Hazel Recommends: Benn @ Square Salon
edited post with salon’s new telephone number (as of 26 September 2010)
When I want my hair done, I want a great hair stylist who knows me & gives me THE cut. Finding such magic fingers with the power of mind reading happens as often as the moon is blue. There were so many times I sat in the salon’s chair very nearly giving the stylist a blue eye (forgive my violent thought, but I expect hair stylists to style my hair into gorgeousness, not make it worse).
A friend once told me ” your hair is 70% as good as you look”. & I agree! Although there are some people who don’t place much attention on the hair, it really is one major factor in transforming you from Fail to Fab. Even if your makeup is immaculate but you spot a trainwrecked hair, you won’t get a second look (of distaste, perhaps). Take our favourite sweetheart Jessica Alba for example:
Both makeup are well done. Nothing too bad, right? But her beauty is diluted on the right image. Her hair (on right) is too flat!!! Almost looking like a Hong Kong celebrity (they’re known for their flat hair, like Kelly Chen & Charlene Choi from Twins) in a bad way. I’m not against flat hairstyles, it depends on the cut & face shape but the one that Jessica Alba has on right looks like the media drove her crazy & she chopped it off with a pair of garden scissors out of rebellion then immediately ironed it flat to disguise her emotional outburst, no? Ok, being a little over-imaginative here but you get my drift.
Hairstyles transform.
& I’d like you to meet Benn Edward Scissorshands:
Benn from Square Salon @ Odeon Katong
It’s gotten off his Facebook (I think he’d be happy if you add him, he wants friends for his Cafe World! Search for Benn Ang). He painstakingly bling-ed it! Hahaha! How often do you meet such down to earth & adorable stylist? Maybe he should also showcase his hands, they waste no time in cutting a great hairstyle for you in minutes. Yes you heard me right. Minutes! He takes about seconds to figure out what you want & what he thinks suit you & after about 30mins (that’s amazingly fast for long hair, I usually take at least 1.5hrs), you’re great to go! Now this is what I call magic fingers + mind reader. Two traits of an excellent hair stylist.
I know it’s hard to imagine how good he is since people tend to stick to their stylist if they find them not too bad. Meaning, your hair ends up not totally screwed up but not what you’d have liked either & you end up leaving the salon dismayed, again. But afraid to try somewhere else. I call this the safe option. Yawn! You should always jump around trying different stylists till you find someone who knows your hair best! What’s there to lose? You can’t get any worse than not finding a stylist whom you can connect because you know what? Everyone deserves a good haircut. (:
I used to pay more than $60 for a haircut. No matter where I go, I still end up frustrated with the bad cuts I’ve been getting. Till there was Benn! Who charges only $20 for an impressive one, I changed my opinion about expensive cuts = good cuts. This equation is obviously NOT true. Silly me, someone should have told me about Benn earlier. Anyhoots, I know it’s hard to believe Benn has magic fingers till you see something. Very extremely hesitant in posting this up because I’m super embarrassed by my makeup (But this is the only clear picture I’ve. Did the makeup myself. Looks dated I know, go on & critisize, I can take it) :
Thought I should reveal his work. He curled (using thongs) my hair for this Citrusox stockings shoot I did last Christmas:
Hair by Benn. Stockings from Citrusox
So if you’re looking for someone pro without spending a bomb, if you trust my hair, you can trust Benn. Many of my dear friends are already Benn-converts. & they tell me he’s THE MAN in colouring. To quote Benn “My Secondary School classmate & also my first client only lets me touch his hair since we were 15 years old can!” From my calculation, that’s 28 long years with Benn! Cheers to hot Summer hair!
Square Salon
Odeon Katong (Right beside 328 Katong Laksa & Katong Shopping Centre) Level 1
Nearest MRT: Dakota (Take bus 10 or 32) / Aljunied (Take bus 40)
Tel: 9757 7374
I’ve been going to Benn’s too. Definitely two thumbs up! (:
i totally agree with you.. you can afford to wear the wrong dress for a day but can’t afford to have a bad hair day.. coz.. the hair can fix it all.. and Benn definitely has the golden scissors… to give u THE CUT!!! I’m not sure about other services but his haircut is more than a worth try..
clara- hey babe, thanks!
wendy marcroony- hey dear, haha yes golden scissors is aptly named!
U look so diff in the pic but in a good way… and i mean it (: lol
lthena- omg! i didn’t know you read my blog hahahah the photographer photoshopped it! yes i know, everyone says i look superrrr different & didn’t know it’s me. hahahah see you soon after tuition!
Haha i do check in once in a while… yeah cos i need a hair cut and you mention somewhere in katong so i decided to check it out… do u need to make appt to look for him?
haha yes dear, an appt would be better (: don’t be fooled by the humble location, he can get very busy
WAHAHAHAHAHAA……ah benn ah benn…. ;)
yea! when’re you doing your hair with him for your wedding??
