anyone who's ripped their toenail knows that growing it out is a painful process, whereas ripping a fingernail is annoying, but it grows back fast enough - well check this, it turns out that fingernails grow back three to four times faster than toenails! It's like nature knew that we could hide our feet, but not so much our hands.

5.  So who holds the record for the world’s longest fingernails? Would you believe it's a man!? According to Guiness World Records, Shridhar Chillal holds the current record for the world’s longest fingernails on one hand, with the longest being the thumb nail at a whopping 197.8 centimetres long. Now there's some dedication right there.

So there you have it, five crazy nail facts! Plus one more...our "we love nails" beauty box has been rated 5/5 out of everyone who's reviewed it so if you want great nails check it out!

1.  Itch your face.  You're rocking the new manicure.  Next thing, you cheek itches.  Your eye itches.  Your nose itches.  And however gently you scratch, 1 of 2 things will happen.  You will bleed or your makeup will smudge.  

2.  Type...anything.  Nails on, time to put them to work right? The vibrations.  The missed keys.  The tap tap tap.  Number one tip for typing with erm, tips?  Spell check.

3.  Open seemingly harmless but necessary packs.  Seriously, it's like your falsies go on and your lips need more lip balm than they ever had in their life.  Lip gunk under your nails is so not vogue.  And yes, we could use a lip balm stick, or even EOS, but fiddly lids are the enemy.  See the next point.

4.  Crack open essentials.  Ringpulls.  Puncture packs.  Peel back lids.  Diet coke, Gum and Pringles just became mission impossible.  And a serious hazard - have you ever pinged off an acrylic when opening a can of DC?  Worst pain ever.

5.  Get into your own clothes (let alone someone else's!).   Clothes re now impossible to get in to.  Zips.  Buttons.  Pulling skinny jeans up your legs.  Laddering your tights.  Bugger it, lets go back to the old days and just wear a sheet.

And, after a quick poll of BRHQ - here's some other things you just can't do with falsies on:

- Pinch someone. Seriously it's nigh on impossible.

- Use your touchscreen.

- Put in your contacts.

- Wrap a present.  Or use any kind of tape for anything.

- Hold anything without channeling your inner hand model.  Look at my new feather duster.  I'm really showing you my nails, not looking for a compliment...really!

Don't want to risk a Falsies faux pas? Check out our "we love nails" box for everything you need for great nails!

Here's the thing about kids.  When they give you a present you need to appreciate the beauty of the gift.  A pebble, a dandelion or a piece of string carefully stuck to a bit of paper.  Because when a child gives you a present, they're literally giving you all they can give.  

Husbands, sons and dads?  They have no excuse. 

I quizzed the women in my family and I now present you with the worst gifts they've received.

1.  An Owl Toilet Roll Holder.

I was given this gem for Christmas from The Husband.  Don't get me wrong, owls are cute.  Baby owls are ridiculously cute.  But sticking an owl on a toilet roll holder doesn't save this gift.  Let's call an owl toilet roll holder what it is - a bathroom fixing that holds loo roll.

2.  A Pink Hoover

It should be common sense.  Do not give a household appliance to someone as a present.  And don't try to hide your foolish decision with pink.  The vacuum cleaner pictured?  Yeah, it's outlasted the relationship.

3. A toe nail in a box.

My Sister-in-law once got drunk and lost her big toe nail.  It literally disappeared off her foot.  All of it. It became a bit of a joke between her and her then boyfriend, my brother.  "Have you seen my keys?" "Maybe they're with your toe nail".

One day my brother found the toe nail and for some reason thought it would be cute to wrap it up in a little blue gift box.  Let's clear this up once and for all.  The only thing in a pretty gift box should be something sparkly.  Like an engagement ring maybe.

4. Anything prefaced with:

- 'I didn't have time to look for something'

Birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day.  These days are not new.  You have plenty of time.  Leaving it to the last minute is just laziness.  And laziness in gift giving is really just a slap in the face.

- 'I didn't know what to get you'

YOU SHOULD KNOW.  And if you don't know specifics, you should have a general idea what someone you love would like.

- 'John/Jane said I should get you something'

This just makes the recipient think you're only giving them a pressie because someone told you to and you don't want to look bad.

5.  The same thing as last year.

I know a woman who once expressed glee at receiving a candle.  She has then received a candle for every special occasion from the same person for the last 3 years.  Said woman now has about 12 unopened candles and enough melts to freshen a locker room.  And she rarely burns them because she has crazy cats! 

A special occasion is the perfect time to surprise someone.  And by surprise we don't mean relying on a previous success.  Even diamonds will get boring.  

