Beauty

Women Changing Of The Face Beauty

Passion, grit and a love for all things beauty – discover how these passionate women founded their own beauty empires.

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Marie Amiand of Lu Ming Tang

The French skincare line was created and cultivated in China by French native Marie Amiand, who was diagnosed with heavy metal poisoning after long-term exposure to city pollution in Shanghai and Hong Kong where she was based. A doctor who treated her recommended that she drink Chinese tea, and she learnt that longjing – a tea produced in the tea valley near the former imperial city of Hangzhou – is very concentrated in polyphenol, one of the most powerful antioxidants in nature.

Working with the Hangzhou’s national research centre on tea along with a leading Japanese lab, they came up with the Bio-Remedy Trio-Complex, which powers all of Lu Ming Tang’s products. This complex contains EGCG polyphenol, an antioxidant reputed to be 10,000 times more active than vitamin, which helps to detox skin suffering from stress, fatigue and constant exposure to pollutants.
 
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Best from the brand:

• Lu Ming Tang Miraculous Detox Paste, $65 (140 ml).
• Lu Ming Tang Creme de Marie Radiance Beauty Boost, $66 (50 ml).
 
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Tuyen Lamy & Constance Mandefield of alche{me}

Though the brand is a newcomer to the market, alche{me}’s founders Tuyen Lamy and Constance Mandefield are no rookies when it comes to beauty. Both of them have more than 10 years of experience in the skincare industry under their belt and it was through their experience working together at a global beauty brand which inspired them to develop their own line of products.

The brand focuses on customised skincare solutions, backed by a powerful Facial Recognition technology which assesses their customers’ skin condition. The result is a tailormade skin product, be it a serum or emulsion, which not only addresses skin concerns but help improve the overall complexion. They have also expanded from an online business to one which has touch points all over the island, including Naiise Iconic at Changi Jewel.

“Listening to our customers, we realised that women are increasingly conscious of what they apply on their skin and how those ingredients are derived, while looking for products that will help them put their best face forward. alche{me}’s innovative and sustainable products were designed with today’s women’s aspirations and lifestyles in mind,” says Tuyen.
 
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Best from the brand:
• alche{me} Personalised Serum, $105 (30 ml).
• alche{me} Personalised Emulsion, $95 (50 ml).
 
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Tiffany Masterson of Drunk Elephant

Drunk Elephant rose to success rapidly since its launch in 2013 despite the lack of traditional marketing or paid influencer partnerships. Instead, founder Tiffany Masterson uses social media to her advantage, interacting directly with customers and building strong relationships. The brand achieved a reputation for being personable, so when they finally launched in Sephora, the response was overwhelming, and they became one of their fastest-growing brands.

Marula oil forms the heart of her product range and when asked about how her brand name came about, Tiffany quips, “I found a YouTube video of elephants eating [marula] and stumbling around, as if they were tipsy. Like drunk elephants.” The brand dedicates itself to clean beauty, omitting what she has identified as the “suspicious six” – including essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical screens, fragrances and sodium lauryl sulphate – from her formulas.
 
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Best from the brand:
• Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, $96 (50 ml).
• Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel, $74 (50 ml).
 
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Rea Ann Silva of beautyblender

Created by veteran makeup artist Rea Ann Silva, the pink teardrop shaped sponge is a phenomenon, becoming a staple in the kits of many makeup artists. The sponge has actually been around since 2003, but only shot to fame after 2011, when it was launched in Sephora and the rest is history.

The sponge was conceptualised by Rea Ann in a makeup trailer when she was working in the makeup trailer of a TV film set during the early days of HD cameras. Foundation needed to be flawless since HD cameras picks up an incredible amount of detail, but traditional sponges were not good enough as their edges often left the actors’ foundation looking patchy. “I’d spend hours cutting the sponges into the tear shape by hand,” recalls Rea Ann. When other makeup artists and actors kept taking her trimmed sponges home, she knew her idea had the potential to become a business. Launching the product was a challenge for the single mother who struggled to pay rent, but Rea Ann has come a long way since then.
 
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Best from the brand:

• beautyblender Pro, $32.
• beautyblender Instaclean, $26.
 
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Sunday Riley of Sunday Riley

Since the brand’s launch in 2009, Sunday Riley has slowly risen to become a cult favourite amongst the beauty community, receiving numerous positive reviews. When asked about her motivation to start the brand, Sunday says:“I always say I have a goal to live to 120 without looking like I’m 90”. She tests all potential products on herself before anyone else, taking great care in their formulation to ensure safety without compromising effectiveness.

The ambitious business woman launched a makeup range with over a hundred products one year into the brand’s conception, but eventually made a difficult decision to axe the range when sales under-performed. Sometimes her risky launches work out, such as the C.E.O Serum that took off a few months after its release. Through making tough calls and experimenting, Sunday’s passion and determination continues to fuel her brand.
 
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Best from the brand:

• Sunday Riley Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment, $148 (30 ml).
• Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream, $92 (50 g).
 
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Petra Strand of PIXI

While still relatively new in Singapore, PIXI has actually been around since 1999. Back then, founder Petra Strand went against the matte trend to create products that were light and refreshing on the skin. “We couldn’t really find makeup that had that glowing, kind of transparent with a naturallooking texture on the skin,” says Petra on why she chose to go against the trends. Since its conception, PIXI has launched many cult favourites, including its signature Glow Tonic. The brand has also launched a very successful makeup range, working with beauty and lifestyle influencers to create exclusive collaborations.

Petra is also a big believer in her own products, using almost her entire range daily, on top of testing out future launches.
 
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Best from the brand:

• PIXI Glow Tonic, $44 (100 ml).

• PIXI Rose Oil Blend, $36 (30 ml).

TEXT:  TAN GIN YEE / ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ARISSA HA
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