Celebrity Life

Dusk is approaching and dramatic clouds darken the bitter British winter sky. Two assistants are lighting up the face of Nga Nguyen as she swishes around in an Armani emerald-green cape and our photographer snaps the final shots of the session.

We’ve had a full day of shooting in the woods, on the outskirts of northern London, glamorous outfit changes done next to trees and bushes. Nguyen has been a trouper, barely fighting off the biting wind in tall Fendi boots.

Our 28-year-old cover girl, a London-based Vietnamese heiress, fashion VIP and influencer, has just launched her first independent business, NGA – an accessory and wellness collection “for the future”. She’s been helping her family, who made their fortune in real estate, with their business in London. But the step to becoming a young entrepreneur with her own company has been full of challenges and rewards.

“The name Never Go Alone (abrievated to NGA spelling her name) relates to my experience contracting the Covid-19 virus and wanting others to feel safe and protected,” she explained as we sipped hot tea in a quiet corner in the heart of Mayfair three weeks before.

Cities around the world are still adapting to the new normal of social distancing and mask- wearing in public, sanitising hands and surfaces, and avoiding crowded areas. NGA’s newly launched key products are very much part of this new lifestyle: they include a sanitising skin treatment; a perfume; hand cream; specific wipes for hands, around the home, and for tech devices; a technical face mask, and a candle with the brand’s signature scent.

“While recovering I wanted to create something positive. That’s where my brand was born”

Nga Nguyen

In March as the first wave of Covid-19 hit Europe, and just after attending Paris Fashion Week, Nguyen garnered unwanted fame when news spread that she’d fallen ill with the novel disease. Hysteria followed from fashion-week crowds who are typically packed in at shows like sardines, a few hundred to a room. Online and social-media bullying ensued as she was being treated in hospital.

She says she hasn’t been back home to Vietnam since then. Instead, and even as she lay in her hospital bed, Nguyen has been intent on turning that misfortune into something more positive, focusing on wellness. “While I was recovering, I wanted to create something positive, and that’s where my brand and collection were born,” she says. “It’s really about supporting others on the journey to the new normal … As I was being treated, all I could think about was how to turn this terrible situation around and create something that raises awareness and protects people.”

First and foremost was a focus on the ingredients, Nguyen explains, when her core team of four – all communicating virtually – developed the products. The aloe vera and ginseng extracts are ultra-moisturising and offset the smell of disinfecting alcohol that must be contained in any formula labelled “sanitising”. The scent of the range is a rich unisex mix that uses a base of earthy sandalwood and cardamon.

“And rather than a standard antibacterial gel, I wanted to make a treatment in the form of a mist. It smells as luxurious as a perfume and moisturises the skin, rather than leaving it dry or sticky,” Nguyen says. Aiming her brand at a premium market, Nguyen and the small team she put together towards the end of 2020 adopted a multi-sensory approach during development – taking in practical concerns as well as creating something that would feel, and look, good.

The NGA range is impressively sleek in packaging and branding, which she worked on with the London design agency, Layer. It all aligns with the affordable-luxury segment that Nguyen is targeting. “I’ve always had a passion for design and in my line of work I’ve come to realise that though the product itself can be great, people always appreciate quality design,” she says as she handles one of the palm-sized, smooth grey hand sanitiser cases. “It needed to be sustainable, eye-catching, aesthetically pleasing, but all the while practical, on-the-go with great all-day performance.”

This isn’t completely out of the blue, as Nguyen has worked in the beauty and skincare industry before. After earning a master’s degree in luxury management at the INSEEC business school in Paris, she had an 18-month stint as a marketing assistant for LVMH’s heritage perfume brand Aqua di Parma. “It really helped me learn the ins and outs of marketing and how retail works … and how marketing for fast consumer goods is so different than for luxury products,” she says. “And I’m obsessed with hygiene myself, constantly wiping everything down everywhere I go.”

With the beauty industry crowded with key players, that experience helped to strengthen an overall knowledge of how such brands operate, and especially how to captivate consumer attention with good PR and e-commerce strategies for NGA. Her international upbringing and education (she speaks Vietnamese, English and French, and is learning Russian) means that she’s been comfortably global in her approach.

