CALL me a traditional girl, but I do love the Chinese New Year celebrations. Along with the red packets, the sweet treats and the trysts with Lady Luck, you get to see kith and kin all spiffed up and togged in their fanciest, and find out who's working or sinking, about the latest trends and who's expanded or shrunk, figuratively.

What I love checking out is a person's coiff. For me, that - along with the shoes - is always the deal-breaker.

I hated the years when the rebonding trend was at its height. There were too many women sporting limp, lifeless and flat tresses - how blah. Hair should always have body and movement, even if it's straight.

That's why the rebonding process was only intended for women with thick, wiry, uncontrollable locks, not lazy girls who can easily use a flat-iron to get kink-free.

Gorgeous hair colour gets me excited enough to ask where it was done. By that, I mean, rich, lustrous colour that brightens up, not washes out, a person's face.

I love fiery reds, delicious chocolates, and jet or midnight blue-blacks. These shades pair off well with our Asian colouring. I'm rarely impressed by Asians of the (bottled) blonde variety. In fact, I'm quite perplexed by them altogether.

It escapes me why anyone with more yellow undertones in their skin would want to bring out their sallow complexion and look jaundiced. It's a frightful sight when hair looks like golden straw, every split end noticeable. I'm not fond of ash tones either. You have a lifetime ahead to go grey - why start now?

Of course, there is the long and short divide on hair length. Now long hair, of course, is a universal pleaser. Men love it, women are afraid to part with it.

I would rather have a sassy short crop than hair that drags the face down, making it look horsey and old. I should know - I've worn my hair at vastly different lengths: Right down to the waist at its longest and right under the ears at its shortest.

Long hair is sexy only when there's bounce and shine. Layers can overcome lack of flounce, giving heavy locks more volume, and they should fall prettily, instead of looking choppy, especially when your hair grows out.

Note that what you save on styling products, you need to splurge on conditioners and treatment products, because this will keep cascading tresses soft and silky. It's essential because straw-like hair is never sexy.

Short hair is so much more empowering, and there is a sass and sophistication to it that is sexier still.

What I am so lovin' is local actress Kym Ng's wispy pixie cut.

I couldn't take my eyes off her every time she appeared on screen during the Chinese New Year countdown variety show. She looked 10 years younger and much skinnier. Wow!

That, in my book, is what a fabulous cut should do.

My guy pals who were also watching the show concurred, and they were looking at Kym in a different light. Not just as a chirpy comedian but as some hot bombshell again (as she was when she first hit the entertainment scene).

But like most women, Kym apparently had her initial doubts about going shorter.

As Ryan Yap, leading stylist at Passion Hair Salon, who coiffed the actress, shared: 'She wasn't used to short hair, and didn't want to cut it, but she had to do this role for a show. When people saw her shorter hair, and said how good it looked, she became more confident, and now she doesn't fuss when I cut it even shorter.'

Narrowing effect

Because of Kym's natural wavy hair texture, Yap gave her a Mia Farrow-like pixie cut that is wispy to frame the face (this has a narrowing effect, especially if you have fuller cheeks).

Celebrity head guru David Gan, of Passion, has this to add: 'Most women are afraid to let go of their long hair because they think there's no sex appeal. But they're so wrong. Short hair doesn't have to be masculine - it can still have a soft, womanly factor.'

He says the point is to go short but not cropped, like some army boy look.

He cites Kym's latest do as an example: 'It's still wispy and soft, and therefore feminine. It's also important how you wear the look. Make-up and accessories are designed for girls. Use them to complement the hairdo and your clothes. Going short doesn't have to take away from your femininity.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 1, 2009.