I landed in Auckland looking dishevelled so when I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted to…read morego for a spontaneous blog dry I jumped at the chance. My friend had somehow scored a "2 for $70" blowdry deal that included a glass of bubbles and a chocolate for us to nibble on while we got our hair done. I really enjoyed the experience at Dry & Tea. The staff were lovely and took a few minutes to work out how I wanted my hair done, showing me some pictures and talking about what I normally do with my hair to make sure they approached the task in the best possible way. The hair wash was good, though if I'd had time I would have added on the extra head massage option for $15. Who doesn't love a head massage! My blow dry was excellent. There was plenty of body at the top and curl at the end, and I managed to keep it looking good for five days by putting it in a top knot to sleep. Even if I'd paid the full $45, this was would have been money well spent. To not have to worry about my hair while away on business was worth every cent.

I walked In without an appointment and they were nice enough to fit me in for a cut…read more First impression of the store was clean, cute and professional. I came in based on the looks and the interior of the salon. I had a few cm of my ends cut because it was damaged from bleaching, dry and very tangly, and just wanted to fix the ends where there were a few knots. I got a moisturising shampoo, a wed and dry cut with a touch of hair serum on the tips. My hair is now smooth and silky like there were never damaged. Michelle was chatty and friendly, she did exactly what I said and wanted. The result, satisfying. The price was 85, which was more than I expected. But defiantly worth it and I'll pick this place again for the next time I'll need a trim.

M.A.C cosmetics launched in 1984 in Canada and is now a very well known cosmetic brand globally. I…read morehave been using M.A.C since the 90's and one of my signature lipsticks is 'Ruby Woo' red. This store opened relatively recently at 130 Ponsonby Road, apart of the Lot 3 shops including other fashion brands & The Street Food Collective encompassing lots of food truck like 'The Lucky Taco'. M.A.C do $90 redeemable make-overs so you can purchase your favourite blush, eye pencil or gloss. All the makeup artists are friendly, qualified & personable. I have tried & tested most of their product over the years and my go-to is definitely the matte lipsticks. I'm delighted the M.A.C shop has finally landed on Ponsonby Road - my hood! Yelp happy!

I'm sure all girls can relate to me saying when it comes to hairdressers I can be a bit of a slut…read more It's not that I don't like getting to know my hairdresser and forming a relationship but there's always a part of me that wants to try out the next one, look for a cheaper price or a new look. Amanda Baker is one I tried for the first time a couple of years ago and since my first visit I have been back a couple of times. Although it isn't as cheap as the old shearing shed it is still a couple bob less than the norm. Every time I've been really happy with my hair after a cut here. Big Bonus is that most of the time they throw in a deep intensive repair mask or treatment for free, which my hair really needs. So I always leave with luscious locks and a pretty big smile.

From the owner: About Us Unlike any other salon on Auckland's North Shore,…read moreAmanda Baker Hair & Makeup is a firm favourite with the local's. Enjoy an array of quality hair and make-up services in an environment created to appeal to your senses - relax with a glass of wine while listening to uplifting music, enjoy the smell of scented oils burning away while our professional, friendly and talented stylists cater to your unique requirements. We understand that you need to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we know how important it is to be 'heard', this is why we endeavour to provide you with exceptional service, creating the styles, cuts, colours and make-up that you have always dreamt of! Call Amanda Baker Hair & Makeup today to enjoy an extraordinary experience for the senses, as well as, unsurpassed passion for beauty and well-being.

Inside the Annah Stretton store I discovered this little makeup gem! They offer services like brow…read moreshaping, eyelash extensions and makeovers. The lady on the counter was beautifully made up and offered to put some eye shadow colours I was looking at on for me. Loved the service and will be back soon to try some eyelash extensions!

Hmm, first visit was amazed with my hair. Second visit…read moreanother Expert cutter (same price) cut my hair to blunt wasnt happy. 3rd time I went back to the same guy who didnt even bother to show me the back of it when I left. Had my hair coloured there and they didnt listen cost me $350 and my hair is short. He didnt listen to me I wanted highlights he did a full head of the wrong colour and now I am stuck doing it myself until I figure out how to change it because the expense and the damage has put me off and that was about a year ago.. So good luck... just gutted

