Claire Tan was barely out of polytechnic when she turned down multiple job offers paying between SGD $3,500 and $4,000 a month (£2,025-£2,300 / $2,625-$3,000) to bet on a makeup business she had started at 17.

That bet has paid off. Tan, the founder of Ladyy Claire Makeup, one of Singapore's first standalone bridal makeup companies, has since pivoted into luxuryreal estateand transacted over SGD $100 million (£58 million/$75 million) worth of property, according to theAsia Real Estate Summit.

She won PropertyGuru's Home Run: Singapore reality competition in 2024 and returned as a judge for its second season.

In an episode of the EDIT HISTORY podcast hosted by Cheryl Lau released on 25 January 2026, Tan spoke candidly about the corporate experience that drove her toward entrepreneurship and the financial gambles that followed.

Before makeup became her livelihood, Tan studied accounting at polytechnic and juggled freelance marketing gigs on the side. She completed internships in tax and audit across Singapore and Shanghai, each reinforcing a growing discomfort with corporate life.

The Shanghai posting proved to be the final straw. Her supervisor made a personal remark that crossed a line. 'Claire doesn't communicate very well because she's from a broken family,' the boss said, according to Tan. She broke a scholarship bond and returned to Singapore.

'My work could only grow as much as someone dictating it,' Tan told Lau. 'No matter how good I was, no matter how smart I am or talented at my job, I'll never be able to grow unless the leader approves of it.'

A school teacher challenged her after she returned, questioning whether she could survive without a boss dictating her success. Her response was blunt: 'If this is like the real world, then I don't really want to be a part of it.'

So she built something of her own.

Ladyy Claire Makeup started as a one-woman operation. Tan handled everything from client bookings to tax filings. The bridal beauty industry in Singapore was fragmented at the time, with most makeup artists working under wedding studios for a small cut. Her company was among the first to offer bridal makeup as a structured, standalone business.

Source: International Business Times UK