April 22, 2007
Hair: Doesn't even know how to tie ponytail
WHEN Fann was only 16 and just starting out in her modelling career, she met David Gan, the man who would eventually help shape her career, as well as her follicles.
Fann recalled: 'It was my first modelling assignment, and David styled my hair. I was still a student then, but he told me to go to his salon, and I was like (rolling her eyes) 'yeah right'.'
Despite her initial cynicism, David ended up taking care of Fann's hair for the past 20years.
She is so well taken care of - Fann goes to the salon for weekly treatments - that she doesn't know how to style her own hair properly.
With a sheepish grin, Fann related this anecdote: 'There was once Michelle (Chia) came up to me and asked, 'Hey, did you do your own hair today?' I said yes and she replied, 'No wonder, your ponytail really cannot make it leh!'
Another example of her follicular-ineptitude was when she, as a kid, cut off a bunch of her older sister's hair while she was playing the piano.
'I was just pretending to cut her hair when the scissors slipped. She was left with very short hair at the back of her head, but thankfully, she wasn't very angry about it.'
Eyes: Has phobia of contact lenses
FANN is short-sighted - 200 degrees in each eye - but she doesn't wear contact lenses or spectacles.
'I only wear glasses when I'm driving or at the movies. I can do without them usually.'
She added that she has a phobia of contact lenses after she got one stuck on her eyeball once.
'It was so scary because I couldn't take it out for the longest time. I was in pain and my eye was swollen. It was the last time I wore contacts.'
She also had to turn down a contact lens endorsement deal because of that.
Figure: Wears 3-for-$10 T-shirts to market
ATKINS diet, fruit juice diet and diet pills, Fann has tried them all - including a certain blue pill which made her poo poo 'really ugh and so messy!'
But she said Xando pills (she's the spokesman) are safe because 'they are 100per cent herbal'. And despite the popularity of high-protein diets, Fann prefers a balanced diet because 'things should be done in moderation'.
And strangely enough, the harder Fann works, the less she eats.
'I prefer to have light meals then, as I believe that your body is already very tired from the hectic schedule and you should not be burdening it with more food.'
Like her actor boyfriend Christopher Lee, Fann is a skipping fanatic, who does 500 times at one go ('It's really easy!'). Together with the crockpot for her birds' nest, her skipping rope is also a must-pack when she has to go overseas.
Her exercise regime at home is a thrice-weekly half-hour workout on the treadmill.
When she doesn't have the time to exercise, Fann believes that a good soak in the bath - she adds sea salt, milk, sometimes flowers and even cut fruits - is the way to go.
Despite having most of her clothes sponsored ('Yes, I'm lucky that way.'), the clotheshorse also indulges in retail therapy when she is feeling down.
She has been known to fly to Japan on her at least once-yearly shopping holidays and coming back with five bags full of new clothes.
'Sometimes I even have to ship them home,' she revealed sheepishly, declining to say how much she spends.
And she sometimes ends up with duds like a certain yellow piece with a train and matching gloves ('I would look like a banana!') she was sweet-talked into buying by a particularly glib sales person.
But Fann is quick to assert that it's not all haute couture for her. She is equally fond of the comfy 3-for-$10 T-shirts she buys from flea markets.
'Some of the designs are quite nice. I wear them when I can't be bothered to dress up. Which is usually when I'm not working, like popping out just to buy something.'
Skin: Crockpot is a must when travelling
FANN'S famous flawless complexion doesn't come easy, or cheap.
Besides weekly trips to Bella Skin Care (she recently renewed her endorsement contract with the beauty chain for the fifth year) for facial treatments, Fann also probably single-handedly props up the birds' nest industry here with her daily consumption.
She so swears by the stuff that she even lugs along her crockpot when she films overseas so that she can brew her own nourishing soup.
'I used to drink it at night, but I've found that when I drink it in the mornings, my skin is more supple and radiant.'
She also takes ginseng tea or tablets to reduce heatiness and downs more than a litre of water every day.
Her daily beauty regime is one-hour long, and she gives her skin the works - moisturisers and various creams. As her skin burns easily, she slathers on sunblock and likes to have an umbrella on hand.
In a previous interview, Fann also credited her milky skin to monthly Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments. But she draws the line at Botox.
She said: 'Maybe in the future - you never know - but not now. I need my facial expressions in my line of work.'
But isn't she worried about wrinkles and growing old?
Fann said: 'Aging is a beautiful process, and so is maturity. I hope to be one of those who can age gracefully.'
Feet: Loves shoes more than clothes
IT'S nothing less than designer heels for Fann, who loves to totter around in them even though she's already 1.71m tall.
The Jimmy Choo fan defended her expensive tastes and said: 'I see them as an investment. You need good heels, because they will have a certain arch that fits your sole and makes it more comfortable.'
While she admitted that she spends more on shoes than on clothes, Fann claimed she's no Imelda Marcos - 'I'm not that rich, although I wish (I were).'