Want to know a secret? It took me 32 years to build up the courage to go and have my first wax. I’d filled my head with anxiety over it, from worrying over how my body compared to others, worried about how much hair I had… genuinely at one point I even worried about how much wax it would take to wax my killer thighs and if they’d have to charge me extra! Of course, once I finally plucked (no pun intended) up the courage to book myself in, my worries quickly faded away in the hands of an intimate waxing specialist and it was a positive experience with far less pain than I had expected!

This summer, I had the absolute privilege of shooting an editorial campaign for Brilliant Brazilian – one of the original waxing-only salons covering the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire area. What I love about the brand is their inclusivity, offering services for all genders as well as openly welcoming pre-op and post-op transgender clients. I caught up with owner Sarah Panter to talk about her brand, Brilliant Brazilian, the inspiration behind this editorial campaign and her experiences on set.

Ps. I’m a full believer in body hair being a personal choice. For disclosure, the models for this shoot were asked to have a full leg wax and either a Brazilian or Hollywood wax to display the waxing skills of Brilliant Brazilian, but all other body hair removal was on a personal choice basis, allowing them to set their own hair removal boundaries.

Intimate Waxing Specialist Brilliant Brazilian

Name: Sarah Panter

Occupation: Owner, Brilliant Brazilian 

Tell us your brand elevator pitch! We are Brilliant Brazilian – specialists in intimate waxing for all women. We’re experts in delivering a perfect, pain-free, ultra smooth Brazilian wax in around 15-20 minutes. No fuss, no stress, just a simple and effective process that leaves nothing behind other than super soft skin, so you can get on with your day. We have the most down-to-earth team of women from all walks of life, who just love to make every client feel comfortable and safe. We have studios in Hertfordshire and Central London, we’re open 7am to 9pm 7 days a week, and we have a quick and easy 24 hour online booking system. 

What inspired you to start your brand? I had already created a successful male grooming brand, Gorilla Warfare, which gave me some confidence in starting a new brand aimed at women, and I worked only with men for about 9 years, primarily focusing on male waxing. Turns out the male Brazilian was our most popular treatment next to the back wax. I then realised that there was a real gap in the market for specialist waxing salons for ladies, somewhere women could go with the confidence that they would consistently get a comfortable, perfect wax in just 20 minutes, instead of going to a general beauty salon where Brazilian waxing isn’t their forte and Brazilian experiences are often lengthy, painful with a poor finish and inconsistent results. I also wanted to create a warm and friendly space that was totally non-judgemental, where all women can feel comfortable and unintimidated walking through the door.

How would your best friend describe you? Energetic, focused, resilient and determined.

Name three things that you always carry with you? Phone, notebook and business cards!

What was the last book you read? The Chimp Paradox, Prof Steve Peters

Do you remember how you originally found me? Ah yes! When we were creating the new website, my lovely PR lady, Penny, suggested you as the ideal company to support us with the brand photography. She felt there was alignment there and that you would be able to truly interpret the look and feel we were trying to achieve.  And she was right!

What inspired you to book a photoshoot? I knew that stock photography was never going to capture the essence of our brand – we needed so much more in order to reflect the culture and values of Brilliant Brazilian.

Who is your dream client? That’s an easy one for me.  My dream client is the woman who has plucked up the courage to book a Brazilian after a bad experience years ago. She’s literally been so put off she’s avoided waxing for maybe 5-10 years. Someone recommends us to her, and a wobbly bag of nerves arrives in my studio. My skill is in putting her at ease from the minute she arrives, talking her through exactly what’s going to happen, reassuring her that, in around 15-20 minutes, she’s going to wonder what all the fuss was about. And that’s exactly what happens, every time. It’s just so satisfying that I can completely turn years of fear into elation in 15 minutes! And of course, they become a loyal client from that day forward.

If you were to ask me about my dream client in terms of a particular person (or people), I’d love to work with Ru Paul and the queens on Ru Paul’s Drag Race!

What’s the most interesting thing about you that the internet doesn’t know about you yet? I’m on a personal transformation journey that will become evident towards the end of 2021.

Tell us about your shoot – what was your inspiration? We really wanted swimwear and accessories that reflected our bright and vibrant brand. Our brand colours are orange and white so the garments were chosen to fit with this. I also wanted a slightly retro feel to the photography and we managed to find great accessories to achieve this. 

Tell us about your favourite photo from the shoot – why do you love it? Gosh that’s so difficult as I am in love with all of them. Can I have two? The first one is our website cover shot, the utterly beautiful Georgina looking gorgeous and confident on the poolside lounger. She’s just showing the very essence of our brand in this shot – we are here for every woman, and every woman deserves to look and feel fabulous.The second one is the incredible Jess submerged in the pool with just her eyes and nose above water. It’s the way you can tell she’s smiling even though you can’t see her mouth, and it has a subtle flirty quality to it. It makes me giggle when I see it.

Describe your shoot experience? I had never been involved in a photo shoot before so this was a new experience for me. It was so glamorous and a lot of fun, also really exhausting as it was quite intense and moved at quite a pace. It was so interesting though to see what goes on behind the scenes at a shoot.  I was fascinated by the way the models just knew instinctively what to do and the incredible relationship between yourself and the models and how you interact. And how you know that rain is coming in 12 minutes and will stop in 22 minutes still blows my mind!  

What are you most proud of in your career so far? Achieving the highly coveted Treatwell Top Rated Salon award every year for the last 6 years has been such an amazing honour for us. It reflects the hard work put in by every member of the team, and their sheer dedication to delivering stellar customer service, every single time. 

What is your top brand shoot tip? Think carefully about all the shots you need and how you’re going to use them. Do you need a particular landscape shot which will fit across your website homepage, do you need some square or portrait shots for social media? Which elements of your work or brand are you trying to highlight in each photo  – where do you want the emphasis to be. Tigz is particularly good at asking all the right questions when she does the pre-shoot brief with you. She will make sure you consider all these things and help you to work out what you need. Oh, and also make sure you spend time gathering all the props, accessories and garments you need for the shoot. 

What will your autobiography be called? Oh my God, not Another Vagina!

If you could collaborate with any other brand, past or present, which brand would it be and why? I would love to collaborate with Ewa Michalak who offer the most amazing range of lingerie for every woman in every shape. I feel that this is a brand that is closely in alignment with Brilliant Brazilian. It’s all about the inclusivity. We leave no woman behind!

What advice would you give to anyone thinking about booking a brand shoot of their own? Allocate as much as you can possibly afford to this part of your branding budget. These visuals are going to be crucial to your business communications and the world is now totally image-orientated. You’re going to use the shots in so many ways, website, social media, print – they are going to work hard for you, so invest in making sure they’re the best they can be.

What exciting project are you working on right now? We’re currently developing a range of products to deal with common post wax skin issues and we’re also expanding our operations to open Brilliant Brazilian studios across the UK. Oh, and Vajacials are making their way onto the treatment menu too! 

Has intimate waxing specialist Brilliant Brazilian got you thinking about your brand’s next editorial campaign?

Let’s work together to create something iconic. Get in touch right now via the contact page with your wildest brand shoot dreams – I can’t wait to hear from you!