It was a gamble that paid off.

When Ginger Lynette Leong submitted her entry for Shu Uemura’s make-up competition, she knew she was taking a big risk with her dare-to be- different approach.

Unlike most other contestants who used bright colours for their looks, the freelance make-up artist submitted a look built around metallic tones of bronze, silver and gold.

“I used earthier and darker colours to remind people that if we do not take care of our environment, our planet will be in danger,” says the 38-year-old, who is single.

Impressed by her take on the theme, the panel of six judges, including Chris Neo, managing director of L’Oreal Singapore, and Kakuyasu Uchiide, Shu Uemura's international artistic director, awarded her top honours at the Singapore finals of the Beauty Art Make-up Competition held two weeks ago.

Neo says: “The thing that struck the judges was how Ginger went off the beaten path and created something unexpected.

“She had a unique concept and expressed it with artistry and creativity.”

For Leong, who has been in the industry for 10 years, winning the Singapore finals has been a validation of her choice to take the road less travelled, not just in terms of her contest entry, but also her path in life.

In 1999, she left her stable job as an administration officer in the insurance industry, took a 50 per cent pay cut and joined M.A.C as a full-time make-up artist. In 2006, she decided to go freelance to push her creative boundaries further.

It took her about half a year to build up a steady clientele of celebrities, socialites and photographers who hire her for commercial shoots.

She now earns an average of $3,000 to $4,000 a month. “When I first started out in make-up, I wondered how long I could survive,” she recalls with a laugh.

“But I’m still around and I have no regrets making the switch.”

Her work has been seen in publications including Urban, Female and Elle Singapore and she has worked with celebrities such as Denise Keller, Andrea De Cruz and Michelle Chia. As the top professional make-up artist in Singapore, Leong won a four-day, three-night all-expense-paid trip to Japan, $3,000 worth of Shu Uemura products and $1,000 cash.

She also represented Singapore in the regional finals of the make-up competition in Kuala Lumpur last Wednesday.

Even though upstart Adeline Yeo, 21, beat her to bag the top prize at the regional finals, Leong is philosophical about the loss. “I was a little disappointed initially, but make-up is subjective and Adeline’s win reflects the regional tastes of the judges,” she says.

“Adeline is very talented and I’m proud that Singapore has shown our Asean neighbours our strength in make-up.”

LEONG’S MAKE-UP TIPS