Cheryl Wee, 24, is definitely no stranger to beauty pageants.

The fresh-faced beauty first made her name when she walked away with a third place finish in the Miss Singapore Universe 2009 contest. Wee then went on to clinch the Miss Singapore Chinatown 2011and a whole host of other titles.

This time, she reigned yet again, making her name at the prestigious Miss Chinese International 2012 pageant.

The face of beauty chain Jean Yip Group - owned by her parents Jean Yip and Mervin Wee - and an artiste with local talent agency Music & Movement, Wee represented Singapore to compete in the pageant held in Hong Kong.

Organised by Hong Kong's leading television station TVB, a total of 28 contestants from three main regions – Asia Pacific, Euro America and Greater China, were showcased in the finals, with Hong Kong stars like Myolie Wu and Michael Tse, making up the judging panel.

As the last two girls standing, it was a close fight between Wee and fellow contestant Kelly Cheung from Chicago, with two votes given to each of them by the judges. The final winning vote went to Cheung eventually, and Wee ended up with the position of runner-up.

The last time a Singaporean was placed in the top three was in 1996.

Even though she did not emerge victorious, don’t be too quick to count her out just yet as her rise to stardom has just begun. Wee is set to launch her debut mandarin album soon and with appearances on TV and hosting gigs coming her way, we say, keep a look out for this up-and-coming starlet.