Pink and Undecided: ombre

Review : Ash Blue Ombre Hair at Etienne Hairdressing & Lounge (SPONSORED)

First of all let me wish y'all (well, those who celebrate, that is!) a happy Chinese New Year!

I've been meaning to blog more diligently this month, and i got off a very good start, but then all the CNY preparation (all Chinese people, especially who are big with tradition, can relate!) totally got me sidetracked! I have loads of fun today as usual, but CNY's also always very tiring! CNY's never easy on the pocket as well, but at least my son doesn't understand the value of money just yet so i got to possess all of his ang paos HAHAHAHA. No lah, i save them for him of course :p.

Anyway, all the stories about CNY 2016 will be available in another blog post, but for now i want to introduce you (who haven't heard about them yet) to the hippest hair salon in town, Etienne Hairdressing & Lounge!


Jl. Opak no.47 Surabaya 📞 031 - 568 4537 L-R : Me-Kathy-Trixie ^^

Those who are living in Surabaya's West area might already be familiar with Etinne Hairdressing since they already have a branch at Plaza Graha Family D-10 for a few years already, but the others (like me. I actually never heard about them before, until my cousin L told me about it) might not be. They recently opened a new branch in Jl. Opak and it's absolutely lovely!

I was lucky enough to get to try out their services (and just in time for CNY! Y'know, we need everything new for CNY, including hair :p!) and now i will share with you about that said experience ^^

I loveee the concept and design of Etienne Hairdressing & Lounge, all white and super pretty! No wonder lots of local celebgrams love to snap pics here!

Once you step in the front door, you'd be greeted with a very homely but chic ambience. And what's even more special about this hair salon is those who are waiting (usually husbands or boyfriends teehee. Or busy moms who can't really leave their kids at home, the kids and their nannies can also wait here without being assaulted by chemical scents since the location of the lounge is separated but easily connected to the hair salon area) can actually wait around comfortably while snacking or drinking because they also have a very cozy lounge-as their name already suggested-serving various kinds of foods and drinks.

More about the lounge later, let me show you the hair salon area first!

The spacious lobby/reception area

You can also purchase some hair products and treatments here as well

View from my seat :D

Kathy was also there that day (and we both returned the next day for different reasons which i will explain later), please excuse my juvenile pose

The hair washing section. Their hair washing station's really comfortable, long are the days where hair salons use those stiff and ill fitting washing basin which hurts our neck, i hated those! Nowadays those stations are so comfy that i can feel myself falling asleep when i get my hair washed *LOL*

Lots of pretty nooks and crannies in this place, all very well decorated! So perfect for OOTD shots!

This room is the manicure/pedicure room i think

Let's take a look at the lounge, shall we?

Yep, that's my cousin L who was my chaffeur of the day, danke cousin :p!

I love how well lit this area is, again perfect for OOTDs (which i did take the next day hahaha)

This is actually taken the next day while we were waiting for Kathy to finish getting her hair done, look how comfortable hunny and Trixie were *LOL*

Now that i'm done taking you for a virtual tour of the place, let's get started on the real deal! The review (you already know i love the place, now let's see about the services), of course. You must already know by now how much i enjoy playing with my hair color nowadays, ever since i got my hair ombre-d for the first time, there's just no going back for me. Last time i used (well, my maid slash hair dresser did) Shasha hair color to dye the lower part of my hair purple, it didn't last very long and it had really started to turn brown-to a point where it's almost non-ombre no more *LOL*.

It looks more like a discoloration rather than ombre by then hahaha

I got so bored of my rather normal-looking hair so i already knew i wanted to have not-so-normal hair again. I have very sensitive scalp so even though my ultimate dream is to have baby pink hair (or violet), i don't really want to bleach my roots (last time when i first got the ombre, the bleaching agent touched a part of my scalp and it ended up being wounded :(...) so my option is another ombre *LOL*.

When the owner showed me their color chart, i was at loss at what color to choose, thereforei asked for her suggestion and since ash color's super IN right now, she suggested ash blue (partly because i want it to last longer and she said blue is the color that stick on the longest, i can totally relate to this prior to my own hair history)-i'm game for any color so i decided to follow her suggestion.

The seat that was to become an extension of my ~~butt~~ body for the next 6 hours T.T

There's absolutely no reason for this pic except that i liked how i look when they started sectioning my hair and put them on both sides of my head like this hahahaha

Since my hair's turned quite dark again (thanks to the purple dye i used), the first step was to get that area that was to be ombre-d bleached

Kathy kept on calling this device UFO -___-

When they checked my hair later, it's still not light enough (you need to get your hair bleached to white if you want the true color of the dye to show, since we're going for blue it's even more essential. Remember how L's hair turned turquoise last time because the hair salon didn't bleach her hair enough so it was still very yellow, yellow+blue = green!) they added more bleach

Second round of bleach, my butt was crying at this stage as i was already sitting for about 4 hours T.T

Thankfully after the second round my hair was light enough so i was asked to get my hair washed and then dried

Wonder how i'd look with a full head of platinum blonde?

