Essensuals Bugis

UPDATE! [23 June 2011]

Went back to Essensuals Bugis for rebonding and hair colour that costs over S$460 but was very disappointed with the end results. Unfortunately I will not be going back anymore and is now on the lookout for hair salons which charges less but provide better results. Read my other posts by clicking here.

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Just had my hair done at Essensuals Bugis and it's fabulous! :)

Ok, so before I continue.. just to say that I am super fussy about my hair. I think among all my friends, I can rank as the Top 3 for fusspots about hair, or maybe No 1?

If I am having a bad hair day, I will refuse to leave the house. But thank god, recently I am having less "Bad hair days" cos I'm taking care of my hair by doing less dye jobs and chemical treatments.

I remembered horrible experiences like having green hair, permed poodle hair, melting hair that comes off in clumps -- ala cancer patients.. I am not really adventurous when it comes to hair, unlike some youngsters who try sliver hair, purple hair or mohawk. I just want chio, simple to style hair! But sadly, it always eludes me..

Of cos, my bad experiences has scarred me lah, like my evil mum asking the dodgy Pasir Ris salon woman to chop off my long hair when I was 10yrs old and that CCB actually used a shaver to give me a slope down shave at the back of my hair! After that horrible experience, I refused to cut my hair for 5 whole years!

I had the chance to have my hair cut by some of the 'Top stylists' in Singapore.. Including Jean Yip and David Gan, and also countless of "directors" from many salons.. it's either they are super expensive, super snobbish or super cannot-make-it.

Take Jean Yip for example.. You just wanna go in and have a nice haircut with a colour job, when you go counter and pay, they will badger you to sign package and waive off the charges for what you just did. To 'waive off' the $120, you have to buy a $900 package and some stupid products which you don't want. Some will use guilt to spur you into signing.. like "Wah, I do so nice for you why don't you support me?" Some will target on your greed.. like "You get FREE shampoo and today no need to pay leh!!". I hate all these gimmicky shit lah!

I found a few good ones, like Andy from SuperCuts (Tiong Bahru) but I boycott him cos he became very complacent. I support him since Year 2003 lah! If I make an appointment at 1pm and arrived on time, he will take his own sweet time and start to tend to me at 2.30pm! If I hurry him, he will say "Don't worry lah.. Just take cab to your next destination". Like what the fuck!? What's the point of making an appointment if you make me sit there like an idiot? I am not there to read your outdated magazines can!? So I boycott him from year 2009 onwards..

My previous haircuts and treatments were by Elaine from Thomas & Guys at Johor Bahru's City Square. I chanced upon her by accident and she is the director of that salon.. which means she charged RM90 for a haircut, compared to a normal stylist who only charge RM30. That's 3times! I don't mind paying cos it's in Ringgit and the conversion rate is quite high for Singapore dollars. The only tedious thing is the journey there and back. I have to take bus to Queen Street, than take the JB Express, cross two customs and walk across the bridge to City Square.. the journey there takes around 1hr+ and total around 3hours. After a few times, sadly.. she became complacent like Andy and the same thing happens. I will book an appointment at 1pm and when I arrived, she will say "Eh.. you go walk walk first, come back at 3pm can? I got customer now." SUPER WHATTHEFUCK!?!?!?! Damn angry like siao! Hello woman! I come all the way from Singapore leh! The last time I went was in November last year before my Korea trip.

I dyed my hair in December in Taiwan, than afterwards did not manage to find a place which suits my standards and budget (I cannot afford $500 haircuts! And it's not really good lor!).. Also, Wany says whoever in their right minds trust a man without hair to cut your hair?!

I happened to go online and google a bit and found out about Essensuals!

Of cos I did a lot of homework lah, finding out when they started, who went before, which celebrity did their hair there, who are the hairstylists and where were they from.. Abit OTT, but it's my hair leh!!

