Amanda Leong was 18-years-old when she was adjudged as the first runner-up at Miss Universe Singapore 2011. She later went onto claim other titles including Miss Cosmopolitan International 2011, Miss Singapore Tourism International 2011 and Miss ASEAN 2013. She made herself a name in the beauty pageant world as one of the successful models in Singapore.
Amanda explained that she wasn’t very confident girl growing up and wanted to change that. She stated “I wanted to experience something markedly different from my life up till then, so I decided to join Miss Universe Singapore before enrolling in university.” The diva explained that participating in Miss Universe Singapore 2011 was a risk but she felt that she needed that to boost her confidence up and whatever she experienced during the pageant has helped her till today.
“You could say that my personality blossomed from the experience. It wasn’t so much the pageant itself, but the excitement of trying something completely new and getting to know so many people from different walks of life who I otherwise wouldn’t have met.” Amanda quoted. She was passionate about fashion and modelling since childhood but was always low on confidence to do something huge in her life. But participating in the Miss Universe Singapore 2011 changed things for her and opened new doors to opportunities for her.
After claiming various prestigious beauty pageant titles, Amanda decided to shift her focus towards modelling and walking for designers and brands. She has fronted and modelled for campaigns and advertisements for brands including but not limited to SOGO Kuala Lumpur, Quattre Volte Vodka by Taio Cruz, ESPA, Dynamo, Luxola Singapore, Singapore Tourism Board, Sephora Singapore, Botox, and Chakra Fine Jewellery. She prepared and groomed herself under the guidance of best of best mentors who helped her throughout.
The diva earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science from Singapore Management University in 2015; she majored in Psychology and Corporate Communication. Amanda started working at a public relations firm, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Soon after, she had her first child and decided to dedicate her time to being a stay-at-home mum.
Amanda being a front-runner on the stage and working as a public relations professional decided to take a pause from all the modelling and her professional work to take care of her kids. But the diva stayed active on her social media account giving her fans and followers a little peak into her glamorous yet messy life. Amanda started blogging about beauty, lifestyle, and travel on her personal blog. She wrote mostly about beauty and occasionally advertises for cosmetics and fragrances. She also started her own line of false eyelashes naming, ‘Koshka Comestics’ as she was inspired by how false eyelashes instantly brighten up and add dimension to one's face. She wanted women to look like the best versions of themselves with natural-looking false eyelashes instead of wearing heavy eye makeup which can alter one's appearance.
Amanda mentioned that if there is one thing that has stayed and will stay with people forever is the fashion and cosmetics. Fashion has always been a fun experiment and expression and her followers get to see her excel in that area too. “Some days I draw inspiration from the ever-timeless Grace Kelly and some days I just want to be your Beverly Hills Barbie in pink. One thing’s for sure, I will always dress for the occasion!” she says.
The diva is ardent for fashion and has always picked up rare fashion choices like a Dolce & Gabbana Sicily bag from the brand’s Viva La Mamma collection. The bag features an embroidery of a mother holding the hands of her two children, accompanied by a dog and a cat. The bag was the subject of controversy when it was released in 2015, with many criticising the child-like illustration on a luxury item. But for Amanda who has two kids and two dogs and five cats; that bag is the story of her life. Amanda has about 1,000 pairs of shoes, of which she says more than 90 per cent are heels. She explains that she appreciates the hells not just as fashionable footwear but as miniature models of architecture with all the craftsmanship and artistry that go into making each pair. One can find way too many Christian Louboutin in her closet.
Amanda is also interested in automobile and with some help from her life-partner Lionel Lau, she has started to develop love for cars. The diva has started a social media page which she dedicated to showcase her daily drives along with female point of view on it. She mentioned that since her husband started to talk to her regarding the tech-based stuff and automobiles, she started to develop interest in the field and now works to give a female perspective to it.
This beauty queen titleholder has sorted everything all out in her life. From being a runner-up at Miss Universe Singapore 2011 to becoming a successful public relations professional, stay in home mother and entrepreneur, Amanda had such a colourful yet fun filled journey. We hope to see her on-stage some day in future.