The events of early 2020 no doubt focussed Nguyen on personal health, both physical and mental well-being. She takes brisk morning walks around her Mayfair neighbourhood, hitting 10,000 steps before 10am “regardless of the weather or how busy I am”. She does pilates three times a week and exercises for 30 minutes before bed each night. Her daily supplements include vitamin D, and fish and peppermint oils.

“The whole experience really taught me to live slower,” she adds. “And it gave me plenty of time to do deep research into protective products.” Although she’s not that into skincare, Nga Nguyen tries “to focus more on hydrating. But one secret is that I use coconut oil for everything – make-up remover, moisturiser, hair mask and so on. But, most importantly, I make sure to get a good night’s sleep. Rest is key!”

"I'm definitely more Zen now, I take time to appreciate the little things."

Nga Nguyen

Her lifestyle now focusses on organic and unprocessed foods, with only occasional alcohol. But the goal is to do things with a sense of balance. So while there’s exercise, intermittent fasting and cold-blast showers, she’s also a pleasure- seeking foodie who regularly indulges in Michelin-star delights at the restaurants of Claude Bosi, Adam Handling, Enrico Bartolini, Michel Roux Jr and Heston Blumenthal, or character-filled venues such as the Woodspeen Restaurant, which is located in a converted 19th- century English farmhouse.

For someone who lives in the social-media limelight, the issue of mental wellness is pertinent, especially after her health crisis in March. Hers is a story that highlights the pros and pitfalls of all that – and in an unusually compacted timeframe.
“I really just focused on my health and made the decision to avoid social media for 10 weeks during my recovery,” Nguyen explains. “I do love social media, because it allows me to share my life with people who care about me. But you can’t let it control you or take over your time. There’s so much fake news that it can really distort your world view. It almost encourages you to react quickly, rather than take the time to think things through.”

But with her health restored, Nguyen can focus again on her great love: fashion. Gucci, Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Amina Muaddi are her go-to shoe brands, but she also has a fondness for sustainable labels such as Nanushka, Gabriela Hearst and Commission.

“I love sharp tailoring with a twist; and I love crystal embellishments, bold colours and lots of accessories,” she says. But now, with our lifestyles changed, she’s veering towards comfort – more tonal luxurious loungewear and trainers over heels. But perhaps this isn’t a bad thing.

“I’m definitely more Zen now,” adds a thoughtful Nguyen. “I make sure to take the time to appreciate the little things and look after myself better mentally and physically … I practise deep breathing daily.”

Like so many around the world, living in varying cycles of lockdown has given her a renewed appreciation of nature. Living between the two expansive, green spaces of Hyde Park and Green Park has aided those early rises and fresh walks that recharge her body and senses.

When London is its usual hive of activity, Nguyen is often found at colourful outdoor markets, pastry shops or organic grocers in Notting Hill, Primrose Hill and Holland Park. Her Mayfair neighbourhood is alive with new restaurants and social spaces. As one of the liveliest areas of the West End is on her doorstep, she has no shortage of “little boutiques, high-end shops, and cute cafes” to keep her entertained.

By the end of photo-shoot day, bundled in a huge furry Balenciaga coat, Nguyen bids warm goodbyes, walks to her car and drives off into the cold night. The scene is a far cry from life when she’s back in Hanoi. There, her routine is slow and homely: tropical weather, swimming in the pool and enjoying gorgeously fresh local fruit. She usually hangs out with family, particularly her grandma, with whom she tends a sunlit, organic garden in their big backyard.

Her grandmother is Nguyen’s hero, a woman who started off selling groceries roadside to soldiers during the Vietnam War, biking through the night to pick up fresh produce from the local markets. “Eventually she built this into a big produce-centred business,” Nga says. “She even has a photo with Ho Chi Minh.” It all allowed her father to kick off a white-collar career and build a family real-estate business. With Nga starting her own brand while only in her twenties, albeit with far more resources than her grandmother had, that entrepreneurial spirit is clearly in her genes.

(Hero Shot: Outfit Fendi; Jewellery Nguyen’s Own)

STYLING JING ZHANG / PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVER YOAN / PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ANNA LOWRY / MAKE-UP AND HAIR REVE RYU

The post Nga Nguyen on Her Personal Journey to Wellness and Her Brand NGA appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Age has been kind to Aaron Kwok. Just turned 55, sitting opposite us and looking immaculate as always, he could easily pass for a man almost half his years. His slicked-back hair is dark and luxuriant, his face appears bereft of all but the smallest lines and his bespoke three-piece suit perfectly fits a trim frame that’s resulted from a rigorous daily training schedule, not to mention minding his diet just as carefully. Although a neat goatee adds a rakish, vaguely piratical edge to his appearance, the dancer-turned-singer-turned-actor is affable, friendly and easily approachable, and he’s evidently relishing life in its prime – not to mention the fruits that have accumulated from his long stint at the top of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.