Very very interesting post..I like this one. gotta bookmark this one.
Cheers,
hairstylesfree.com
Hi,
I called square salon since last nite but can’t get thru e line..has the phone no. changed?
hey babe you can get him on his mobile: 97577374
let me know how it goes (:
Hi,
What are his rates like for perming shoulder length hair? Thanks!
hey babe, mine’s long & he charged about 150? (: but anw ycan call him up to check yea. let me know hw your perm turns out ok! (:
hi, would like to check is his skills are really good? im thinking of perming but im so afraid of the end results.
hey dear, he cuts really well ! (: yea i know the fears about perming, tell me abt it haha just make sure you convey to your stylist that it HAS to turn out the way in the picture (it’s always good to bring an ideal one along so there’s no miscomm) good luck & update me on your perm ok!
Hi Hazel, I was there on Tuesday afternoon with my mum for the haircut and it turned out great (: Benn asked where I got his reviews from and I said it was from you. And apparently you were with your friend that walked past his shop while I was inside the salon! (Benn asked where you ladies were going!) Thank you for your recommendation! Finally found a reliable hairstylist in the East (:
hey jessica, thanks for reading (: yes, i only write about services/pdts that i trust! tc babe!
how did you style your cold perm from benn? i did a cold perm too but i have so much trouble making my hair look less frizzy and the curls more defined. ):
hey babe! have you tried loreal’s tecni art spiral splendour? it really defines dry curls. just section your wet hair into 4 sections, & apply a pea size to each section in a twirling manner then srcunch it up after (: i got mine from salon vim 313.
for smoother hair, try essential hair serum, the orange coloured bottle which you can buy it at all drug stores.
How much he charge you for haircut? does it include washing and drying?
hey babe! benn charges 20 for hair cuts & yes i think it includes a quick wash & drying (: have you visited him for other services before?
No! I didnt visit him before! But looking forward to it as i made an appointment with him already! When you went there for the haircut, he does washing and drying your hair?
i see, it’s been some time since i last visited him. i now go to melvin at salon vim 313.
hmmm, if i rmb correctly, benn will wash & blow dry if he thinks its necessary (: i know a gf who went there before for a trim & he didn’t. but he might have changed, i can’t really confirm.
why don’t you call & ask? (:
Hi, do you know exactly where the salon is? Is it the cornerstone church building? The orange one?
is cornerstone church along roxy square? if so, benn is on the other side of parkway. odeon katong (where he is) is next to katong shopping centre.
so if you’re taking bus 40 from aljunied or buses 10/32 from dakota, you’ll pass by katong shopping centre (blue & orange building) then odeon katong where you’ll see a uob.
or if you’re more familiar with parkway, it’s walkable too. just ask around for directions to odeon katong (:
Oh.. Cornerstone is beside katong shopping centre.. :) the salon is inside the building or outside?
that’s good for you dear! the salon’s inside odeon katong. first level (: let me know how your cut goes ok! he looks scary with all his tats but he’s real funny! haha
Okay! Hope he’s not the fierce kind! Haha. Thank you for answering anyway! :)
you’ll have fun w him! he’s super comical (: np!
Hi. Was wondering how good he is with naturally curly hair. Not sure if I want a cut though. I rarely cut my hair cuz I’ve been trying to grow it out. It’s really frustrating when hair dressers say they’ll cut 1 inch but end up cutting more and my hair curls until so short. Might see if he has any advice. Hair abt bra strap length when wet
Another thing, how good is he at highlighting. Dun wanna colour my whole hair though. How are the prices?
I used to go to school at TK so I know the place reasonably. :) never took note of all the shops at katong SC tho.
hey andii! the colour he did the first time for me didn’t come out as expected actually, had to go back to him a second time, which he charged me. just thought i let you know. in total i think i spent at least 250. if you’re fine with bleaching hair, or normally dye your hair & want a no frills salon, you may consider benn.
if not, i now have my hair done with melvin @ salon vim instead & i like what he’s doing (: for naturally curly hair, i’m sure both benn & melvin will know how to handle given their experience (:
& i totally agree w you! i’m also always trying to grow it out but some stylists just refuse to listen to us, haha
update me on how it goes!
Hi, does Benn also do good hair cuts for short hair? I’m planning to cut my long hair into a short choppy bob, have been considering for ages but am so worried that it would get screwed up cos I’ve got wavy hair!
Hey KK, hmm, I’ve never had short hair when I was with Benn.
Have you considered soft rebonding to go with your bob? I recently straightened my hair at Salon Vim (: But I still thong it every now & then so the look’s neater.
Hi Hazel, where is Benn now?
Hi Angie, he’s still at the address given in the post. (: What’re you going to do with your hair at Benn? (:
Hi Hazel, i have set an appointment to meet with Benn and so i would like to ask if the first appointment is only just a meeting or do we do the hair right then? :)
Hi dear, sure you’d get serviced on the spot (:
Thank You. ^^
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