The 'beauty Avengers' representing K-beauty are heading to New York.
On the morning of the 6th, tvN's new entertainment program Perfect Glow held its production presentation online. The production presentation featured producer Kim Sang-a along with Ra Mi-ran, Park Min-young, Joo Jong-hyuk, Cha Hong, LeoJ, and Pony, who appeared and talked.
After releasing the Highlight video that day, at the production presentation that began in earnest, Ra Mi-ran said, "I'm only in New York. Depending on your response, there could be a next time," mentioning hopes for season 2 even before introducing herself, drawing attention.
Perfect Glow, led by representative Ra Mi-ran and deputy minister Park Min-young, follows South Korea's top hair and makeup experts opening a Korean-style beauty shop in Manhattan, New York, and directly showcasing the true face of K-beauty locally in the "K-beauty New York conquest"; it will premiere on Nov. 8 at 10:50 p.m. Ra Mi-ran and Park Min-young are joined by assistant manager Joo Jong-hyuk and the "K-beauty master corps" Cha Hong, LeoJ, and Pony, drawing attention to whether K-beauty can conquer New York.
Producer Kim Sang-a, who directed the program, opened by explaining the reason for choosing K-beauty and New York as the subject: "First, I heard that K-beauty is very popular in the U.S., and even before hearing that, we started with the question, 'We are in an era where K-content is receiving attention — could that enthusiasm carry over to beauty?' We wanted to let people experience what real K-beauty is."
Kim Sang-a said, "The reason we chose New York is that it is the center of trends and culture. I thought it was the place where the most races live together and where the most diverse beauty gathers, so we chose New York."
Did the six cast members representing K-beauty who went to New York feel any sense of responsibility or burden? First, Ra Mi-ran, the director of the beauty shop 'Director General,' said, "When I was first offered the format, I thought, 'Why me?' A lot. I had shown a relaxed image on travel programs before, so I asked why they wanted me for K-beauty, and they said, 'You don't have to feel burdened as the director,' but honestly, it felt very burdensome," she confessed.
Ra Mi-ran said, "I thought I might be a nuisance in this kind of entertainment format, so it took me a little time to accept," and laughed, "About three hours?" She added, "I usually ponder for about an hour, but this time it felt like three days. I wondered if I might be jinxing things, but since it was something fresh for me, I appeared with a spirit of challenge."
Park Min-young also said, "I thought, 'Why me?' I have never done a reality entertainment program before," and Ra Mi-ran judged, "Because you haven't done it, it's fresh." Park Min-young said, "So I guess I got the role," adding, "But after much deliberation, I was assigned the 'deputy minister' position. I plunged in fearlessly and experienced chaotic confusion. You will be able to see everyone's growth from the first day to the last day," describing the viewing points.
Joo Jong-hyuk said, "Unlike the two of you, I felt like they finally found me," adding, "I heard Min-young nuna also recommended me, and I only thought it would be so much fun. I felt no burden at all; I just thought I'd go, work hard and come back. Since I'm not the one doing the makeup but someone who works, I should support well. With that thought, I went having fun."
The beauty experts continued speaking. Cha Hong, who runs a hair shop in Korea, said, "I thought it would be so much fun, and I was grateful when they contacted me right away. I immediately thought of appearing, but I was worried about my English, and because the U.S. is a place where many races gather, the types are all different. It was a program I was very concerned about. I'm very satisfied," he said.
LeoJ, who meets global fans through YouTube, said, "As a YouTube creator, I have done makeup on business trips outside, but I was very worried whether I could spend time with customers in a shop. I worried, 'Can I provide good service? I'm inexperienced.' This was my first time working with this team, and I was so happy," showing affection for the team members.
