Looking Good: PREP
I always believe that hair is an important component of any outfit - you could be wearing vintage Balenciaga couture but having your hair down and not in a sleek chignon? Unacceptable.
The thing with most regular hair salons is that the services they provide are so diversified so while your salon may give the perfect perm and a great blow dry, they may not be able to work some requests such as an intricate updo or a pin-up hairstyle.
This was exactly what happened to me when I was trying to look for a place where I could get a Dita Von Teese-esque hair for a party recently and no salon seemed to be able to do it. Luckily for me, I chanced upon the good people at PREP through recommendations and emailed them to see if they could cater to my 40’s updo needs. They could and so, I booked myself in for an appointment.
A little background on the salon. PREP is Singapore’s first dedicate blowout-only salon and, like me, they are inspired by a nostalgic era of beautifully coiffed hair; where women were always immaculately groomed and getting their hair ‘set’ was an everyday affair.
I was brought up by a grandmother who does not know how to wash her own hair so getting it ‘set’ at a salon is a daily affair. Which is why PREP's model really resonated with me. The salon offers styles and services catered to your budget, starting at $45 for a classic blowout (which includes a wash, massage and blow-dry).
For my first time at PREP, I booked an updo session which cost $90. I was blown away. Firstly, I have never been able to find a place that could handle my craze for 40’s hair. When I was still in London, I used to go to a speciality vintage hair salon but when I moved back to Singapore, there isn't any place for me to do that. Anyway, the salon arranged for their ultra-talented stylist Maurice to do my hair and it was as if I'd met my kindred spirit - he was equally as obsessed as I was over pin-up hair.
As I was wearing a cheongsam that night, I told Maurice that I wanted to go for a Wong Kar Wai-esque look and he understood me completely. He gave me an ultra-romantic updo that made me look like Maggie Cheung, see photographic evidence.
What I love about PREP is that not only are they able to work with my hair type (very thin hair) and give me voluminous looks that I never knew were possible but also how they translate my ideas into reality. For my birthday celebration, I asked for a very traditional 1920’s updo, which they created and even more intricately than I imagined with beautiful curls in every corner.
I’ve been to PREP a few times since my first visit because thanks to the wonderful ladies behind it, Yishi, Jacelyn and Jacqueline, I was made a brand ambassador (got to declare these things now, you know? haha). But, rest assured, this is definitely not a sponsored post or whatever because they never asked me to do this.
Anyway, what I wanted to share in this post is that I love every single session there because of the attention to detail that they put in. From the decor of the place right down to the selection of reading material and even to the sweets! Part of the blowout experience is the feel-good factor when you walk out of the salon. Trust me, you will be feeling like a million bucks, especially because you know everyone is going to stare at your amazing hair and outfit.