Then they started to add the color in

And tadahhhh!!!

Looks a bit dark because they purposefully darkened it so it'll last longer. The true color would show after 2-3 washes (it already shows now!) and it'll turn silvery blue

The result

We actually had the appointment at 11 but somehow L (who were supposed to get her hair done as well) picked me up at 12 -___-, we arrived around 12.30 and it was pretty much full house so i had to wait around for another hour to get started. It's also probably due to their perfectionist nature (which is not a bad thing, of course), but the application and all was also quite long so my suggestion if you want to get your hair ombre-d (or any work that takes quite a while) here is to arrive as early as possible so you can be worked on immediately (if i'm, not mistaken they open at 11, so be there at 11!) so you won't have to wait around. Also try to get appointment (via phone call) beforehand.

Make sure you clear your schedule for the day since getting your dream hair might take a whole day (or even two), you need to also prepare your butt! Wear something comfortable and bring your book/tablet/game/whatever to help you pass the time without getting too bored. Kathy had an appointment at 5 so she had to leave at 5, at that time her hair's still at the second bleach stage so she ended up having to return the next day to get the color.

I was there until 7 (and they actually closed at 6.30 so i applaud them for making sure that every customer left without feeling hurried and actually stayed open for us) and i was very very tired, but also very satisfied with the result.

As it was already dark when my hair was done, as the owner suggested-i decided to return the next day so i can take more pictures of my new hair color with proper lighting.

When i arrived the next day, Kathy was already there :

Etienne closed early that day at 4 PM, but we left at 5 and they still weren't closed *LOL*

Kathy's hair's result. Hers is a mix of four or so color and more in highlight style. Check out her Youtube channel to see the result more clearly (i don't think she posted the video yet though so stay tuned!)

And more photos of MY hair color :

The curls has loosened up (they didn't actually use any hair spray on my hair but since my hair end's a bit drier due to bleaching, the curl actually stayed until the next day, which is totally unheard of for my normal hair!) but i love it more this way, it was very mermaid looking!

Brought my personal photog to snap my photos

Please ignore the double chin, i gotta do something about it (or learn to photoshop)

I'm definitely satisfied with the result, people seems to approve as well since i received a lot of love in my social medias when i posted the result!

The price list :

Thank you Etienne Hairdressing & Lounge for having me and for the awesome result.

What do you think about my new hair color?

#Pink

12:01:00 AM
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My Current Hair Care Routine

dry shampoo

HELLOOOOO :D!!!

Yes, someone's in a good mood ^^. Just hang out with my BFFs in full set this afternoon for Baby K's birthday party, being with people who i love simply puts a huge smile on my face ^^.

Anywayyy...

If you know me in real life for a long time then you'd know that i've started to color my hair once i graduated from high school and my hair has never been black ever since (that's.... 15 years of constant hair coloring!!!). I know some crazy people has this stupid idea that Asian girls who color their hair want to be Caucasian, that's one of the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard btw-as for me, i like to color my hair because i like the way i look with colored hair! I've never been one to blend in anyway, and since rainbow colored hair is getting more and more acceptable, i've never been more in my element!

I've always been blondish-brown haired dame ever since i started this blog, then i began ombre-ing my hair just recently!

Honestly speaking though, my hair has gone through countless tortures, not only i constantly color (not to mention bleach now) it, i also blow dry it every time i wash my hair (that used to be every day! It's 2-3 days now though) and style it sometimes (mostly when i go to parties). I also only been paying extra attention to them the past few years (i didn't use to even condition my hair, believe it or now!), in short.... I definitely take my hair for granted >.<.

Despite all that, my hair really love me *LOL*. They're really low maintenance and never fail me (except for the fact that they wouldn't maintain curls even after i spray half a bottle of hairspray...). I get a LOT of compliments for my hair *thank you, thank you*, about how shiny they are in photos, and in real life people would curse me for having such soft, straight and silky hair that i don't even need to comb them *LOL*. For all those attentions i got for my hair, i decided to share my hair care routine and maybe those of you who, like me once, never do anything but wash your hair would find this post helpful on what to do to get/maintain healthy hair.

It's very basic though, but as far as my experience with skin care (and the fact that some people don't even know the very basic steps of cleanse-tone-moisture) goes, there will always be people who are totally clueless hahahaha.