In spite of Covid, and the semi-lockdowns and quarantines that have kept most Hong Kongers confined to base – and very often at home – 2020 has been relatively busy for him. Although interrupted for a time in mid-year, shooting for Kwok’s latest movie, the Wong Hing-fan directed action-drama Disconnect’d, wrapped in October and is now in post-production. Last May, he starred in his own online charity concert, Cheer Up & Dance, to raise funds for artists and behind-the-scenes workers affected by the pandemic, as well as brighten up lives across the city. Live-streamed on social-media channels, the concert was co-hosted by the artist’s own Aaron Kwok Love and Concern Charity Fund, which remains one of his passions, along with his young family and a predilection for fast cars.

These days, he says that acting takes up most of his time: “In terms of work, I’d say 70 percent is acting and 30 percent is concerts. You can’t do a world concert tour for an entire year and do nothing else – concerts are more short-term, whereas filming takes more time. But I love all of it – and I find it very hard to choose which I prefer.”

Of course, it was as a dancer that Kwok made his mark in the mid-to-late ’80s. Like many teenagers, he gravitated towards sport and dancing – the usual line is that he was inspired by Michael Jackson, who in the early ’80s had reached a peak of creativity and artistry. “Most young people love to dance and play sport,” Kwok says. “and when I was 17 or 18 years old, I went on a boat trip with friends and we were challenging each other to see who could jump-kick the highest. Although I won, I also injured myself, so I had to take time off from the jewellery company where I was working. After I was dismissed from my job, I teamed up with a friend who was applying for a dancer-training course at TVB and I was accepted. That’s how I became a professional dancer and started out on my journey that eventually led to acting.”

“Charity is something I’ll never stop doing –Helping others makes me really happy"

Aaron Kwok

Kwok’s recent charity show demonstrated how dance remains a key element of his live performances. So how does he describe the Aaron Kwok style? “My dancing is very diverse,” he says, “and not just a single style. When I started training as a dancer, we learned all styles – tap, modern, waltz, ballroom, jazz, etcetera – as a base. I even had to do ‘art dance’. But that’s how I can transition between these classical styles to hip hop and other, more funky things. I’ve even incorporated Chinese dance into my routines and concerts. It makes my performances more substantial, and I think that audiences really appreciate it.

I don’t really consider myself a hip-hop dancer, though it’s trending now and I really like it.” Kwok’s development into an all-round entertainer, which in the Hong Kong entertainment industry seems almost a natural progression, was rapid. As he puts it, “I learned so much during my years as a professional dancer at TVB, and I was soon transferred to the acting department of the talent-training course to appear in TVB dramas. In 1990, because of the instant popularity generated by my appearance in a motorcycle TV commercial in Taiwan, I was invited to become a singer.”

Released in 1990, his Mandarin-language debut Loving You Need Never Stop was the first of a slew of album releases over the next five years that helped elevate Kwok to the ranks of Hong Kong’s – indeed Asia’s – leading pop singers, alongside Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai and Andy Lau, who soon became known as the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop. By 1991 he’d won his first industry accolades, a silver award in the Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards and gold for Best New Prospect in the RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards.

Despite his recognised abilities on the dance floor and as a singer, Kwok feels his biggest career breakthrough was in making the move into acting. “You need a good two or three years to make that transition,” he says. “You also need to find a good director, at the right time. I’m still a singer and dancer, and I still love performing on stage, though I think you shouldn’t pigeonhole yourself into a single category. Instead, you should develop all aspects of performance.

“Performing concerts every two years is really fulfilling, because each time there’s a different theme and audience. Every time I play at the Hong Kong Coliseum the feeling the audience gives me is different from the one before, and especially when I improvise. Compared to concert tours, making films is another kind of challenge, because you have to morph into a new character for each one.”

