SurfAce Queen Xenia

Name:

Xenia Chen

Birthday:

August 1st 1991

Zodiac: Leo

Nationality:

Taiwan

Currently living in:

Kaohsiung

Describe yourself in one sentence:

I love art, and even more than art, I love nature and calmness in life.

How do you describe your lifestyle?

I like to be natural, live my life freely and let the universe do its thing. I like to care for others and easily find myself fighting for other living being's rights.

What do you like most about SurfAce Apparel?

There are a lot of things I like about SurfAce. First of all, I like SurfAce's business philosophy and the brand's emphasis on the environment. The combination of beauty in a product and kindness to the environment is not something a brand can achieve easily. Compare to other companies that are profit oriented, you are committed to lowering your impact on the environment by decreasing use of plastic and organizing beach clean ups! I love your approach to naked packaging the most! In addition, I admire your attitude towards producing everything locally, from design and material to finishing your products, everything is done in Taiwan - and that is definitely not easy! Last but not least, I always feel so comfortable wearing your bikinis and apparel, in and out of the water, exercising or chilling. Because of all these reasons, I love SurfAce!

Please Introduce yourself!

After graduating from college, I went abroad, learned how to do makeup, and started to work as a makeup artist in the UK. After returning to Taiwan I kept on working as a bride secretary, doing makeup and styling for wedding pictures. Currently I am working in my father's company. Besides work, I really enjoy to dress up myself and others. I think we girls should find confidence and enjoy ourselves as a woman, we shouldn't neglect ourselves and our needs when we get busy. I see dressing up and make-up as a way of charm. Makeup doesn't have to be superficial at all, actually it can be the opposite, it can be a way of expressing self care and self love! I hope everyone can find a way to cherish themselves and enjoy their own being by treating themselves in an enjoyable way.

What experiences have been life changing for you?

When I went to the UK, I had to look for information and plan everything by myself. After learning and working as a makeup artist, I decided to travel through Europe and visited France, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. It was my first time traveling alone and living in youth hostels. I enjoyed it a lot, because I had challenged myself to open up and make new friends! It was a chance to learn from other people's experiences and get to know local secret spots.
In Taiwan it is common to travel in groups with travel guides, because everyone is afraid of stepping into the unknown. Taiwanese worry a lot about safety too. But through the experience of traveling by my own, I learned that doing proper research before the trip could save me a lot of trouble, especially because I had to learn about the different cultures and languages. Besides that, I figured it was also important to have a plan about how to travel and where it was safe. It's easy to to get yourself into dangerous situations if you have no idea about the country, so besides the homework before the travel, we should definitely listen to our senses when we are on the road and be careful when we have a bad feeling. I also learned that I had to rely on myself instead of others, so even when traveling in a group, we should plan ahead together to not end up following others blindly.

What was the reason for you to give diving a try?

I have been diving for more than a year now.

Actually I am not a water talent at all, and when I started to dive, it wasn't even very popluar, especially compare to now. I remember seeing one of my Idols, Jessica Du, diving in Fiji and taking some very nice photos. After that I gave diving a try and fell in love with it. I like to get closer to turtles and get to know all the big and little sea creatures through free diving. And on the other side I also like the challenging part of free diving, that you need to get over your fear and learn to relax to hold your breath longer. The rewarding feeling is incomparable. You start to enjoy the peacefulness and calmness, you can hear the sound of the waves and your heartbeat. I believe anyone who experiences this will fall in love with the water world!

Do you have any tips for the girls who would like to try free diving for the first time?

Compare to other countries, we are lucky that Taiwan is an island, you should really give it a try! If it's the first time that you try diving, I hope that you only go into the ocean after trying it in a safe and calm place. You can challenge yourself slowly, but in a safe environment. Get better step by step, no need to rush, and by pushing yourself slowly, you will find out that what you thought was impossible in the beginning, is very possible through practice. Diving will open your horizon, you might even start to be more strict with yourself in other areas of life. Like when you learn how to adapt and how to handle uncomfortable feelings under water, you will also learn how to deal with stress in real life. When you practice to be brave in free diving, you also become more brave in other areas. This is why we say that exercise and activities like extreme sports can change a persons character!
Besides that, a diving buddy is a must! Your buddy and you should have some experience when you go out to sea. You are not just playing in the water, but you are your buddies guard, and she/is your guard. There are many things that will distract you when you are in the water, so it's better to develop your skills together, and you will both be able to enjoy the beauty of the ocean in a safe way, step out and dare things that you could've not even imagined before.

We know that you care a lot about small animals. What is it, that you like so much about them?

They are so simple. You can see their emotions easily - happiness and sorrow - especially in dogs. They only see your good side, no matter how good or bad you do, no matter how successful you are in your career or how popular you are, if you feel depressed or when you deny yourself - they always love you because you are their world.

Even though their heart might be small, they always give you so much love.

Which sea animal is the most fascinating to you?

Sharks! In fact they are not as terrible as many people think. Most people have only seen their image on a screen, but don't know how intelligent and beautiful they are. They are actually very cautious creatures and don't attack humans easily. The dozens of shark attacks on humans in the recent years are absolutely small compare to the thousands of sharks that have been killed by humans every year. I am totally against shark finning, it doesn't have any benefits for humans, but only harms the sharks...

What are your beauty secrets?

I love the sun, and I don't waist any opportunity to absorb sunshine! I love to tan, but after tanning it is important to rub in some coconut oil or cocoa butter to maintain the skin's health. After taking a shower, when my body is still wet, I evenly apply the oil. It's easier to spread it like this and you won't need that much oil, compare to applying it to dry skin.
If you are not used to tanning, I recommend to do some peeling first and then go lay in the sun for a shorter amount of time. Use a bit more oil afterwards to keep your skin hydrated, and don't forget to drink lots of water!

How do you maintain your health on a daily bases?
Don't be too angry too often. Don't make yourself too busy. Don't care about things that you can't change, calculate less, chose to be happier often. Besides that, I also enjoy exercise. I do weight training three times a week and eat simple food. When I don't have much time I just exercise at home and play more with my dog! (laughs) We shouldn't find excuses to exercise, and we should all love ourselves a little bit more!

What kind of exercise do you love the most?

Of course diving! I like weight training and fitness too.

What do you like about traveling?

I like meeting new friends and learning new languages. Languages are like the spice of each country. There are many surprises, skills and characteristics about a person that their language and communication will show you.

Where have you not been yet, but really want to go?

Panama has a pink beach that I'd really like to see. Mexico, Fiji, Sapian, ... I want to go everywhere haha!

Do you have any exciting things that you want to do this year？

I really want to go to Panama. My boyfriend and me are getting married next year, so hopefully we can go for a trip before, at the end of this year!

Last but not least, is there anything else that you would like to share with our SurfAce Babes？

Be brave in everything! Be brave in life and love. Love what you do. Life should be lived the way you want to live it, so it is up to you to make your dreams become your reality. Do the things that you have promised yourself you will do!

More about SurfAce Queens!