IN FULL BLOOM

A busy, dynamic businesswoman, BELINDA CHUA juggles work, home life and travel with ease. To help keep her skin in tip-top condition, she relies on Sulwhasoo’s Harmonizen Regenerating Cream EX

PINNING DOWN Belinda Chua is near impossible with her choc-a-block schedule. If she is not bantering and showing the newest precious baubles to her regular clients in her jewellery boutique, Flower Diamond Boutique, she is at some charity meeting or in a plane on the way to visit her overseas customers who are scattered around the world.

Founded in 1996 together with her brothers, Jason and Alex, Flower Diamond Boutique recently celebrated its 22nd anniversary with a classy luncheon for society ladies. “In the beginning, everybody thought the boutique was just a vanity project and wouldn’t last. I’m happy to prove them wrong,” says Chua, the company’s Managing Director, with a laugh.

The boutique is known for its contemporary, classic designs. “We had our own signature Butterfly collection since 2002, and also import collections from European brands such as Dámaso, Ethos and Palmiero. We create custom designs for clients who want something unique too,” she shares.

She attends trade fairs in Hong Kong regularly, and visits cities such as Basel in Switzerland and Vicenza in Italy to attend annual jewellery presentations to source for new brands. “We may be small, but our regulars appreciate our personal attentiveness. Ultimately, I’d like to expand globally. We are now in the planning stages to participate in trade fairs abroad,” Chua reveals.

What is a typical day like for her? “I start my mornings with yoga, followed by a quick shower and a light breakfast. I tend to do some work at home after that, before going out for lunch appointments. I usually end up at the boutique in the mid-afternoon for meetings with the staff to catch up on things, attend to my customers’ whims, and analyse our sales and inventory figures,” she says.

Beauty-wise, Chua’s maintenance regime entails proper daily cleansing, and both face and body scrubs. She also tries to mask as often as possible. She shares that her favourite skincare is the Sulwhasoo Harmonizen Regenerating Cream EX.

This premium anti-ageing cream is said to be the first South Korean product to synergise the rare salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage) with ginseng, a signature ingredient in Sulwhasoo products. Further fortified with the brand’s proprietary Dermosul technology, the cream works from deep within the skin to reinvigorate it as well as shield it from pollutants and free radicals that cause skin ageing.

“Over the years,” Chua says, “I’ve experienced changes to my skin such as dullness. Since using Sulwhasoo’s Harmonizen Regenerating Cream EX, which helps promote blood circulation, my skin looks more radiant. I apply it with the accompanying obsidian spatula, which is known to prevent medicinal herbs from oxidising.”

The busy go-getter, who enjoys short holidays with family or friends when not on the road for work, adds: “I bring my jar of Harmonizen Regenerating Cream EX whenever I travel. No matter the climate or the length of the flight, I know that my skin will not lose its glow.”