Although Kwok made his first acting appearance in the 1987 TVB drama series The Rise of Genghis Khan and featured on the big screen a year later, a standout role for him was in the 1996 crime series Wars of Bribery, also for TVB, in which he played an ICAC investigator. Recognition for his talent as a screen actor was confirmed in 2005 when he was voted Best Leading Actor in the Golden Horse Awards for his role in the crime drama Divergence, a performance that also netted him a Best Actor nomination in the Hong Kong Film Awards the same year. The following year he won a second Golden Horse Best Leading Actor award after starring in the hit drama After This Our Exile, becoming only the second person to do so consecutively, though he had to wait until 2016 to net his first Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actor title, this time for his role in the Philip Young-directed crime thriller Port of Call.

The importance of accolades such as these isn’t lost on Kwok. In fact, he says, “The happiest moments of my career have been when I’ve received awards, because that means you and your work have gained recognition."

“I love what I do,” he adds, “and I’m very happy that I’ve been able to make it in my career. I’m also grateful that my hard work and dedication have been recognised, not only by my fans but also through the awards I’ve received. If you ask me which were the most honourable and memorable awards I’ve received so far, I’d say they were the Golden Horse Awards in 2005 and 2006. Another highlight of my acting career would be when I won the Best Actor Award at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016. To able to win consecutive Best Leading Actor awards in Taiwan and to win the most important acting award in my hometown meant a great deal to me.”

Aside from his achievements on stage and screen, Kwok is almost as well known for his passion for fast cars and motorsport, which, thanks to his show-business success, he’s been able to indulge to the fullest. “I’ve loved cars since I was young,” he says. “I think it was the speed and the sleek lines of the cars that attracted me most. They’re more like works of art to me, extremely beautiful, especially limited- edition models.

“After I began making my own way financially, with proper savings and wise financial planning, I became interested in investing and collecting limited-edition cars, just like some people collect fine art. I appreciate them in the same way, and because the potential for appreciation is high, I think it’s not only a very good hobby but also an investment.” His large collection of cars famously includes several Ferraris – an F50, an Enzo and a track only FXX-K hypercar – a McLaren Senna, and several Lamborghinis and Porsches. But pride of place in the Kwok garage would probably go to his black Pagani Zonda 760 “King”, which he had the factory rebuild for him with a significant power boost and full carbon-fibre bodywork – a truly unique car.

He took part in his first car race two decades ago, when he drove in a Formula Renault event on the famed Monza circuit in Italy. For several years he was a regular competitor in Asia – in fact, we first met him at the Shanghai racing circuit on his 48th birthday when, with the kind of gift that only a privileged few can enjoy, he was competing at the wheel of an R8 car for the official Hong Kong works team in the China Audi LMS Series. Kwok says that motorsport works for him as a stress reliever: “I really enjoy it and I’ve been racing as an amateur for years. But I’ve been so busy recently that I haven’t had the time. I hope, given the chance, that I can get back into it before long.”

Over the years, he’s also served as an ambassador for several luxury brands, from men’s fashion to watches. His most recent tie-up, however, is through a widely screened commercial in Hong Kong in which he appears as a spokesman for HSBC Jade’s financial services for high-net- worth customers – and as he’s a long-standing client of the bank for more than 30 years, Kwok feels this enables him to voice out truthfully. The commercial also highlights his enthusiasm for motor racing, which he thinks has more similarities with investing than might be imagined.

“Racing and investing both rely on accurate data analysis to support decisions and reduce risks,” he says. “There’s also the matter of trust, whether it’s with the crew in your racing team or your relationship manager at the bank – you trust your team to make the best preparations before a race, so all you have to do when you’re driving is to focus and do your best.

“It’s similar to my relationship manager at HSBC Jade. She’s worked with me for nine years and we often share stories with each other, just as friends would. Whenever I need support and wherever I am, she’s always keen to offer the best service, and I’m confident she’s taking the best possible care of my account and my investments.”

Kwok clearly took his role in the commercial as seriously as he would any other. “I was heavily involved in the planning stages,” he says. “We were in a meeting, and the director and production team had a lot of ideas relating to cars. So I said to them, since there are so many connections between car collecting and investment, why don’t we use a real car in the commercial? Not just any car, but a functioning race car. There’s this limited-edition model and there are only 10 of them in the world – and I’m lucky to be one of the owners myself. So I said to them, let’s use this type of car. The director, production team and HSBC all loved the idea – and I think my recommendation wasn’t a bad one either! To add to the authenticity we also featured my helmet, which has been specially designed to match the car.”

