This is the only colouring treatment that leaves my hair looking shinier & less frizzy, even after bleaching

When it comes to hair colour, we want the best of both worlds – brilliant shades without the serious damage and tedious upkeep. However, if you’re like me, and you enjoy switching up your hair colour often, you’ll know that bleaching and constant colouring can wreak havoc on your tresses, especially if it isn’t done right.

I would experiment with a new hair colour twice or thrice a year, usually right before Chinese New Year or a big event rolls around. Sometimes, I’ll itch for a fresh hue and resort to box dyes in an act of impulse, which led me to dye my hair purple back in June. While I was happy with the immediate results, the effect didn’t last. In fact, it made my hair drier and frizzier.

This wasn’t a good sign, especially since my wedding was coming up. I wanted bold, lustrous colour that would make me shine on my big day. So, when I was asked to try Shiseido Professional’s new Primience collection at Revival Hair Gallery, I was thrilled – it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Ahead, I’ll be walking you through the entire colouring process, from the consultation with Director Hairstylist and Shiseido Professional Color Creator, Kenzo, to the end results. You’ll also want to check out other gorgeous colour creations from Shiseido Professional’s team. Before we jump into my review, let’s get acquainted with Shiseido Professional Primience and why it’s a cut above the rest.

Achieve smooth, lustrous hair post-colouring with Shiseido Professional Primience

Having spent years collecting global data on women’s skin tones, Shiseido Professional discovered that Asian skin contains more melanin, namely hues of ochre, compared to Caucasian skin. This melanin makes our skin appear more red than yellow, and the same applies to the melanin in Asian hair.

This is why Shiseido Professional’s Primience line has a base colour of yellowish-brown that effectively works to subdue this reddish tone, allowing cool-coloured pigments to produce pure, vibrant colours, which were previously tough to achieve with black hair. These vivid shades blend seamlessly to bring out your innate beauty, so you can flaunt gorgeous colour that flatters your skin tone.

Just like how makeup softens your appearance and uses colour to enhance your features, Shiseido Professional’s Primience range controls colour to boost your hair’s natural sheen and texture. Each product from the range contains S-hyaluronic acid to moisturise and condition every strand.

The increased amount of moisture in Shiseido Professional’s Primience formulas also speeds up the penetration of pigments and treatment agents into the innermost layer of your hair, bumping up the hydration for silky smooth locks.

Flaunt on-trend shades with Shiseido Professional ULTIST

Available in seven wearable shades, Shiseido Professional’s ULTIST range draws inspiration from the elements of nature, such as the earthy tones of leaves and trees, the deep calming blue of the ocean, and more. This premium hair colour range is developed to control the undertones of Asian hair, which helps you achieve your desired hair colour more easily.

The ULTIST range is powered by Shiseido Professional’s cutting-edge technology, which minimises damage as it saturates your hair with vivid colour. This way, you can experiment with new hues again and again. Thanks to years of extensive research, Shiseido Professional has developed an ingenious way to colour hair – by focusing on the core of your strands.

The brand incorporates new, original Color-in-Core Technology, which comprises three innovative components: Smooth Care Technology, Micro Oil-in-Formula, and Lasting Protection Veil. Engineered by the hair experts at Shiseido Professional, these three breakthrough technologies let you enjoy frequent colour treatments without compromising your hair’s health and shine.

Shiseido Professional Primience: The process

For my hair appointment, I headed down to Revival Hair Gallery, a salon located at AMK Hub. The bright, clean space put me at ease instantly, and I was quickly introduced to Kenzo, my hairstylist for the day.

Professional and patient, Kenzo started off our consultation by showing me trendy colours of the season, so we could decide on the final look. Since I had no intention of perming my hair after, he recommended bleached highlights to bring out certain colours better.

When I told him that I really disliked the look of bleached hair when it fades into a brassy, yellow hue, he assured me that this bleach will be an ash-toned one, so I won’t be seeing those results. Finally, we decided on a brown base with grey-beige highlights and a tinge of blue at the ends.

Kenzo started off by bleaching sections of my hair to create highlights. He used an air-touch technique to do so, which involved using a hairdryer to sieve out areas of hair. This gives it a more natural effect overall.

After the first round of bleaching, he went in with a second coat to lift the dark pigments from my strands.

He then proceeded to apply the brown base colour over the bleached areas. Both the bleach and hair dye formulas from the Shiseido Professional Primience collection do not have a strong or pungent scent. In fact, they had a green floral fragrance that soothed my senses. These products didn’t sting or irritate my delicate scalp too, which made the whole process a comfortable one.

