Business In Her Blood

Say what you will about heiress and fashion royalty Kim Lim. Standing solidly on her ambitions to make Singapore a world-class aesthetics destination, she tells crystal lee about her journey as a bona fide entrepreneur.

- Crystal Lee

On set, Kim Lim exemplifies the conventions of celebrity: the high-fashion poses, the impeccable hair, the flawless complexion, the poise in front of the camera.

If she struggles with poor body image and self-esteem, I’d be hardpressed to notice. Yet, in a profile three years ago, she got real about her battle with bulimia. “I’ve always felt insecure about myself,” she says, when I brought it up at our tête-à-tête, post-shoot. “I was fighting with myself in the mirror. I’ll find something I don’t like and I’ll harp on it. I know it’s not good. I’m working on it.”

This pursuit of “perfection” propelled and consumed Kim. She spent the last decade undergoing all kinds of facial and body procedures in Singapore and abroad. You name it, she’s done it. “That’s how I know what works and what doesn’t,” she explains. “I learnt that aesthetic work is as much science as it is an art. Two clinics can have the same machines, but the different operation techniques can have different outcomes. It’s the same with doctors. They can offer the same treatments and produce different results, depending on their skills and experience.”

Over time, she inevitably became a savant in cosmetology. “I’ve been studying the beauty industry since I was 19,” she goes on. “Through my travels, I got to experience different kinds of treatments and techniques outside of Singapore. I saw a gap. I thought, you know, I can bring in the best.”

WALKING THE TALK