It was a night where dreams were brought to reality as 25 year old Foong Lai Fong was declared the winner of Malaysia’s very first Beautician Search during the Grand Finals at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

The Grand Finals of Beautician Search, the nation’s first competition for Malaysia’s best beautician, saw the shortlisted 10 finalists go through the meet, greet and performance rounds where all finalists were assessed based on their level of confidence and versatility in speaking, answering industry-related questions and performing in front of a captive audience including celebrities such as Angela Chan, Cindy Po, Professor Coco Alex and Melvin Lam.

20 year old Esther Cheang Pui Yoke emerged as 1st runner up to the competition followed by 2nd runner up, 24 year old Shirley Tan. All three winners walked away with a tiara, a plaque, enrihment courses and cash worth RM10,000 for Malaysia's Best Beautician, RM5,000 for the 1st runner up and RM1500 for the 2nd runner up.

“We had close to 500 people in attendance here tonight and the pressure focused on the finalists were very apparent. They had to go out in front of everyone and put their best foot forward to make that little bit of difference in setting themselves aside as the winner above the rest. They all did very well and we are extremely proud of them,” said Mr. CP Saw, Managing Director of ECMI Trade Fairs S.E.A. Sdn Bhd, organizer of COSMOBEAUTÉ series of beauty trade exhibitions in South East Asia.

Beautician Search 2009 had commenced with roadshows in Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur, in October this year and the competition saw an encouraging number of professional practising beauticians signing up to be recognised for their efforts and skills in this ever-competitive beauty industry.

The first heat of the competition saw participants going through a theoretical and on-screen test where professional beauticians were judged by a panel of certified professional judges on the basic know-hows of the trade as well as their personal level of confidence and delivery during verbal communication on screen.

The semi-finals, which were held in mid-December saw the finalists judged based on how their vision translated into work, knowledge on style, beauty skills in areas such as Body Treatment and Massage, Hand and Foot Care, Facial Treatment as well as Makeup.

Said  Saw during his speech, “Beautician Search was organised to fill up the void in the industry, of a competition of essence to highlight this noble profession. There are Make-up, Hair and Nail Competitions but never one dedicated to the professional Beautician – the ones with the actual knowledge and expertise to make a difference in the lives of their clients with their Healing Hands”.

“Beauticians play a significant role in not just visibly enhancing their client’s physical looks but also helping them discover the beauty that lies within. Inevitably, boosting their confidence physically, emotionally and mentally, thus helping them to take that step to show others their newfound beauty. With such an admirable task at hand, beauticians should be recognised and praised,” Saw added.

The audience for the night enjoyed a memorable night with amazing performances by celebrity guest artiste Elaine Kang and the witticisms of renowned Astro TV host, Lim Tong Piao who belted out several renditions of Elvis Presley’s all-time favourites.