Tressed to impress

WHILE some girls dread the long hours in the hairdresser’s chair and getting a whole new look, The New Paper New Face 2012 finalist Ho Sin was excited that she was chosen for a “hairover” – a hair makeover for the modelling competition.

She gushed: “I was so happy and excited that I was picturing myself as a contestant on (US reality TV modelling series) America’s Next Top Model.”

The soft-spoken 18-year-old engineering undergraduate from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) was styled with a fringe and a natural brown dye job.

“I was excited to see what my new look would look like. But I was also apprehensive because I haven’t had bangs for (more than a year),” she recalled.

“It’s usually difficult to maintain. My hair is limp and the bangs don’t stay in the right place,” she admitted.

Ho Sin was one of seven girls asked to head down to Monsoon Hair House at Novena Square to get a hairover.

The New Paper New Face is now into its 20th year and is presented by Subaru MotorImage and co-sponsored by Clinique and Levi’s.

Another girl who got the “bangs treatment” was 20-year-old Mandy Wong, a business administration undergraduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

She had her short hair cut into a bob with a fringe and coloured a deeper shade of red.

Laughing, she said: “(The New Paper columnist) Yeoh Wee Teck specifically told the hairstylist that he wanted (MediaCorp actress-host) Quan Yifeng’s shade of red.”

Mandy is no stranger to dye jobs.

She changes her hair colour every two to three months, the latest being the burgundy shade which has since faded into red.

Pearly Chha, 35, creative director of Monsoon Hair House, was leading the team of stylists.

She explained: “For Mandy, the hair colour matches her skin tone and the shape makes her face sharper.

“For Ho Sin, the long fringe gives her a mature look and the curls add a touch of fashion.

“Though the hairstyle is simple, it’s still in line with the trend.”

When the stylists completed the finishing touches on their tresses a little over two hours later, the girls whipped out their cameras to take pictures of their new hairdos.

Mandy exclaimed: “I’m excited!

“I’ve never had anything like a makeover before and I’m loving the colour. Not many people can pull off very red hair.”

Ho Sin added: “I’m impressed with Monsoon’s haircut. They cut it pretty well.”

For more information and behind-the-scene photos, visit the New Face website at www.tnp.sg/newface2012

Also, check out the Top 20 in the centrespreads, which start Aug 20.