#1884| Hairway to Heaven

You know, I never really realized how much I relied on my salon till I went abroad. I think it is a blessing that I only find myself retrospectively embarrassing – I’m generally happier and more content than the preceding day, and the same goes for my hair each time I do it. The last I came back from Germany, I rushed to the salon for a rescue mission on the bleached ends and outgrown roots that had ravaged this head of mine for seven months – it was mainly salvage, salvage, salvage. Each time I left the salon with softer, bouncier hair, I felt happier, and it never occurred to me to go beyond that before meeting Mervin.

The dashing man you see here is none other than the illustrious Mervin Wee, husband to Jean Yip herself and hair stylist of the stars. He’s not always in Singapore, but when he is, I’m incredibly honored to share the same stylist as the likes of Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult. Midway between trust and starstruckness, I told him I’d leave my hair up to him. Do whatever you like, I said, I trust you.

Now, it seems I’m making a habit of saying this to people in the industry. The last time I said it, my waistlength hair got chopped off. There’s a sort of thrill that comes with total surrender – but Mervin still talked me through everything he was going to do with my hair so I had a clear idea of what was coming up. My hair is very fine – it’s something that’s been both a blessing and a curse – and subsequently it often lies very flat on the top of my head. It’s something I’ve tried to combat for years without submitting to a total chop, and I’m ecstatic that we’ve finally found a compromise. Mervin did some basic housekeeping on my bangs, sliced off half the length of the top layer of my hair to give it volume and body while maintaining my hair length, then lifted it to perform a hidden crown perm (very korean, I love!) underneath so the top of my hair would look fuller and bouncier.

The result? It was like my hair had a face lift. I loved it.

We also decided to update my ombre for the second half of the year – giving it a deeper, softer ashy tone. Nothing too drastic, just something classy enough to turn heads at a function without the element of mild shock.

Isn’t it the most decadent thing, to be able to fully trust your hairstylist to make you look good? I’ve literally never had to worry about my hair for ages now, and it’s the most liberating feeling. I begged Mervin to teach me the secret art of celebrity hair styling, and to everyone’s amusement he started giving me a live tutorial on how to muss, curl, and blow dry my hair to Korean standard perfection. Of course, my attempts are nowhere as good as anything salon-produced, but they’re more than enough for the daily grind.

The final result? The softest imaginable cloud of cotton candy, colored an elegant brown fading to ash, with finally some semblance of structure and shape around my crown. I was a woman in love. I wanted to wear this hair to sleep. I wanted to take it off and preserve that level of perfection forever. I love that it’s not overtly in-your-face, but so very subtle. And it really does prove that a good haircut can make or break your entire look.

Following my own hair makeover, I’m delighted to announce two very exciting things to all of you – because sharing is caring, you guys.

Firstly, I’m going to be collaborating with Jean Yip The Brand to give away 30 sets of Jean Yip Group vouchers worth $1000 each! Please note – it isn’t a $1000 cash voucher, more like a gift set of discount vouchers you can use to get 50% off hair services, amazing deals for spa days at the luxurious Jean Yip Loft and so on. Perfect for planning a mother-daughter pampering day out, or a laid back afternoon with your girlfriends. All you have to do is comment on this instagram post telling me what your dream hair style is, and I’ll pick my thirty winners in a week! It’s that easy, yes.

And for those of you who are so very inspired by my new hair (fluff, fluff) and want to go get your hair done now, I’m super happy to announce Jean Yip The Brand has opened up this sweet deal to all of you: