Korean Celebrity Make-up Artist Jung Saem Mool On Enhancing Your Natural Beauty

Look like you, but better!

Published: July 24, 2024

Korean celebrity make-up artist Jung Saem Mool gives her Singapore fans the tools they need to enhance their natural beauty — Photo: Courtesy of JUNSAEMMOOL

Jung Saem Mool knows her base make-up. She does, after all, own an eponymous beauty label that boasts more types of base make-up than you thought you needed. With well over 30 years of experience in make-up artistry—having worked her magic on Korean actresses like Song Hye-kyo and Jun Ji-hyun, Chinese actress Tang Wei, plus musicians BoA, Lee Hyo-ri and Jessica Jung of Girls’ Generation—the 54-year-old is considered by many to be make-up royalty.

Thanks to her fine arts training, Jung has a comprehensive understanding of facial structure and colour theory. This has shaped her signature “natural beauty” style, where she determines your colour palette just by looking at your eyes. Her beauty philosophy fuels the core of Korean beauty, where subtle enhancements help to elevate, rather than conceal. “My artist mother always said the wisdom of a person who operates at master level is apparent when dramatic changes are made and you can’t tell what was done,” says Jung.

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Clad in her signature look of black-rimmed glasses and bright red lipstick, Jung is chatting with me while giving me a makeover —a session with her starts from $2,000—at the newly-opened JUNGSAEMMOOL store located in a bungalow on Scotts Road.

This is her first outpost outside of Seoul. It mimics the concept of PLOPS, the brand’s South Korean flagship at Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil, which integrates an academy (helmed by Jung herself), retail floor, salon, and event space.

Jung’s journey to Singapore began about 10 years ago when she came here to train Mediacorp’s make-up artist unit. The island’s diversity impressed her, and she believed it would be a nurturing environment to bring up her two daughters aged seven and 11. She officially made the move here with her husband two years ago after realising that the region’s obsession with K-pop and K-beauty offered great potential to grow the business. She says, "I've always had a desire to launch my brand overseas and globalise it. Diversity requires understanding, empathy, and consideration. Singapore, as the vibrant epicentre of Southeast Asia, perfectly embodies the spirit of JUNGSAEMMOOL. I believe there's no better country to take us forward."

The Singapore flagship is more than just a store; it's a platform for Jung's core message of embracing individuality. "I have been talking about the importance of 'you-ness,' or your unique identity, for a long time. Your innate individuality should transcend trends, and what you naturally have should always be prioritised," she emphasises. And that’s exactly how I felt about the outcome of my makeover—I still looked like me, but better.