Calling all blondes (and wannabe blondes): Blonde Boudoir Salon Opens at Clarke Quay

Looking to get blonde highlights in Singapore? The team of expert Aussie stylists at the newly-opened Blonde Boudoir have got you sorted, mama!

Although I’m a natural born blonde, I’m sad to report that each year my hair seems to darken a shade, and I’m ever in need of more and more blonde highlights. Living in Singapore, quality highlights are hard to come by (fair enough when about 99% of the population has black hair!), so I often limit my salon visits to trips home to the U.S. once or twice a year, resigning myself to a miserable shade of brassy mousiness in the meantime.

My heart legitimately skipped a beat when I heard about the brand new salon Blonde Boudoir, mamas. Founded by a team of Aussie stylists who previously worked at legendary Sydney salon Joh Bailey (“basically the blonde capital of the world”, according to Blonde Boudoir’s owner, Leona Brown), Blonde Boudoir aims to be Singapore’s new go-to destination for precise, high-quality hair colouring and styling. Non-blondes take note: They specialise in all colours, blonde just happens to be a particularly tricky unicorn here in Singers.

Leona’s been in Singapore for three years, and after past stints at Toni & Guy and Alikhan Coiffure she’s just opened up Blonde Boudoir following the birth of her daughter. She specialises in colour, while head stylist Giuseppe is originally from Italy and has over 30 years’ experience cutting hair all over the world, most recently in the hip Sydney neighbourhood of Surry Hills (he also regaled me with tales of cutting hair for princesses at the Burj al Arab in Dubai!). There are two other Aussies on staff, along with resident makeup artist Wati, who also worked her magic on me.

The brand new salon on Havelock Road is a big, bright space with a chilled-out vibe. The mirrors are rimmed in crystal, there are funky chandeliers, and Peranakan tile accents set against mod cement floors. I particularly love the colourful murals that separate the main salon from the shampoo area in the back.

The salon uses high-end Kevin Murphy products, and offers Wi-Fi, which came in handy as I was able to spend a peaceful morning working on my laptop while Leona did my highlights, a combination of foils and balayage. After telling her what I was after – brighter than my current look, but still natural – she whipped up a combination of honey and caramel colours that thankfully helped me avoid the dreaded skunk stripes I’ve sometimes received in the past. She also capped off my highlights with a 10-minute Olaplex treatment, which is fab for repairing hair bonds and locking in colour.

After Leona handed me off to Giuseppe, he efficiently got to work with a razor (he prefers this to scissors), taking a few inches off my limp, flat hair to give it some much-needed body. At this point I should pause to say that every half hour or so interjections of “Oh my God!” seemed to emanate from around the room as ladies looked at their final ‘dos in the mirror. This certainly built my anticipation.

Sure enough, Giuseppe was a whiz with the hairdryer, and my hair went from flat and boring to bright and bouncy. The salon also has a makeup artist on staff, which is perfect whether you’re after a full-on makeover or need a one-stop shop in advance of a big event or night out on the town.

Read more: Top Local Makeup Artists in Singapore

To top it all off, the location at Central Square at Clarke Quay is super convenient (plenty of parking on site, with Clarke Quay MRT a short walk away), and I was able to zip home afterwards with ease. For the rest of the day, even though I was running around doing errands, I couldn’t help but smile each time I caught my reflection in the mirror.

This blonde is thrilled to have Blonde Boudoir on the scene; particularly since it means I can save on plane fare going home to the U.S.!

Blonde Boudoir, 20 Havelock Road, 01-16/17 Central Square, Singapore 059765, Tel: (+65) 6702 0434, www.facebook.com/BlondeBoudoir