The OG make-up artist of K-beauty, Jung Saem Mool, gives Tatler a make-up tutorial on how to nail the clean beauty, glass skin look as seen on popular Korean dramas
Poreless, translucent, fresh skin that looks as clear as glass—you've seen it on K-dramas, but how do you achieve it? Before glass skin became a buzzy beauty term, there was one make-up artist who was at the forefront of the Korean beauty, or K-beauty, revolution. We’re talking about OG Korean make-up artist Jung Saem Mool, who started her career in 1991 and worked on creating the looks of several K-drama stars, including actress Jun Ji-Hyun’s iconic fresh-faced appearance in My Sassy Girl (2001), which is widely touted as the precursor of today’s glass skin aesthetic.
Jung went on to found her eponymous K-beauty brand in 2015, focusing on clean beauty and glass skin looks while continuing to work with Korean celebs such as Song Hye-Kyo. This month, JSM Beauty landed in Hong Kong and Jung was in town to mark the occasion. She gave Tatler a step-by-step make-up tutorial on how to create the coveted K-beauty look.
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Jung Saem Mool recreates the glass skin look seen on K-dramas
Jung Saem Mool explains colour correction theory to us (Photo: courtesy of JSM Beauty)
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Jung says, “The glass skin, or transparent skin look has to be built layer by layer.” Demonstrating this, she starts by applying the Jung Saem Mool Beauty Essential Mool Toner, gently wiping away any lingering impurities with cotton and then reapplying it using her fingers, allowing the essence to deeply hydrate the skin.
She then used the Jung Saem Mool Masterclass Glow Base on my skin, a sunblock that not only offers SPF30 protection, but also acts as a primer. Then came the colour corrector—a crucial step to achieve that coveted glass skin effect, according to Jung. Unlike concealers that merely disguise uneven skin tones, colour correctors work their magic by visibly neutralising unwanted hues.