They are having this great promotion, $109 for cut/treatment/colour! Damn good deal! Add additional $4o for my hair length (near to bra strap), only $149.. not bad considering they are affiliated with Toni&Guys..

Also, found out that quite a number of bloggers in Singapore are sponsored by Essensuals Bugis, so I went to read and see their end results.. looks quite nice, but I am very skeptical about brands or products sponsoring bloggers to do an advertorial or write-up about it.. I mean, who is so honest enough to give a good honest review when the product/service is free of charge or when they are paid for it? And nowadays, kids are so smart with photoshop.. not nice also can make nice lah!

Bloggers sponsored by Esseunsuals Bugis~

This is my honest review about the place. I am not paid for it, not sponsored and no freebies were given.. But I did get an additional $20 discount cos Bryan said we "clicked off"! There was a $40 surcharge for my hair length but he only charged me $20. Very nice of him!

I made an appointment yesterday, hoping I can go in but they were full.. So I made an appointment for today instead and Wany was free to accompany me! :)

Mushroom Space Head!

Wany has virgin hair.. Never dyed, never permed, never rebond, never coloured.. So she confirm not doing colour lah! Hahaha! She's doing the cut/treatment/blow for $50. She think got GST excluded cos usually promotions got gimmicks one, but the GST is either included or they don't have GST cos Wany paid $50 flat. :)

After the treatment, Wany's hairstylist cut her hair! Super nice! I saw the whole process cos my chair was turned towards her while they put on the dye for me..

I super love her pixie cut! So sweet!

Than she has to wait 2 hours for me cos my colouring takes a longer time. Sorry Wany!

Here's the left-overs after they applied it to my hair. :D

I didn't choose the colour myself. I left it to Bryan, the director to choose it for me. He gave me a very detailed hair consultation, explaining to me why I couldn't have bangs cos it will shorten my face and make it rounder (fatter). Haix. Also explaining why I got mushroom head syndrome cos my previous stylist cut my bottom too thin and the top has too much hair.. So I need not rebond it, but just need to trim and cut..

He asked how I know about his salon, told him I googled lor.. And I also read some blogs promoting the place.. Told him I got blog also, but it's for friends lah, small scale one. I am not that cool like those youngsters blog. My blog is like my diary.. complain about stuff, post some happy stuff. Haha!

If you choose Bryan as your stylist, you have to top up $40 for Bryan's services cos he is the director, but it's worth every cent! :)

He is SUPER MAD YOUNG! Like 1 year older than me only lah! I was like "Ehh.. I think you early thirties or late twenties, cos you like so successful liao".. than he said "Haha! I'm 26!".

Super T_T" moment, cos I am 25 but I am nuaing at home while he is running a salon AND planning to open a branch!? WTH! I am so useless. I need to go and bang the wall liao.

I also told him that his staff damn siao-on, cos 2am still on Twitter.. than he laughed again and said "Eh, don't like that lah.. I cannot sleep mah!".. It's him answering tweets! Now we know! ^^

I also shared with him my horrible hair experiences, that's why I am so super paranoid and scared about trying new hairstylists.. but he is really sincere and friendly and did not put on any airs.. also made me feel very comfy and I trust him so much (even though 1st time let him cut), than I let him...

CUT OFF SO MUCH OF MY HAIR!

Ehh, usually I only let people cut off maximum 1 inch of my hair lah! This is like 3 inches plus?!?! I am so amazed at myself..

He asked one of his stylists to dry my hair and set it with wavvy curls... super taitai-ish! Mad love!

Here's me with the young and successful hairstylist, Bryan~

I hope to repeat this wonderful experience again soon and wish with fingers crossed that I won't be disappointed the next time I visit and it's not a one-off good experience. If I do visit again, I will definitely blog about it yah? :)

If you are keen, please call and make appointment before going down~

Essensuals Hairdressing
241A Victoria Street, Bugis Village
(Above Burger King)
email: bugis@essensuals.com.sg

+65 6333 0039