So, to anyone reading this - do not, I repeat, do not, give any of these presents to your mum or wife this Mother's Day.  She won't thank you for it.  And if she does?  Watch your back.  

Want a fool-proof gift for your Mum? Check out our Mother's Day ideas below.

The last few months have seen a fair few jaw dropping moments at BRHQ. When Queenie (aka The Boss) said she was going to start doing monthly beauty boxes, the jaws went to the floor. Then were quickly snapped up as we began to grin with excitement.

Then there was the moment she revealed the box design for the NZ Brands box. I mean seriously, have you ever seen a monthly beauty box as beautiful as that? I’ve yet to… in say that I’m pretty sure there are some equally amazing box designs in our future if the sneak peeks I’ve been privy to is anything to go by.

Then there was the contents reveal of what was in the NZ Brands box. So many amazing brands, so many divine products. At this point the bottoms of our chins were getting dirty due to being floor-bound so often.

And then… and THEN… this week the discovery of three brands who will be getting involved in future boxes. Now I can’t say who they are, but all three of them are already well loved by Kiwi women, and their products are truly wonderful. As for what they’re putting forward into the boxes? You guessed it… the jaw was on the floor. Again. At this rate we’re going to need rubber bands encircling our head in order to keep the lower part of our mouths in place!

So do tell… what brands do you think are coming on board? Who would you like to see? Chat away…

We’ve just released our We Love Nails box for pre-order. Exciting times! We’re super proud of this box, it’s a fabulous mix of products that can be utilised by beginners and nail-enthusiasts alike. But you may have noticed a change...

We’ve added in a preview option.

You see, we realised that while some people love getting a surprise beauty box, others like to know what they’re buying in advance, which is fair enough… and something I completely understand being ‘that’ person who will scour the house to find Christmas or birthday presents in advance.

However, this left us in a bit of a quandary. On one hand we had those who wanted the Best Beauty Box Ever to remain a mystery, on the other there were those who wanted to know what was in it before they bought it – how were we to satisfy both their needs? I mean, we don’t want to spoil someone’s unboxing revelation, but we didn’t want those who’d love the box but wanted to know what was in it first to miss out on getting one (because they do sell quickly.) So what have we come up with to satisfy both types? The ‘reveal’ panel! 

Basically you’ll find at the bottom of the We Love Nails information page a button you can click on, which will then reveal the contents of the box. Genius! ...if we do say so ourselves. A win/win even! But what we're now wondering is what you're thinking of doing...

To reveal… or not to reveal… that is the question?

Will you be sneaking a peak at the contents before you buy your We Love Nails box? Or will you be shunning the preview in favour of a fabulous surprise?

As a child I quite fancied being a curator when I grew up.  

A museum curator that is.  Back when I was a kid the internet literally had a dialing tone, online shopping was never going to take off and "I want to curate a beauty box" was a sentence never spoken.

How the times have changed.  One day the team at BRHQ suddenly found ourselves curating.  So how did we choose the products that were allocated a coveted spot in the inaugural Best Beauty Box Ever?

Well we wanted to include a selection of products that reflect our uniquely diverse country.  We didn't want to stuff the box with boring, run of the mill, safe choices. 

We wanted to include a mix of skincare, body care and cosmetics.  We decided early on we wanted a candle in there and were lucky to get one of NZ's most beloved brands on board.

We wanted to include products from different budgets, we wanted to prove to the naysayers that natural, Kiwi products don't have to cost the earth.  On the flipside we wanted to show that sometimes breaking the bank is the best thing you can do for your skin. 

We wanted to include products that were available in different avenues.  From health shop brands, to products found in boutique stores.  Products that are only available online to brands that can be slipped in the trolley and written off as groceries.

All of the products in the NZ Brands BBBE have three things in common: 

1. They are Kiwi brands (duh)
2. They are cruelty free
3. They have been rated at least 4/5 by real Kiwi women.

Looking at the products in the box, I think we succeeded in representing our beauty industry.  I think we succeeded in showing the benefits of shopping local.  I think we succeeded in proving that little New Zealand really can compete and stand out, in a ridiculously overcrowded and internationally dominated market.

So there you go.  I may not be collating a museum full of priceless antiquities, but having a hand in curating the NZ Brands Best Beauty Box Ever has proven to be an unexpected treasure.  What's not to love about a project that showcases and celebrates New Zealand's amazing brands; and delivers on it's promise to make your day when you receive one?  

Plus, there's less chance of encountering a mummified cat or a jar stuffed with petrified organs.