W

hen it comes to creating the illusion of a slimmer look, women have some tricks up their sleeves.

The tricks range from simple ones '€” like applying contouring make-up to disguise chubby cheeks and create the illusion of higher cheekbones '€” to the extreme, like going under the knife to achieve the coveted '€œslim'€ look.

Alternatively, they could simply style their hair.

Inspired by the craze for the slim-faced contours from South Korea, hair brand L'€™Oréal Professionnel has launched a '€œV-Look service that purports to offer the '€œface-slimming effect'€ to women of different personalities and hair types.

During his recent visit to Jakarta, famed Korean hair stylist Kim Dae-doo showcased a variety of V-Look hairstyles, from the elegant long wavy hairstyle to the modern undercut.

Kim deftly cut, blow-dried and styled a model and within 20 minutes, the model sported a layered bob with tousled twist.  

The front locks hit at the jaw'€™s corner to soften the face'€™s contour, and the mild messy accent on the upper part creates the impression of higher cheekbones.

Some models appeared on the stage, each sporting long-layered hair with rich wavy ends, an edgy undercut and a high tousled finish on the top, all components aimed at making the face look longer.

'€œThese are inspired by trending hairstyles in Europe, which we have adjusted to create simple looks that don'€™t need much styling, such as blow-drying or the use of a flat iron,'€ Kim said. Kim is the operator of 10 Hair by Van Loenhoet branches in his home country.  

Kim also applied a double-layered hairstyle to a model, in which the front locks are cut to shoulder length and are subjected to inverse layering, resulting in hair curves on the inside. The long hair on the back of the head is left untouched.

Those who prefer this hairstyle can alternate between two looks. That of sleek shoulder-length hair, and the long-layered hairstyle, which can be achieved by putting the long flock to the front alongside the shoulder-length flocks.

To maximize the V-Look'€™s slimming effect, the models'€™ hair was dyed with the colors of red wine, ash blonde and ash brown to complement their respective skin tones.

'€œMocha, mahogany, dark mahogany and burgundy are the hair colors that best suit the female Indonesian skin tone,'€ said L'€™Oréal Professionnel Indonesia'€™s education manager, Indra Tanudarma.

The hair is dyed with brighter colors on the top of the head to create the '€˜longer face'€™ look.  Additionally, highlights with an ombré technique can be applied to give a softer look to the hair layers.

The V-Look hair coloring, cutting and styling service is especially developed to cater to Asian women. Through this new service, L'€™Oréal has achieved a new milestone by appointing its first Asian Ambassador, K-Drama Queen, Yoon Eun-hye.

'€œThe trend [of V-shaped faces] comes from Asian countries. Through this service, L'€™Oréal wants to inspire Asian women,'€ the company'€™s senior product manager, Ivon Vania, said.  

To market the service in Indonesia, the company is training 250 hair stylists across the archipelago to observe, learn and practice the coveted styles. Some of them had the privilege of taking part in workshops with Kim during his visit to Jakarta.

'€œThrough the training programs, the hair stylists are expected to be able to master and apply the V-Look technique to women with various hair lengths,'€ Indra said.