First I'll admit my faults; I wanted to jump on the pastel hair wagon, I was tossing up between…read morepurple and blue. Ok there are my faults and here's are killer hairs; On the Thursday I went to killer hair and showed the stylist what I wanted, she informed me that she wasn't going to bleach my hair as it was too damaged, but the blue would come out darker and fade to a beautiful pastel blue. It took three hours for my highlights and then they didn't have enough blue so I had to wait an extra 30 mins for it to arrive. The blue was then slapped on my hair and left for 30 mins. As they were drying my hair I noticed it was patchy and started to worry. By this time it was 9pm and I was shattered. The stylist informed me that it the colour didn't take to a few small spots in my hair because of my hair (it had nothing to do with their application apparently). You know they've screwed your hair when the staff start telling you with fake smiles how good it looks. I got out of there as fast as I could hoping it would look better in different lighting. By the time I got home I realised how bad it was, it was blue and green in patches I had blue tips blonde roots and green lengths. I contacted the salon the next day explaining how upset I was and all they offered was a treatment and that I would have to wait a week for them to look at my hair again. They refused to give me my money back, and were extremely aggressive in their email responses. Luckily bettjemans found a spot for me on the Saturday bleach washed my hair and saved my sanity. Overall killer hair ruined my hair and refused to fix it. I'll never step foot in that salon ever again.

I bought a GrabOne voucher for eyelash extensions and an eyebrow shape for this business ahead of…read moremy wedding. The voucher is non-refundable. I was impressed by the website, as it is very slick, informative and well put together. What few reviews I could find online also seemed positive. I called the business owner via the mobile number listed on the site to make an appointment (I was assuming at a salon, although this was clearly naïve of me), which is where I started to have my doubts. The voicemail greeting was clearly for a personal phone and was unprofessional. However, I thought "well, I guess it's a young person just starting out". I like the idea of someone having the guts to go into business for themselves, and was prepared to give her a break, so I left a message asking for an appointment 6 weeks in advance. The business owner then texted me back promptly confirming that she was available on the requested date, and asking what time would suit me. Over the next hour via text (to date I have never actually spoken to this person), we ironed out an appointment time, and it became apparent that she actually didn't have a business premises and was working from home. She offered to come to me (and it became increasingly clear that this was her preference), but did not mention an additional cost for this ("travel fee") until I asked 6 text messages later. Eventually we settled on me going to her house (she was about to move and would let me know the new address), as I had already paid for the voucher and didn't really want to shell out any more, and also I've never been particularly keen on having strangers in my house. Three weeks later, the business owner texted me out of the blue asking to reschedule my booking to make it earlier in the day and for her to come to my house after all for an extra $10 because "it's a full packed day that's all". At that point I was very annoyed by what I see as a lack of professionalism. I texted her back (my sense was that if I was not worth the cost of a phone call to her, I would respond in kind) indicating that I would be willing to rearrange my day to suit her, but would not be paying her extra for the privilege. I indicated to her that I would have liked to cancel the appointment due to my perception of her lack of professionalism, but that the voucher was non-refundable. At this point she decided to maintain the original booking, but that "all I ask is that you are on time so it doesn't affect the other bookings I have that day". In the end, after another three weeks of thinking, I decided to cancel the appointment and write off the cost anyway. The idea of spending up to three hours with this person in their home had become very uncomfortable for me, and I was concerned that the lack of professionalism in her interpersonal interactions might extend to her work as well. Possibly I should have given her more of a chance, but in the end I'm just not comfortable having any more to do with this person or having her around delicate body parts like eyes. I lose out by $70 in the end, but I guess that's the risk you take.

My friend & I went here one afternoon thinking the prices were great. Turns out there's a reason…read morethey were cheap. I needed a haircut and she was getting her eyelashes tinted. I waited for about 10 mins in the waiting room while my friend got her eyelashes done. A staff member came, looked at me and walked back out without a smile or a word. What am I, invisible? Another few minutes went by and then three staff gathered around the counter and had a highly confidential chat about money/business in front of me. They saw me there, smirked and carried on without a greeting. It felt like I turned into a ghost! After nearly half an hour of waiting & watching them do no work, I stormed out and got a haircut elsewhere. To Top it all off with something not at all Pretty, a few days later, my friend got an eye infection from the tinting. Beware! Not only is this place a ghastly pink colour, it's filled with ghastly customer service and poor quality deals.

I tried poco a poco for the first time 2 years ago and had such an excellent experience and hair…read morecut that I have chosen to go nowhere but poco a poco for a cut. I completely trust the staff to give me a consistent and high quality hair cut every time. If you care about your hair style, health and image I highly recommend poco a poco!

Great salon! Masa is a hair genius. He managed to get my corse wavy hair completely straight, and…read moreit has lasted over 10 months! I also got the essential oils, and use them for everything from my hair, to face, to body. I would go there more regularly if I lived in Auckland!