Jessica Jung’s First West Coast Meet and Greet, Live at the Beautytap Pop-Up
Fashion icon, musician, and businesswoman Jessica Jung held her first-ever fan meet and greet at Beautytap’s pop-up store at Westfield Century City. Here, exclusive photos and video of the event and how YOU can win a Blanc & Eclare Serein Essentials set for yourself. (Keep reading for details!)
It’s a balmy spring day in Los Angeles, at the chic, newly Kelly Wearstler-designed Westfield Century City. A long, snaking line of eager fans wait anxiously for the appearance of Jessica Jung — a multi-hyphenate icon with so many professional descriptors, you have to just stop at K-pop star, fashion icon, and businesswoman. What brings Jessica to Los Angeles for her first ever West Coast fan meet and greet is to celebrate the launch of her Blanc & Eclare skincare collection at Beautytap’s pop-up store at the Purist Pop-Up and on beautytap.com.
Scanning the crowd, you see everyone from young teens to the middle-aged, all different races and ethnicities, many clutching Jessica’s pink book-style albums Wonderland and My Decade. A number have gifts for Jessica — one in a Louis Vuitton shopping bag even — possibly because Jessica’s birthday is coming up the following week. All are anticipating their 30 seconds with the fashion, beauty, entertainment, and lifestyle superstar.
“I love Jessica. She’s my inspiration and a total boss who’s living her best life.” —says Yesenia Reyes, 22, of San Diego, California
Christina Yu, 24, of Los Angeles, says she’s been a fan for 10 years and “actually went to Korea for Jessica’s 10th anniversary. I was waiting for Blanc & Eclare to be in L.A.”
When Jessica arrives, dressed in her label’s oversized box check jacket and black enamel pants with matching stiletto boots, the fans — a relatively respectful group — wave and snap photos, their seemingly calm behavior belying what is to follow: tears, plenty of trembling, and pounding hearts.
But before the fan meet and greet, the event starts with a question and answer session with Beautytap CEO and founder James Sun and Jessica at an exclusive media breakfast. James asks Jessica about her inspiration for starting Blanc & Eclare, a ready-to-wear, accessories, and beauty brand, four years ago. “Growing up, fashion was always my passion,” says Jessica. “While I was working — for 10+ years now — I wanted to share my lifestyle and my style and just wanted to make something that met all my expectations. It’s still a baby brand, but it’s something very special to me.”
With the launch of Blanc & Eclare’s Serein skincare line, a collection of 14 products ranging from cleansing foam to ampoule serum to sheet masks, all formulated with a base of pure Tasmanian rainwater, Jessica is able to share another one of her passions: skincare. “I never skip my skincare routine, even when I’m tired or even when I may be a little tipsy,” she says with a laugh. “I truly believe that women can all have glowing skin if they really put the time and effort into it and use the right products.” A strong believer in hydration — the Serein collection is all about hydrating the skin — Jessica understands that beauty is not just what you put on your face. “I drink a lot of water with lemon. I hydrate myself all the time.”
It’s this fundamental focus on hydration that Jessica feels Korean beauty companies excel at and a reason why she thinks K-beauty has become such a global phenomenon. “That’s why I was also a huge fan of Korean skincare. They’re always looking for the next level. And I think that’s why we create really good products and something that’s new ... that people want to try and use,” she says.
“Not just beauty but Korea in general — they’re very hard-working people, they’re very innovative.” — Jessica Jung
Jessica is no stranger to hard work herself. In addition to music, acting, hosting, designing, and running a business (“I have something coming up, but I can’t really say right now,” she teases), Jessica is a bona fide social media influencer, with over 7 million followers on Instagram alone. Staying connected with them is no small feat (one recent post garnered 12,500 comments), but Jessica says she makes the effort to talk to her followers on her social feeds. “That’s the only way they can actually interact with me unless they come out to an event or to a fan meeting.”
Every time Jessica talks about her fans, she gestures or turns to the long, winding line outside, waving and smiling, as fans squeal and eagerly press against the glass for a closer view of their favorite star. In fact, it’s when she looks at her fans that she really lights up, her smile a little broader, her eyes animated and shining a bit more brightly.
After the Q&A and some questions from media, the meet and greet portion of the event starts, where fans meet Jessica one-on-one, get her autograph, and take a photo with her. The first fan leaves crying after meeting Jessica. Another woman’s hand is shaking so badly she can’t get the signed album back into its sleeve.
“I started crying, so she wrote ‘Don’t Cry’ on my album. I can’t even think!” — Jess, 24
It’s a sentiment echoed by many, including Leah Fox, 22, when asked about meeting Jessica: “I’m totally overwhelmed. My brain isn’t really functioning.”
Fans tell her how inspired they are by her solo career and how she started her own brand. Some ask about her flight. Jessica Padungyothee, 19, asks her namesake for “advice on making it in fashion because I’m currently in school for design.” One fan, a young Latino man, gushes when he meets Jessica. “You’re so amazing,” he says. Jessica smiles demurely and after signing a photo for him, shakes his hand, looking directly into his eyes and saying, “It’s nice to meet you” with a warm smile.
Jessica really makes an effort to make each fan interaction a memorable one. And as the day progresses, she warms up and lets loose a little. She asks one particularly young looking fan, “Wait, how old are you?” “15,” answers the shy teen, as she proffers a yellow jacket for Jessica to sign. She asks another fan what happened to his arm, wrapped up in a cast. “Were you drunk?” she giggles conspiratorially.
After all the fans have come through and Jessica has been signing her name for over an hour, she takes over Beautytap's Instagram account for a live video and graciously poses for some photos with invited guests.
There are still dozens of fans outside, waiting for her to leave so they can catch one last glimpse of their idol. Talking to them, you realize that to her fans, Jessica is not just a celebrity — she’s an inspiration.
“I told her her career change inspired me to leave my job as a nurse to pursue hairstyling. I’m at a loss for words. Meeting her was just amazing.” — John Reyes, 24
Win the Blanc & Eclare Serein Essentials Set in our giveaway!
[UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. The 5 winners have been contacted by email. Thank you to all the entrants for your lovely comments! They've been forwarded to Jessica.]
If you couldn’t make the Los Angeles meet and greet (or even if you did!), now you can get your hands on the secret to Jessica's amazing skin. Five winners will be selected to win the Blanc & Eclare Serein Essentials Set (Cleanser, Toner, Ampoule Serum, Moisturizing Cream, and Firming Mask), worth $200!
Here’s what you have to do:
1. Write a message to Jessica by commenting on this article. (We're going to send all your messages directly to her!)
2. You'll have to sign in to comment! If don't have an account, it's easy — just sign in here!
Five winners will be selected, so stay tuned!
The Q&A with James Sun and Jessica Jung will air on beautytap.com and on Viki.com, the global video streaming website with 35 million viewers a month. We’ll keep you updated so keep an eye out on beautytap.com! Meanwhile, scroll down for more photos and fan pics from Jessica's first-ever West Coast meet and greet!
— with additional reporting by Miranda Rico
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