Trade Secrets

I get my eyebrows done by Ellen here and she does a great job.
The pricing is a little higher than what you might get in Mississauga but it’s a central location, offers long hours, and is very convenient.
I have had other people help when Ellen was on holiday and they were all very good as well.
I highly recommend this location and Ellen in particular.

I come here to do by eyebrows. Ellen is amazing my eyebrows come out on fleek every time! Also, I purchase my foundation here. The brand the carry is from Decca Cosmetics. Really good foundation! It’s a mineral base so it’s great for your skin, it matches my complexion perfectly and is half the price of MAC and other expensive brands.

Since the original owner sold (really nice and knowledgeable man) and the new owner took over, this place has really DECLINED! The new owner (older woman) never greets customers as they walk in. I have been here three times and I will never return! I was in last Saturday and I picked out what I needed and went to the cash to pay. The older woman was on cash and she carried on her conversation with another employee. Did not say one word to me, other then the amount I owed. I have also noticed that this store has very little stock, I would avoid this store, as the owner could care less whether she has customers and could care even LESS if they have a nice shopping experience!

I needed to get my eyebrows done (in pretty rough shape). I do them myself, so this is the first time I’ve had mine done by someone else. I walked in and told them I wanted to get them done, and I was immediately taken to a woman who asked me if I wanted them threaded or waxed. She said threading hurts a bit more, but lasts longer.
She basically just got right to it and fixed them up. It took about 15 minutes, including touch-​up, which she did with tweezers afterwards. It did hurt (I teared up), but it was manageable and she told me before she began that I could tell her to stop at any point. She put on a little honey afterwards to help soothe the skin. They look GREAT and I’m really excited about it. Completely cleaned up and got rid of all those thin, blonde baby hairs that I can never get out myself.
The total came to $ 12 + tax (the sign says 8.99 for waxing, so I think it’s 8.99 for waxing, 12 for threading), which I think is reasonable given the convenient location, no wait time, and end result. There’s one other threading place I have heard of which is a little cheaper, but has good reviews, so unless it beats this place, I plan on coming here in the future. The people were very friendly too.

Gotta add more info. I took my daughter here to get her eyebrows waxed for the first time. They were patient with her and the ordeal I am thankful was a pleasant one for her.

As someone who has had their eyebrows waxed, threaded, and plucked at a plethora of salons across the GTA, and who has paid anywhere from $ 5 to $ 30 for an eyebrow wax, I must say that the Trade Secrets at the Eaton Centre is one place that always leaves me with perfect brows.
I’ve been going there for just over a year and have had my eyebrows waxed by each one of the ladies there — all of them always do a spectacular job. I like that they are quick and meticulous, taking the time to pluck any stray hairs not caught by the wax. I also appreciate that they use aloe gel on the waxed area, as I am allergic to most lotions esthetic salons use after waxing. Also, while my eyebrows have a natural shape that only needs maintenance, my sister has had her eyebrows waxed there, and each one of the estheticians who have waxed her eyebrows have left them perfectly shaped — not too thick, and certainly nowhere near thin (and scary!).
I travel all the way to the downtown core from the north end of the city to get my brows done at this location. The few times that I’ve been too lazy or busy to make the trip down, I’ve instantly regretted it, since my brows don’t ever come out as perfect at other salons nearby.
Appointments aren’t necessary, although there may be a bit of a wait some days since there are usually only 2 – 3 estheticians available at any given time. Current price for eyebrow waxing is $ 8.99 (+tax and tip). Please bear in mind that if you are paying via debit or credit card, the terminal does not have a tip option, so bring some change along with you if you wish to tip your esthetician!

I was shopping and did not have time to head to my regular place for a manicure, so popped into Trade Secrets yesterday.
What a mistake, I should of turned around when I saw the set up, but didn’t. I was asked to pay first — sometimes that happens so no big deal, better than getting a freshly polished nail smudged trying to get to your wallet.
The table was odd, not a regular manicure station. My chair was so high my feet didn’t touch the ground. The area was kind of shoved into the coat closet. I guess they thought the could do manicure’s as a side part of the business.
I sat down and this women just started right in, took off my old polish, and asked what color I wanted, I proceed to tell her I brought my own. She didn’t like that I was using another dark color, and I don’t know why it mattered to her. She talked non-​stop throughout the manicure about nothing, and it was really annoying and I didn’t talk at all.
She filed the nails okay, but I did have to ask here to fix two nails that were crooked, she cleaned up my cuticles then she asked me to wash my hands, I look around for a sink and didn’t see one, she said oh right here — IN THE HAIR WASHING BASIN !! oh my, and the soap she put on my palm was SHAMPOO !!!
Then I sat back down and she started to the polish, no hand massage or anything (that is the best part — well for me it is at least), she had polish everywhere ! Usually they can clean it up with either a very small brush with polish remover or cotton on the end of an orange stick… no not this wonder women… she used a wooden waxing stick with remover and made it worse at the ends of my nails and finger tips. Then as she was done I realized why she was in a rush, she was getting her hair done by another employee and had to rush over the the washing station !
As I sat and waited for my nails to to dry because they had no fans or drying machine, I watched at least 6 people getting their eyebrow threaded by other employees (can’t call them estitician cause I really doubt they were). Soon as my nails were dry, I was out of there.
Looking at them this morning, the nails that actually are missing polish near the cuticle and on the sides… bad job — don’t think I will go back.

My friend recommended me here for eyebrows shaping. and on the front, there was a sign that said $ 8.99 Eyebrow Shaping when I went.
so I went in! Asked the counter like. «I wanna get my eyebrows done. :D» and he was like, «Did you want waxing or threading?» I didn’t know I get to choose!
I then said,… «oh! What’s the difference?» although secretly in heart… i knew exactly what the difference was lol. But they took the time to explain to me in details, and told me the pros/​cons of each. I’ve never been afraid of home-​waxing, but am definitely afraid of salon wax (omg, their wax is STRONG) so I got threading.
The girl who did it didn’t ask what I wanted so I quickly stopped her before she began, «ohh wait wait. just wanted to say that…»
She left all the hairs on my face, but she was quick and precise. It took like. 5 minutes I think. Didn’t hurt that much: p really!
She wrote the price on paper so I could give it to the guy @ the counter to pay. and it was $ 12 + tax = $ 12.60
1 star off because I didn’t understand how they arrived at that price??? Nonetheless, of the 3 staff I talked to, they were all friendly and very kind.

I do have to give it up to Trade Secrets — this is one of few Canadian stores that manages to put out new products and collections on the accurate release date. Sadly, yes, I do know the official release dates of things like nail polish collections. Trade Secrets is the only place I’ve found keeps up to date with new stuff, orders it in time, and has staff that don’t treat you like you’re crazy for asking for a Christmas-​themed collection in October.
I don’t find the staff here pushy at all, and I like how they enforce not testing cosmetics unless its actually marked as a tester.
The only thing is I do find they always sell everything at MSRP or more. There are never any good sales here. I can find just about every product they sell elsewhere for less money — but it takes a bit of hunting, and waiting as most stores do not get new products in as quickly as Trade Secrets does.