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Thu, Aug 06, 2009
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Actress Lee Sinje bags beauty ambassador role
by Cynthia Loh

Singer, actress and now a very privileged brand ambassador for one of the most recognised skincare brand this side of the world.

Most of us have seen Lee Sinje appear on television touting the benefits of Japanese beauty brand, SK-II's signature product, but according to what we found out about her, Lee Sinje is more than just a pretty face in the movie and entertainment industry.

Rise to stardom
From the get-go, this Taiwan-based, Malaysia-born actress' star has been shining. After making the switch from singing to acting in 1999, her acting career has been on the rise.

Her second movie in 2001, Betel Nut Beauty, gave Sinje her first acting award, a very prestigious Piper Heidsieck New Talent Awards at the Berlin Film Festival. In it, she played a rebellious teenager who runs away from home and becomes a betel nut seller who dresses provocatively to sell her wares to passing truck drivers by the roadside, but really is looking for the father figure in her life.

She followed that coup with mainstream success and a starring role in the Asian horror flick, The Eye, in 2002, which was directed by the Pang brothers, and quickly sealed her 'serious actress' status with various acting awards from that movie, namely a Golden Horse Best Actress AWard, another Best Actress Award at the Kong Film Festival, and an award at the Golden Bauhinia Award.

She has also starred in some big name Taiwanese productions, such as 20-30-40, alongside Taiwanese director Sylvia Chang, who was also the one to discover Sinje at a newcomer contest in 1996.

So it is little wonder that the 33-year-old actress has been picked by skincare brand SK-II to be its latest beauty ambassador. She took her place alongside Taiwanese model QiQi in July 2008, probably better known for being a longtime face of SK-II's "Miracle Water".

Beauty secrets
Judging Sinje's enthusiasm for her new beauty routine, it seems SK-II inspires loyalty among its fans. She said she learnt about SK II's star product after watching QiQi in one of her commercials and remembered being struck by the older woman's flawless skin.

During her Friday evening's appearance at Tangs, she also shared her favourite beauty routines with the crowd, such as applying cotton pads soaked in SK-II's facial treatment essence on her face, and using the various face masks according to changes in the seasons and her current favourite, the brand's whitening range, since she has to film outdoors very frequently on the set of her new movie "Ice Kacang Puppy Love", directed by Malaysian Ah Niu. The movie is due to open next year.

The self-professed tomboy also shared that while she doesn't have a penchant for make-up, she was determined to do something about her less-than-perfect skin when she suffered from blemishes, uneven skin tone and millet seeds. All these were made worse by frequent travelling and irregular work hours. Hence, that eureka moment when she spied QiQi on TV. 

She has since garnered compliments for her skin "from the hardest critics to please, who were her group of long-time close girlfriends", and also introduced fellow colleagues, such as Malaysian director Ah Niu and her co-actors, Pin Guan and Fish Leong to SK-II.

But when asked about who really needed skincare the most, she was coy about giving a straight answer. Instead, she recalled anecdotes of how director Ah Niu had taken to applying the facial treatment essence three times a day after she gifted him a bottle.

Unveiling a limited edition miniaudiere
Sinje also helped to unveil a limited edition crystal miniaudiere during the event. Only 110 pieces are available worldwide and they are all studded with 5.500 Swarovski crystals. Her appearance at Tangs Orchard caused a minor pedestrian standstill, as onlookers gathered to catch a glimpse of the actress from across the Causeway.

Sinje was just as shy when asked about her marriage plans. She said: "I do want to have children in the family, but I'm having so much fun working now, I'm not ready to get married and start a family yet." She is known to be engaged to Oxide Pang, one half of the Pang brothers who directed The Eye.

 

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