Next, I was ushered to the shampoo area for my first rinse, where I enjoyed the fruity, refreshing scent of the Shiseido Professional Sublimic Shampoo.

Kenzo followed up by slathering Shiseido Professional’s Salon Program Pre Care Essence on the lower half of my hair. This step addresses major causes of damage and works to restore hair to its healthy state.

After the rinse, I noticed that the bleached areas looked great and had an ashy tone instead of a yellow one. After sitting back down in my chair, Kenzo proceeded to snip off any split ends and flyaways.

Since my dry scalp can be a little sensitive, Kenzo spritzed on the Shiseido Professional Salon Program Scalp Protector to shield and nourish my scalp. This also helped to alleviate any discomfort caused by hair dye chemicals.

Kenzo continued to touch up the brown base and added a tinge of blue at the ends of my hair.

After one final shampoo and rinse, he applied some of the Shiseido Professional Sublimic Wonder Shield Spray through the lengths of my hair. This heat protector defends my hair from the effects of blow-drying and styling.

To top it all off, he blow-dried and curled sections of my hair with a curling iron, which produced effortless waves. I loved that final touch!

Shiseido Professional Primience: The results

I really like the way the colours turned out! The blend of two contrasting colours created a cool illusion that added depth to my hair. The highlights framed my face and neck well while the indigo tips gave my hair an interesting edge, even with minimal styling. Overall, it gave “life” to my overall appearance.

Even better, my damaged strands looked healthier and less frizzy, and my hair was much easier to style and manage. I can safely say that this is the only colouring treatment that has left my hair looking shinier and more manageable, even after two rounds of bleaching!

I appreciate how lovely these formulas smelled and how comfortable they felt on my hair and scalp. Even after two washes, the colour didn’t wash out much and it still looks as vibrant as it did when I stepped out of the salon. This was a surprise to me, as my hair colour always seems to wash out easily with previous hair dyes.

Shiseido Professional Primience is available at these selected salons. Prices are dependent on hair length and colours.

Gorgeous colours to try from Shiseido Professional’s Autumn/Winter 2021 collection

Of course, there isn’t only one look to try from Shiseido Professional’s colour collection. If you need a surge of inspiration, check out these stunning creations from Shiseido Professional’s Autumn Winter 2021 collection ahead.

Honey Brown

Bring out your facial features and keep things light with shades of natural brown.

Hairstylist: Kason Kiu (Shiseido Professional Artistic Ambassador)
Salon: Kiu Hair Gallery
Outfit: Brunello Cucinelli, Bluebell Singapore

Rosy Glow

Go for a romantic shade of mauve-pink to create a vintage aura.

Hairstylist: Ken Chong (Shiseido Professional Artistic Ambassador)
Salon: Maison Hair
Outfit: Urban Revivo

Warm Bohemian

Make a statement with long, full curls that are elevated by deep cacao brown hues.

Hairstylist: Kevin Neo (Shiseido Professional Artistic Ambassador)
Salon: PRIX Salon By Kevin Neo
Outfit: Shanghai Tang

Cool Greige

Go for an elegant look with matte greige streaks to add some light.

Hairstylist: Linus Loh (Shiseido Professional Artistic Ambassador)
Salon: Geranium Salon
Outfit: Love Bonito

Violet Night

Switch up a classic silhouette with staggered bangs, subtle highlights, and dark violet undertones.

Hairstylist: Deslyn Koh
Salon: District 19
Outfit: Brunello Cucinelli, Bluebell Singapore

Blonde Halo

Play with contrasting colour accents and soften things up with an easy bob cut.

Hairstylist: Gene Niu (Shiseido Professional Color Creator)
Salon: You Are My Sunshine
Outfit: Shanghai Tang

Sunkissed Cacao

Add warmth to wavy lengths with rich tones of cacao brown.

Hairstylist: Kenzo How
Salon: Revival Hair Gallery
Outfit: Love Bonito

Touch of Nature

Put a spin on big, fluffy ’80s hair with a soft, modern silhouette and touches of green for a neutral, non-brassy finish.

Hairstylist: Richard Tan (Shiseido Professional Color Creator)
Salon: Blonde & Pastel Hair Salon
Outfit: Urban Revivo

Toffee Caramel

Rich, earthy browns bring out the beauty of classic loose waves, while highlights on the front sections reflect light beautifully.

Hairstylist: Sean Ng (Shiseido Professional Color Creator)
Salon: Shunji Matsuo (Ngee Ann City)
Outfit: In Good Company

All looks from Shiseido Professional’s Autumn/Winter 2021 collection are styled by Keith Png and photographed by LightSpade Studio.

This article is brought to you by Shiseido Professional.