Beyond the Realms of Beauty
Vicky Hwang is a business leader who pushes boundaries—an approach that La Prairie also adopts for its beauty creations
Achieving success as an entrepreneur in Singapore is no easy feat. Although the country has pushed for entrepreneurship in recent years, reports have shown that the people starting their own businesses here are mostly men. With that said, female entrepreneurs in Singapore have a lot to be proud of. Just ask Vicky Hwang. As the chief executive officer of Chyau Fwu Development, she spearheaded the multimillion-dollar transformation of Parkview Square in Bugis. This includes completely revamping the former Divine wine bar into Atlas, the award-winning bar that helped put Singapore on the cocktail map.
As a business leader and busy mother of three young children, Hwang works on managing her time as effectively as possible. But, if there is one thing that she dedicates some time for each day, it is her beauty routine.
“Skincare needs to not be fussy and time-consuming. I don’t have time for a seven-step routine as I’m too pressed for time in the mornings and too exhausted in the evenings,” Hwang admits. “It’s important to invest in one good quality product for the day, and one for the night that adds a bit of indulgence and luxury to my otherwise basic routine, both of which focus on caring for my skin without fuss.”
For simple yet luxurious beauty products, Hwang turns to Swiss skincare label La Prairie. The storied brand has always placed emphasis on skin rejuvenation and vitality by combining scientific innovation with beauty since Clinique La Prairie opened under the leadership of Dr Paul Niehans in 1931.
Hwang starts her day by washing her face with cold water and applying the Skin Caviar Liquid Lift from La Prairie’s Skin Caviar collection as the first step. Reformulated in 2020, the Liquid Lift is a potent face serum that melts into the skin with an immediate tensing sensation upon application. Over time, the skin will appear lifted and firmed.
At night, Hwang ends her routine with La Prairie’s newest product, the Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil, that was just launched this year. Just like its predecessors, this facial oil is an innovative creation that the scientists at La Prairie worked on. And Hwang knows a thing or two about pushing boundaries in the name of creativity. For instance, she witnessed first-hand, while working in her family business, how her grandfather’s philosophy in property development was to always undertake projects that would make a difference.
“Parkview Square was actually the last building he developed before he passed away and this building was hugely boundarypushing at the time,” Hwang shares.
She continues, “Personally, taking on the Atlas project did push me out of my comfort zone. I had never been in F&B before and, quite
honestly, was never a huge [party person] so the thought of entering the nightlife business was quite scary. I joked with my brother then that out of anyone in our family who would be doing a bar project, I was probably the least likely candidate.”
Hwang’s audacious spirit and tenacity have since guided Atlas to win numerous prestigious global awards, including the top Asian spot on the 2020 list of World’s 50 Best Bars.
As a loyal consumer of La Prairie, Hwang understands how beauty brands need to constantly dare to be different with each product launch—and this is evident in the Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil.
It includes the all-new Caviar Retinol, a Swiss caviar incarnation composed of caviar lipids and caviar-derived retinol. The Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil is designed to work in conjunction with the skin’s natural circadian rhythm to help counter the appearance of age-related effects, while its oily composition creates an immediate temporary outer barrier to minimise water loss. This luxurious face oil helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while visibly smoothing the skin’s surface. It can also act as the last step of a night routine, in the same way Hwang uses it.
“It goes on so smoothly and penetrates quickly with the signature La Prairie scent,” Hwang says. “I feel my skin is visibly more hydrated the next morning and it adds that bit of luxury and indulgence to my night time skincare regime.”
The Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil also includes La Prairie’s exclusive cellular complex, incorporated for the very first time within an oil. It may act as the last step of a nighttime ritual, but don’t expect this to be the final act in La Prairie’s groundbreaking creations. The brand and its scientists are on a constant journey to seek new ways to enhance beauty rituals everywhere.