Gents, behold your leading lady in red. She does look like a DI-ed model made flesh, yes? #NoShade
Oh, if only one could divulge the delicious goss gleaned from observing the inner machinations of managing an Asian diva … but as it were, what happens in Shanghai must stay in Shanghai. (Or wind up as a salacious post on the Secret app!)
Some scene setting is in order. My fellow Singapore scribes and I are lounging in luxe lodgings sequestered off expat haunt Hengshan Road, sitting tight and awaiting our turn to talk to SK-II face Tang Wei.
The starry shebang, Tang Wei and all, is essentially a massive marketing push by the prestige beauty brand, centred around the seductive pitch that you can change the course of your “skin destiny” by switching to its Facial Treatment Essence.
(Humblebrag: The lovely ladies of SK-II often say, half in jest, that I should front their FTE campaigns back home. I don’t disagree.)
And then, bam, there she is. Fabulous in fuchsia; locks long enough to inspire Lust, Caution; face flawless like I don’t know what. The 34-going-on-24 stunner – breaking news! She’s just wed her Korean director hubby; more on him later – beckons us beauty journos to sit, and it’s all systems go!
That's me on the far right, grinning like a starstruck fool alongside my fellow Singapore scribes!
Tang Wei’s fans are murderers in the making. One terrifying takeaway: Do not tick off a horde of homicidal fangirls. The posh pad we’re holed up in was absolutely swarming with pushy photogs and shifty-looking schoolgirls loitering in the lobby ... and some of them are positively psychotic. (Disclaimer: Most of them are perfectly polite and as decent as the day is long.)
In any case, a batty bunch managed to forge media passes (!), sneak into the press con and, when told to beat it, hollered at our poor hosts like there was no tomorrow. Some choice phrases: “I’ll hack you to pieces!” Gulp.
To look like Tang Wei, get wet in Hangzhou. The creamy complexioned one credits her humid birthplace for her baby-soft skin: “I grew up in the capital of Zhejiang, which is – how do you put this in English? Very wet? – and I think that plays a part in how fine my facial pores are.” (Beauty buddy: How come I look like this when I live on the equator?)
More soggy shenanigans: “I like decanting SK-II’s FTE into a mister. Whenever my face feels tight and dry on a long plane flight, I reach into my purse for my spray, again and again and again … It’s such a neat trick, and I don’t even need cotton pads.”
Note to the fine folks in SK-II’s R&D division: I’ve heard that fellow face Cate Blanchett also favours spritzing on her FTE, so get cracking on a spray formula, stat!
Use SK-II and you’ll become a girlie girl. Talk about miracle water. Tang Wei says she was a tough ol’ tomboy before being transformed by the feminising force that is SK-II’s fermented yeast essence: “After using SK-II’s Facial Treatment Essence, I started paying attention to what was in the mirror because I could actually see my skin changing in front of me. As a woman, I became more aware of my femininity, in a manner of speaking.”
The Korean Wave and the Chinese film industry make for a perfect marriage, wink-wink. One of the topics off-limits to us was Tang Wei’s wedding to South Korean auteur Kim Tae-yong. Ever the intrepid reporter, I attempt to skirt around the issue by asking the woman of the hour for Tang Wei’s thoughts on K-Beauty and Hallyu in general.
Her response? Deftly diplomatic and carefully calibrated to fit her public image of a strong-headed lass: “Sure, the world’s getting smaller and smaller, but my face has nothing to do with where a particular beauty ideal hails from. I’ve worked with many Korean makeup artists, and being able to achieve a look that matches my personality is always the end goal.”
And finally, Tang Wei’s ultimate beauty secret? Don’t read herworldplus.com. Just kidding, don’t you dare go anywhere! I’m being mischieviously misleading here; what she’s really recommending is to disconnect from your digital devices every now and then: “I need me-time away from my smartphone and other modern distractions. I truly believe that you need to empty yourself of emotional clutter before new and positive experiences can be had.” Wise words to live by. (Except the herworldplus.com bit, that you can ignore!)
Postscript: As we’re shuffling past her surly security, the newly wedded leading lady looks me dead in the eye. What good skin you have, she murmurs. Thanks for the offhand compliment, Tang Wei, and warmest wishes for a marriage that’s (groan) as "crystal clear" as your own complexion!
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