Meet Sang Jeon of LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sang Jeon.

Hi Sang, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be living in Los Angeles doing makeup for a feature piece between my Idol, CL, and the biggest fashion publication,Vogue, I would’ve laughed and said that there was no way. My story starts in Yeosu, a small fishing village in South Korea, where I was born. Even though I’m a makeup artist now, my love for glam actually started with hair. At a young age I would always ask my sister if I could braid her hair and that’s how we spent most of our time bonding. However, growing up with a strict traditional Korean dad, naturally, my biggest fear was that one day he would walk in and see his only son braiding hair and the look on his face would say it all. But like every 16 year old kid trying to keep a secret, I eventually got caught and what I thought would follow next, is probably to this day, one of the most shocking plot twists of my life. Instead of scolding me, being appalled, or disgusted, like I thought he would be, he calmly said, “Wow, you’re really talented, if this is something you’re interested in maybe you should attend beauty school.” I couldn’t believe it. I was so touched and motivated that if my strict traditional Korean father could think that I could do hair for a living, maybe I really was talented. Inspired, I decided to move to the biggest city near me, Busan, and apply for beauty high school. While taking a few courses, one of my teacher’s suggested I join her after school makeup club. I wasn’t really interested in makeup at the time but I had just moved to a new city, all on my own, and had very few friends to hang out with. So out of boredom I decided to give it a shot. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I would end up loving makeup so much, change my major, and go on to win first place at the very first beauty contest I ever competed for, only 2 months after taking classes. I had decided at that moment that I was going to be a top makeup artist.

After graduating things were looking pretty good for me. I was able to get a job working for a Salon in Seorae Village which is pretty much the Calabasas of Korea. But as the years passed by, I found myself getting bored of doing the same makeup wedding looks. And even though the money was good, I was dissatisfied with where my career was. Feeling unmotivated, I started using social media as a platform to express my creativity. I also decided to enlist in the army since all Korean men have to serve 2 years. After getting out, I was contemplating going back to my old Salon or finding a new one but the thought of not being able to be creative with my work helped me make the leap from employee to freelancer.

With all this new found free time, I started reaching out to models and influencers to collaborate on different looks. Eventually, I was able to grow my following to 5,000 followers; which at the time, was huge for me. Looking back at it, I think I owe a lot of my success to instagram for giving me the ability to showcase my work to so many people. For example, my first celebrity client, Clara Lee, actually found my work on instagram and hired me to do a campaign shoot in Los Angeles. I couldn’t believe that I was actually getting flown out & paid to do a top celebrity’s makeup. While in Los Angeles, I instantly fell in love. The weather, the culture, the freedom, the vibes. All of it made me want to move out there and dream bigger. So I spent the next 2 years eating, sleeping, and breathing makeup and reality tv shows. And with the help of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Bretman Rock’s YouTube channel I was able to learn conversational English.

I was finally ready to go back to Los Angeles; however, this time it would be on my own. I was pretty nervous because I didn’t have the help of the crew or the production team but I decided to use the opportunity to take a mini-vacation and check out Los Angeles. I figured while I was out there I would upload on Instagram that I would be taking clients, not actually expecting any responses. However, I got so many requests that it ended up being a work trip for me and I was able to make 2 months of salary as a freelancer in Korea in just one week in LA. That was probably the moment when I gained full confidence in myself to move to a whole new country to pursue my passion. Since then, I have been so blessed to work with many inspiring artists such as CL, Ryan Destiny, Raline Shah, Arden Cho, and Jessi as well as brands such as Jason Wu, Fenty, Sigma, and Huda Beauty. But I’m even more excited to be able to continue my journey to become a top celebrity makeup artist and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Probably like everyone else, covid was one of my biggest struggles. (covid happened 3 months after I moved) I went for several months with zero bookings and income. It was actually the only time when I felt completely defeated and ready to give up on my dream of living in LA. I was about one and a half years into living in LA before covid hit and was already quite discontent with my career. I had felt like I plateaued and was back to doing repetitive basic makeup looks. It was actually through collaborating, since I found myself with lots of free time again, where I was able to rediscover my passion for makeup. Since then I have pushed myself even harder and take every day that I’m in LA as a blessing and opportunity to create more.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would describe my style as the perfect mix of Eastern and Western makeup trends. Practicing makeup in Korea, I had to learn how to perfect that glowy skin, shimmering eye shadow, and gradient lips look. But after moving to America I wanted to know deeply about contouring and highlighting, so I learned more detail through a lot of practice and experience, and I am happiest when these skills and my Korean makeup skills meet. Being trained in Korea but inspired by Los Angeles has helped me create a look that still gives “snatched by the Gods” but in a more blended and seamless way. My motto for my work is to always enhance one’s natural beauty and transform them into the best version of themselves, making them feel confident and sexy, but not turning them into a different person.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I’m so excited to be a part of such a fast paced space that’s constantly growing. I think with the rise of Asian entertainment and media we’re going to see a bigger demand for more Asian/Asian American makeup artists and brands that cater to Asian faces as well. I think this is an important part of change for the industry, so we can be more inclusive and diverse. I love how makeup gives confidence to people and I’d love to help more Asian American stars inspire the younger generation to embrace their own beauty.

Contact Info:

• Email: makeupbysangwon@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makeupsang

Image Credits
CL for Refinery 29 Ryan Destiny for Vogue Magazine Cherie Chen for Cover of Harper’s bazaar Vietnam