“Performing concerts every two years is really fulfilling, because each time there’s a different theme and audience"

Aaron Kwok

As to his film and music careers, Kwok says he’s “filming a movie in Guangzhou about a father who works in a sugar refinery and has to take on a special identity to protect his daughter. It’s a very touching movie. After that, I’ll be back in Hong Kong to make another film, which will be about commercial crime, and then I’ll consider doing a world concert tour.”

Since marrying in 2017, Kwok has become the proud father of two daughters, and though the pandemic hasn’t forced him to stop working, at least it’s given him an opportunity to catch up with them, as well as other projects that are important to him. “The pandemic has impacted everyone’s lives, and I had to suspend some work too,” he says. “However, it also gave me the time for my mini charity concert in Harbour City, which was really meaningful for me. That’s something I’ll never stop doing – helping others makes me really happy. And, of course, I’ve been able to spend more time with my family, and to watch my two little girls as they grow.”

Reflecting on his career, which has lasted the best part of three-and-a-half decades, Kwok says he could never have dreamed of the success he’s enjoyed. “Could any young man predict that he’d be able to go down that road? That would be impossible."

“If you want to enter the performing-arts industry,” he says, “first, you must have the opportunity. And after gaining admission to that circle, then you’ll have to work very hard – and with some luck, you’ll get the opportunity to perform. And even then, you’ll still have to work very hard before you can reach this level.”

Judging from the man himself, that hard work has brought more rewards than he could ever have imagined.

STORY JON WALL / ART DIRECTION SEPFRY NG / PHOTOGRAPHY RICKY LO / PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ALSTON CHAN, JASON LI, KELVIN SIM AND CHUNG SUN / LOCATION HSBC JADE CENTER

The post Multi-Talented Aaron Kwok Reflects on Three Decades at the Top and His Passion for Cars appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Andrea Stark, Adrien Arpel, and Lauren Newman will supply Tri-County Animal Rescue with rugs, blankets, food, and treats for pets adopted from the shelter.

The post Palm Beach Animal Lovers Organize ‘Go-Gift’ Donations appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

Andrea Stark, Adrien Arpel, and Lauren Newman will supply Tri-County Animal Rescue with rugs, blankets, food, and treats for pets adopted from the shelter.

The post Palm Beach Animal Lovers Organize ‘Go-Gift’ Donations appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

The Boynton Beach-based watercolorist illustrates her artistic study of Earth and other celestial bodies

The post Amanda Costa Marino Captures Natural Beauty appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

The Boynton Beach-based watercolorist illustrates her artistic study of Earth and other celestial bodies

The post Amanda Costa Marino Captures Natural Beauty appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

The Boynton Beach-based watercolorist illustrates her artistic study of Earth and other celestial bodies

The post Amanda Costa Marino Captures Natural Beauty appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

The Boynton Beach-based watercolorist illustrates her artistic study of Earth and other celestial bodies

The post Amanda Costa Marino Captures Natural Beauty appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

In the spirit of giving and perseverance, the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation hosted a drive-thru holiday celebration for the families of members of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Rescue Departments on December 13. The festive affair–hosted and co-sponsored by the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation, Moe Tarkinow, and Janet and Mark […]

The post Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Holiday Drive-Thru Party appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

In the spirit of giving and perseverance, the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation hosted a drive-thru holiday celebration for the families of members of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Rescue Departments on December 13. The festive affair–hosted and co-sponsored by the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation, Moe Tarkinow, and Janet and Mark […]

The post Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Holiday Drive-Thru Party appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

In the spirit of giving and perseverance, the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation hosted a drive-thru holiday celebration for the families of members of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Rescue Departments on December 13. The festive affair–hosted and co-sponsored by the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation, Moe Tarkinow, and Janet and Mark […]

The post Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Holiday Drive-Thru Party appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

In the spirit of giving and perseverance, the Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation hosted a drive-thru holiday celebration for the families of members of the Palm Beach Police and Fire Rescue Departments on December 13. The festive affair–hosted and co-sponsored by the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation, Moe Tarkinow, and Janet and Mark […]

The post Palm Beach Police and Fire Foundation Holiday Drive-Thru Party appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.