.png?width=180&height=80&name=imgpsh_fullsize_anim%20(1).png)
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Happily married to the love of my life and blessed with two adorable children. After having gained 13 years experience in luxury retail sector, I made the decision to turn my passions into businesses. I’m now running my own bespoke fine jewelry brand - La Vie Joaillier and managing a visionary beauty gadget store - THEA Home Beauty, both established with the aim to empower women.
2. How do you define success?
Success means achieving goals by doing my absolute best in the process. I love pouring my heart and soul in doing what is meaningful to me. Living life with no regrets.
Generally, I’m very motivated and driven, but once in a while, I do encounter problems that deflate me. The start-up path hasn’t been exactly easy. I find it empowering to have a great support system to turn to when I need that emotional support, my family is always there for me. It is also a luxury to work with talented and wonderful people who have strong work ethics. They inspire me and keep me going. With them, I feel like no stars are too far to reach, and I am very grateful to have these people in my life.
3. What are your beauty regimes?
My morning beauty regime is super simple. I do not wash my face. Instead, I slightly dampen my microfiber face cloth with warm water to wipe my eyes, nose, and lips only. I do not wipe my face and forehead to make sure I don’t lose moisture on my cheeks or forehead. Usually, I apply an antioxidant product first, I love a quick spray of rose water toner to balance the pH level of my skin and then I finish off with a serum containing hyaluronic acid. I always use sunscreen, 365 days a year, rain or shine and even when I stay inside my home. SPF 30 for normal days and SPF 50 for days under the bright sun. If I'm outdoors doing active sports, I always wear a cap and reapply my SPF 50 sunscreen throughout the day.
When doing morning school runs, I wear minimal makeup. Concealing foundation (which also has SPF 30) and eyeshadow is all I apply before I walk out my door. I have semi-permanent eyebrow and eyeliner tattooing done so I can leave home looking presentable and energized without needing much more to add-on.
On days when I have business meetings, lunch or dinner dates, I’ll top up my makeup while on the go. I always carry my travel makeup pouch with me so that I have all the essentials to look my best for important occasions.
Night time beauty regime - I enjoy unwinding by taking care of my skin, body and mind. This is the time to treat myself and wrap up the busy days with a bit of Zen. I indulge in scented showers every day, during which I exfoliate my face and body with magic sponge. Before I dry my body, I apply body oil, towel dry my skin and put on body lotion. For my face, it's toner, eye cream, face serum and face cream. During winter times or when my skin feels dry, I'd pat my skin with a few drops of facial oil.
I try to apply sheet mask once a day, either while I'm in my shower or while I'm listening to audio book in the morning. Occasionally I use a face roller to massage my face on top of my paper mask. It helps to detox, de-puff and let my skin absorb all the goodness from the mask faster.
Weekly - I don’t have a fixed weekly beauty regime but I alternate some home treatments once in a while depending on the need. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a spooky looking LED face mask, my husband laughed so hard when he saw me using it the first time. Red and amber light therapy are my favorites. My skin has become more supple and I love that healthy skin glow. I also like a good sweat at dry/wet steam sessions to detoxify my skin (how I miss onsen in Japan and Jjimjilbang in Korea). In the winter months, I like to pamper myself with hot herbal footbaths. It keeps my body warm, improves blood circulation and I find myself falling asleep faster and having better quality sleep.
Monthly - I used to go to beauty salons regularly but since having kids, I have changed my lifestyle. Instead, I use HIFU and RF machines at home when I feel the need to give my skin a re-start, LED face mask for overall skin maintenance. It is more cost-effective and efficient.
4. What is your beauty secret? or beauty miss-haps?
There is a Chinese saying, “appearance stems from the mind”. It’s important to keep calm, stay kind and be at ease with your inner self. Embrace the little imperfections that make you perfectly you. I find positive, confident women the most attractive. Appearance-wise, I think looking neat and energetic are my secrets to looking beautiful. I feel beautiful when I know I have taken good care of myself both physically and mentally.
The journey to beauty hasn’t been easy. I tried all sorts of weight-loss methods including extreme dieting which left me feeling fatigued and unhealthy. My weight was at my highest after I gave birth to my second child. I was determined to get back in shape and this time, I finally got it right and I'm so proud that I even got a 6 pack. For the best results, I sincerely recommend a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Diet to me means being mindful of what you eat not necessarily eating less. Go for a varied, nutritious, colorful diet with occasional treats. Treats are a must. I have a list of food that I remind myself to eat more of such as avocado, berries, yogurt, nuts etc. That way I focus my attention on what I must eat and not what I may be missing out on.
Exercise means developing an active lifestyle together with regular physical activities. What works best for me is a combination of weight training and cardio training. My personal trainer and workout buddies have kept workouts interesting and fun for me. My recent favorite is aerial yoga, it challenges my muscle strength as well as flexibility.
My secret to beauty is turning knowledge into action. Build a healthy, enjoyable habit that works for you. It’ll become part of your lifestyle and will soon feel effortless. Confidence will come when you know you have done your best, accept nothing less!
5. How do you define beauty?
I believe there is beauty in everything and within everyone. It’s perfectly fine to be imperfect, that’s natural. I find it important to listen to your body, learn about yourself, accept and embrace what makes you uniquely “You”. Focus on your strengths, present your best whenever you can.
6. How do you balance between work, life, and self-care?
I try to streamline my routine, strive to do things more efficiently, learning to automate and delegate better. Reaching 8 hours of sleep daily is one of my new year’s resolutions. I know I can maximize my output when I have a healthy body and a clear focused mind, that’s when I’m at my best.