Photo by BJ Pascual
From feathered lashes to glass blown nails, Fiona Xie makes a grand appearance at the 2023 Opulence Ball.
In the hours leading up to the eve of Halloween, Fiona Xie’s enthusiasm was nothing short of contagious. Styled by Singaporean fashion stylist Joshua Cheung, the actress made sure to put Singapore’s local talent to the forefront. A few hours before her flight to Manila to attend this year’s Opulence Ball, the Singaporean actress and socialite was eager to give us a sneak peek of what she had planned: a structured black dress covered in thin feathers meticulously handcrafted by established Singaporean couturier Frederick Lee accompanied by an elaborate architectural headpiece.
Drawing inspiration from the dark mystique of mythical creatures such as Odin’s ravens from Norse mythology and the Greek’s eerie goddess of sorcery, Circe, this look was the epitome of her personal style—an intersection between sophistication and avant-garde. “It embraces the grandeur of haute couture while daring to push boundaries with an innovative approach,” she shares. This dress is a manifestation of my belief in artistry and storytelling through fashion.”
Connected by the host of the evening, Mond Gutierrez, Xie worked closely with makeup artist Kim Roy Opog in coming up with a beauty look that took inspiration directly from the loudness of her outfit. “Everything has to be balanced,” he shares. “Her dress and headdress is an architectural piece so we wanted a makeup look that will complement everything but nothing too much.”
To complement the feathered architecture of her dress as well as the headpiece, Opog opted to direct all attention on the eyes. Amongst the mound of feathers and spikes, Xie’s eyes were a striking standout. Dark, smokey shadow was further accompanied by long, spiky lashes that circumscribed the eyes. To further elevate the eyes, feathers picked out from Xie’s own dress were placed as a finishing touch on the lashes, an avante-garde touch that pulled the entire look together.
In contrast to the dark intensity of the eyes, Xie’s face remained fresh, framed with soft, straight brows. A flush of cool-toned pinks graced the cheeks and lips in a refreshing pop of color amidst the sharp textures and overall ferocity of her look.
Xie’s beauty look was completed with the helping hand of local makeup products, namely the Strokes Microblade Pen Perfector and Brow Gel for the brows. “I love working with Fiona. She knows what she wants and at the same time she’s open to the ideas I threw at her,” Opog shares. “The look for Opulence was very collaborative.”
On top of all the intricate details that riddled her look, Xie was sure to direct our attention onto her nails. Resembling little sculptures extending from her fingertips, her nails were adorned with crystals of blown glass and exotic flowers, which the actress mentions was designed by a rising nail artist in Singapore known as Qquirky.