These are the products that i currently use for my hair :

Iyeppp... Just 5 products in total!

First of all :

Shampoo. I'm currently using Dove Damagetherapy Daily Shine Shampoo

It's important to find a shampoo that works for you, every scalp and hair condition is different so you need to find "the one" and that might require trials and errors. My hair is definitely not too fussed about the shampoo i use, but my scalp is a little bit more fussy. I mostly use Dove or Pantene (and now i also alternate with Mane n' Tail to prevent hair loss), but i can also use most of other brands. I'm also not too fussed about the variants, i usually would just grab whatever's on promotion *LOL*.

Since i want to prevent hair fall, sometimes i used the anti hair fall variant, but because my hair is definitely over-processed lately, i also go for the damagetherapy types. Use whatever works for you to keep your hair happy, and don't forget to wash your hair as frequently as necessary (that's as much as once a day for very oily scalp!), one of the most disgusting scent on a person other than BO is dirty hair's smell *gag*.

Next : Hair Mask

Before i bleached my hair to achieve ombre, i use conditioners instead. But even my super healthy tresses feel a bit straw-ish after harsh bleaching process and i was told to use hair mask as often as possible-so i took it to the next step and totally replace conditioner to hair mask for now! If you have bleached hair, i think hair mask is a better choice than a "mere" conditioner. By using hair mask every time i wash my hair, i am able to maintain the soft and silkiness of my hair-they're still much softer and silkier than most people with virgin hair hahahahah *oops* *sorry, not sorry*.

In the picture is Sunsilk Hair Fall Solution Hair Recovery Treatment, which works really really well for me, but i recently finished the tub and now using Pantene (yep, you guessed it, it was the one on promo hahahaha). I am even more non-fussed for hair conditioner/masks, any drugstore brand is fine for me, they all work just as well!

Third product : Hair serum/vitamin/oil which i apply on towel-dry hair every time i wash my hair

This is a fairly new step in my routine, only been using them for the past two years or so. I used to be very afraid of hair serum and its pals, i have very oily scalp (prior to bleaching, i could wash my hair in the morning and the scalp would be a hot oily mess by the end of the day!) so i didn't want to add anything that can make my hair even oilier, but after using a sample i got from a beauty box... I realized that putting hair serum on the lower half of my hair would not make my scalp any oilier but helps to keep my hair end healthy and silky instead-i never look back!

The one i am currently using is Lucido-L Triple Beauty Vitamin Oil that Feli passed via Kathy (thank you Feli ^^), it works wonderfully for me. Again imma annoy you by saying that any hair serum/oil/vitamin works for me *LOL*, i've been using a LOT of different brands and while i prefer some to others (you can read my review on hair serums here and here), i haven't found any hair serum thingy that sucks hahahaha. Lucido-L is among my fave (i also like Ellips and Dove a lot, i will be reviewing them in the future, i hope :p) so if you're looking for a decent-priced hair vitamin you can try out Lucido-L as well.

This is also important : use the right kind of comb!

Every hair types needs different type of comb as well, i cannot give you any advises for any other hair types since i wouldn't know what to advise you anyway *LOL*, but for fine, straight, processed hair, this Oriflame comb that i've had for years is perfect. It helps me untangle my hair (which can be knotty when i don't use hair conditioner/mask) without hurting them. I also love the sturdy, light material so much! Anyone knows if Oriflame still sells this comb? I think i need a backup! I haven't been able to find any other comb that works as nicely as this one (i have another one similar to this but made from thick plastic, then managed to knock the teeth off one by one within short periods of time zzz)!

Last but not least :

Batiste Dry Shampoo

It's technically not a hair care product, but it's a staple in my current hair routine so i thought i'd just include it! For those of you who has/wants colorful hair like mine, you must know that they fade away ASAP. Every single wash is a step closer to their end #dramatic, so one must do anything they can to stretch out the non-hair washing days to keep the color longer-that's where dry shampoo steps in. For me though, not any dry shampoo can do, Batiste is the only one! LOL. Not sponsored mind you, i just really can't find any other dry shampoo that comes even close to Batiste. You can read our double review of Batiste Original (or more like love declaration WTF) here.

Currently using the Blush variant, which is pretty nice. I might do more reviews for Batiste because every variant has slightly different characterization (and of course, scent)! Btw, Batiste also manages to give me extra volume (which i desperately need with my limp hair), and i haven't even been using the XXL variant! It's just so annoying that local online shops would play with Batiste's prices because i always ended up buying the original since it's the cheapest. XXL one's super expensive here, even though i'm pretty sure it must be the same price as the original in USA zzz.

And that concludes my hair care routine and products! Are you using any of these products too? Do you have any extra step to suggest?