L’Oreal Professionnel reinvents the classic ash brown balayage
One thing’s for sure: once you go (ash) brown with L’Oreal, you might never go back.
With all the ever-changing beauty trends, it might come as a surprise that the most desired hair colour in Singapore is the good old classic “ash brown hair” (at least, according to Google).
In hindsight, this makes sense. Ash brown shades are so flattering on a wide variety of Asian skin tones. (Plus, unlike taking the plunge by going fully platinum, it’s also highly wearable and versatile.) This chic and timeless hair shade can be worn subtle with highlights or full-on with the always en vogue balayage.
When I caught whiff that L’Oreal Professionnel has partnered with luxury chocolatier GODIVA for their new Ash Brown Balayage campaign, I was piqued. The idea of drawing inspiration from the creamy, smooth and decadent texture and hues of luxury chocolates for a balayage was brilliantly simple and absolutely delicious as a concept.
Brunette hair often gets a rep for being safe – even unexciting and mundane to some. But is that truly the case with an ash brown balayage?
A CLASSIC FRENCH BALAYAGE WITH A (CHOCOLATE-Y) TWIST
Balayage, the French word for ‘paint’, refers to the timeless highlighting technique of hand painting the dyes onto your locks, giving it that coveted soft, smooth blend. From Alexa Chung and Jennifer Lopez to Rihanna and Beyonce, it’s a celebrity hair favourite, and doesn’t seem to show any signs of dying out in popularity.
L’Oreal’s new Ash Brown Balayage is inspired by the texture and rich brown hues of chocolate, you get to choose your preferred brown base, colour blends, and type of balayage. Or you can opt for one of their specially curated ash brown blends which include the Éclat Feuilletine, Coeur Noir, Tourbillon 85, which all named after GODIVA’s chocolates.
FRENCH BALAYAGE AT LEEKAJA SALON, MANDARIN GALLERY
L’Oreal Professionnel has partnered with a few established salons in the city. One of their partners is none other than Mandarin Gallery’s LeeKaja Salon, one of Korea’s leading hair salons with nearly 200 branches across the world. Which was where I booked my appointment in.
First originating from South Korea, this salon is quite unlike any other: fashioned like a lush, urban oasis, it’s a one-stop space for all your beauty needs. There’s a nail salon, an eyelash and brow technician corner, an actual cafe (which serves a mean flat white, if I may add), and more.
Jerry, their Senior Stylist, attended to my locks that day. I opted for one of his customised ash balayage blends, a process that took between 4 to 5 hours. It included a salon hair wash, bleach, the actual balayage, a blowout (and plenty of caffeine and sweet treats they spoil you with in between).
It only took one bleach session to get all of the dark pigment in my locks, and I quickly learnt why balayage is such a hair game-changer. There’s none of that excruciating idling in the salon chair with your hair in foils, only for your hair to come out on the other end looking horrendously stripy.
Some four to five hours and a gorgeous blowout later, my hair was “freshly balayage-d”. And quite frankly, it was love at first sight. I was a little uncertain at first if the custom ash brown blend I’d picked was right for my skin tone, but it beautifully paired with my deeper complexion. My hair also held up surprisingly well despite the bleach. It was gloriously shiny, luscious and soft – something I’d learned was thanks to the L’Oreal Professionnel Smartbond conditioner (pictured above) they had worked into my hair during after the bleaching process.
My Thoughts?
It’s been three odd weeks since I got my hair did – and I’m still loving it. My hair is still a beautiful shade of ash brown and the bespoke tones created by the salon worked well with the natural tones in my hair. So yes, to answer my question earlier: a) ash brown is certainly not dull and b) I’m officially a member of the balayage fan club.
L’Oreal Professionnel has partnered with a few exclusive salons in Singapore for their new #ASHBROWNBALAYAGE campaign. Leekaja Beauty Salon’s flagship outlet is located at Mandarin Gallery 333A Orchard Road, #03-13 Singapore 238867.
Sarah Khan
Photos: L’Oreal Professionnel & LeeKaja Salon (Facebook)
