Call it the curse of the comedian, but Michelle Chong and beauty don’t seem to belong in the same basket – well, not at first blush, at any rate.
Now, put aside your preconceived prejudices and pore over reruns of The Noose; you’ll realise that the madcap merrymaker boasts refreshingly “real” skin, if that makes sense: Lovely and luminous, but lightly lined with time – an “attainable” sort of awesome.
Here, some rather revealing bits and bobs about the talented thespian, with compliments from the lovely ladies at Pond’s Singapore. Take notes, budding actors and beauty students alike!
Michelle’s her Ma’s belle. Prompting celebs to proffer their most cherished beauty-related memory has become a stock question of sorts; I find that the answers I receive are often as revealing as the most illuminating of highlighting pens.
To wit: “[I remember] looking at my Mum using her Pond’s cold cream to remove her makeup when I was barely old enough to reach the top of the dresser,” Michelle recalls. “When she’s not around, I would open the jar and secretly apply the stuff on my face. I can still remember the distinct fragrance and I think of my mother whenever I smell it now.” Aw, such a sweetly relatable and perfectly poignant Pond’s-related anecdote; I mean, we’ve all shared the brand’s stuff with our Mums, right?
Lulu’s #BeautyIdol? Any heartland Auntie. Michelle says makeup plays a plum role in allowing her to get into the psyche of the parade of peculiar personas she plays on The Noose. (For which she’s bagged a Best Comedy Actress trophy at the Asian Television Awards, thank you very much.)
So what’s the secret behind the narcissistic newscaster Adrianna Wow and the outrageously off-colour “foreign talent” Lulu? “SQ Girl Blue” eyeshadow and “green eyebrows for that faded tattooed look” respectively.
But lest you think you have flashy face-paint to thank for her acting accolades, Michelle also adds that “you’d be surprised to know that Barbarella, Leticia, Apple Tham, Nida Goodwood and Nancy Goh all wear almost the same makeup – it’s the acting that makes a difference, honey.” #JustSaying!
She’s the rival for the love of my colleague’s imaginary boyfriend. Well, sort of. Michelle goes for gold when prompted to pick a Best Skin champ among the stable of studs she’s worked with: “My artiste Lee Teng! Smooth, fair and zero visible pores! Must be his Taiwanese blood.” Sidebar: We’ve seen the fellow in the flesh and can fully co-sign on her choice.
She touches herself… To “save face”, that is. Great minds must think alike, because Michelle is as avid a fan of so-called massage rollers as I am; y’know, those grooming gizmos that function much like the hands of an on-demand masseuse to manually massage away facial bulges and bloatedness.
“I use the Pond’s Age Miracle Firm & Lift Targeted Lifting Massager’s built-in applicator [to] massage my face while watching TV or writing my scripts,” she says. “I’ve found that my skin texture has improved and my face feels more lifted after a month’s use.” Top takeaway? Using a rollerball applicator will supersize your serum’s efficacy. Try it!
Any #DieDieMustBuy beauty products? Just one. Michelle’s an enthusiastic endorser of Pond’s Age Miracle Cell Regen Day Cream SPF 15 PA++ ($29.90), which she says is the secret to a camera-ready complexion. “[This] all-in-one moisturises, has anti-aging qualities and sunscreen too, so if there’s only one product I need, it’s this one,” she raves. “I also find that there’s an instant sheen after I apply it; I don’t even need to apply a foundation primer now.” Now, having had the chance to swatch said hero product for myself, I must say I’m inclined to believe her: The richly restorative cream glides on like butter and is absolutely divine as a makeup base.
Ladies, don’t be lazy. As for the immense societal pressure placed on women to look good, Michelle exhorts us to fight the good fight: “Be hardworking if you don’t have good genes,” she counsels. “It’s really true when they say there are no ugly women, only lazy ones.”
Okay, but what does this hard work entail, exactly? Easy: “Drink a lot of water, exercise, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, remove your makeup and apply your skincare.” Sounds legit to me. Good luck fighting the good fight against gravity – and remember to massage your mien with a rollerball the next time you’re laughing at Lulu’s antics on the tellie!
