Jeanette Aw's eyes are her biggest asset - and problem area

Jeanette Aw believes that her eyes are her greatest asset but also her biggest flaw.

The 38-year-old local actress was speaking to The New Paper at a ClearSK media event last month, where she was unveiled as the new face of the homegrown aesthetics and wellness chain.

"As an artist, we need to have expressive eyes. Once I played a deaf and mute character, so the only means of expression I had were my eyes," she said.

However, Aw also considers her eyes a problem area.

When she entered the entertainment industry 17 years ago, she developed an allergy which caused the skin around her eyes to turn dry and flaky.

"I didn't know how it happened... That was when I was really scared and started to get into skincare proper," she said.

Since then, Aw has paid more attention to her peepers, especially as irregular filming hours and lack of sleep have given her dark circles - another issue she struggles with.

She said: "The skin around (the eye) is a lot thinner and more sensitive, and I love eye make-up - eyeliners, mascara and all - so I'm very careful about the products I use."

Aw said her job has taken a toll on her skin - from getting dirt on her face during unglamorous shoots to wearing special-effects make-up.

She said: "I once played a 99-year-old woman and had special-effects glue on my face to crinkle the skin. When I took off the glue, my skin was very red and the lines remained for hours. "

To let her skin breathe, Aw prefers a light touch and even does her own make-up.

She said: "The make-up artists do the full works - foundation, eyeshadow, false eyelashes... But for me, I moisturise, apply sunblock and concealer for dark circles, loose powder, mascara, do my brows and that's it. So when I get to work, I just have my hair done while I read a book. It's much faster. I also don't use foundation so when I go to the make-up unit, they know. They are used to it."

She explained that too much make-up interferes with her acting.

She said: "When I'm out filming under the sun, I'm perspiring and my foundation would streak. If I have crying scenes, I'd have tear marks on my cheek, which is annoying because they will need to touch up with more make-up - it's really distracting."

Aw has had different treatments at ClearSK, including the Magnetic RF EyeLift that combines magnetic and radio frequency waves for skin repair and lifting.

Aw said: "I really enjoy the treatment. It reduces puffiness and also helps the dark circles - it's perfect."

She has also tried ClearSK's DNA Deep Skin Booster, which aids in anti-ageing and speeds up skin renewal by repairing the skin cell's DNA fragments.

"My skin is never going to look like how it did during my school days but I think this is a natural progression and I embrace that.

"It's important to me to look natural and radiant, not like I did anything to my face."

As her first clinical aesthetics endorsement, Aw said she shares the same values with ClearSK.

She said: "We want to convey that women can be confident and natural at the same time."