ES Tests: Windle & Moodie, a London icon

The result was exactly as I had hoped for, lighter ends for summer while still retaining my natural colour at the roots and the follow-up cut by Lisa left my hair bouncy and fresh.

Treatment and stylist: Balayage by Valentin, cut by Lisa.

Price: £200

The general vibe: Chic, sleek and cool – the perfect A-List hangout.

The décor: The worn wooden floors offset the sleek white and black counters at Windle & Moodie, giving it a modern yet lived-in feel. The walls are adorned with images of models in editorials and on magazine covers which gives you a sense of some of the incredible looks the salon gets to work on.

The experience: From the very moment I met Valentin, I knew I was in good hands. He informed me that golden hues would be best for my skin tone and got to work. As he weaved strands of my hair onto foils and applied the colour, we easily chatted about his French upbringing and shared London experiences – no run-of-the-mill awkward small talk here.

Once he was done, an assistant took me downstairs to wash the colour out. I hope I’m not alone in saying this, but one of the best parts of having your hair cut is the brief head massage during the hair wash – but I didn’t receive this here. The colour was washed out quickly and a treatment left on before I was rushed upstairs again.

However, my lack-of-head-massage disappointment quickly vanished when I met my stylist Lisa. Bubbly and effervescent, Lisa asked me what I wanted to do with my hair and she got to work created a flattering face-framing style, before giving it a soft curl to finish with.

I walked out of the salon without the usual post-hair cut mortification but rather with a spring in my step, feeling elated about my new ‘do.

Overall rating: 9.5/10, my stylist and colourist were exceptional but I was disappointed with my hair wash.

windleandmoodie.com