Three Cheers for Benefit

Last weekend got off to a very pretty, pink start thanks to an invitation to the opening of Scotland’s first Benefit Boutique – in Frasers, Glasgow. And I have a feeling that it won’t be the last weekend I kick off in there. Why? Because this is the perfect pampering parlour to get prepped for a night out – and there’s a champagne bar serving pink Moet to sip on while you do..

Entering the Benefit Boutique is a bit like time travelling back to the 1950s or appearing as an extra in Grease. The assistants are all dressed   in retro gear – Minnie Mouse meets Frenchie, the “beauty school drop-out” – and they not only advise on products and do mini-makeovers but they also offer a menu of services, including those – such as brow-shaping, which is big business for Benefit (it’s responsible for more of the nation’s eyebrows than any other company) – that can be done at counter as well as salon treatments, ranging from waxing to spray-tanning.

As boutique manager Linda, who gave me a tour of this pink paradise tucked away at the back of Frasers, explained, they are primed to cater for not just clients visiting on their own, but also for groups of girls who fancy partaking of some pampering while sampling the delights of the champagne bar. It’s a lovely space, with enthusiastic and welcoming staff – and I’ll be back soon to sample the waxing experience. After all, how painful can it be if there’s champagne as an anaesthetic? Chin-chin!

* Benefit Boutique, Frasers, Glasgow (0141 221 3880; extension 2737).