Pony also said, "I share many similar concerns. As a fellow creator, I empathized with what Leo said. Of course, I felt a lot of pressure at first. No matter how much domestic experience you have, if you go abroad and slightly mistouch a brush, isn't that embarrassing for the country? I had many such worries," adding, "As Cha Hong said, in Korea conversation flows while doing makeup, but when that was blocked, there were many concerns. However, as filming progressed, the burden gradually melted away and I felt responsibility and pride while filming," she recalled.
So why is K-beauty loved worldwide? LeoJ explained, "I think beauty trends aren't decided as one thing but are characterized by being subdivided to suit diverse tastes and skin types. K-beauty seems to produce a variety of personalized cosmetics. First, they do that very well; second, the quality is good; third, it is price competitive. So foreigners can easily try it, and because the quality is good, they fall for its charm."
Pony described the difference between other beauty shows and shops and 'Director General' by saying, "When we did makeup in Manhattan, rather than hearing 'What is this product?' we heard 'Your skin is so good' and 'You look so youthful' a lot. American beauty seems to focus on giving some glamour or shape when doing makeup, while looking at these compliments, I thought the basis in Korea is skin rendering. It's a bit different, so when we did makeup, I focused more on explaining skin tips."
Among the six cast members, Cha Hong, who actually runs a shop, and Ra Mi-ran, who has run a shop as 'Director General,' were asked why K-beauty is receiving attention. First, Ra Mi-ran said, "As the teachers mentioned, being faithful to the basics? While they pay more attention to the foundation, I think people just like K-culture itself. From my experience operating the shop, I felt they brought this much favor."
Ra Mi-ran said, "They are happy just to come here, and it's not that it's a trend; after experiencing it and trying it, the satisfaction seems to change because it feels good. It doesn't only change the exterior but uplifts the interior. Seeing how happy they are just because of that made me think that even a simple makeover influences people in different ways," emphasizing inner beauty.
Cha Hong said, "In fact, many have come to Korea to receive beauty services, but when we went to the U.S., we met people from all over the world. I was very worried and had vague concerns. What I felt on site was that Korea's 'ppalli-ppalli' (hurry-hurry) felt trendy, and while we consider some things obvious, there wasn't a culture of doing delicate work. We do what we think is obvious, and there were many surprised scenes; I felt our people are really meticulous."
Cha Hong added, "I also felt that our beauty service culture is very altruistic. It's not just applying beauty trends, but listening to their stories and integrating them to create something new, which made me feel that 'K-beauty' is not just a trend but has very great significance."
As expectations for Perfect Glow grew in the cast members' comments, they mentioned points that the three actors who are not beauty experts prepared for the program. When asked what preparations he made for Perfect Glow, Joo Jong-hyuk said, "First, when you go to a shop they wash your hair. I learned that a bit. I learned shampooing and scalp massages a couple of times at Cha Hong's shop."
Joo Jong-hyuk confessed, "I went to the shop I attend and washed the staff who do me, received a lot of harsh criticism, and got many complaints; I was almost brought to tears being scolded and learned in a Spartan way." When MC Park Kyung-rim asked, "How was the local reaction?" Joo Jong-hyuk hesitated, then said, "Please check through the broadcast," eliciting laughs.
Deputy minister Park Min-young introduced, "I even pondered what welcome drinks and snacks would be good. And because I'm the deputy minister, I learned the basic use of machines when I went, and I researched a lot about skin and gathered information. Thinking about how to leave an image, we prepared a Korean-style hand fan, which they liked a lot."
Park Min-young also revealed why she appeared on an entertainment show after a long time: "If I had been in another field, I might not have known, but beauty is something that continues, so I thought I might be able to help. The expert teachers are very hip and popular; they are the protagonists of the issue, and I proceeded thinking I would assist diligently."
Park Min-young said she tried to do different stylings every day: "My goal was to hear 'I want your makeup,' so even amid the daily busyness I tried to 'keep going' and made special efforts."
Finally, Ra Mi-ran showed confidence toward her team by saying, "What do I need to prepare? If I take these people, that's the end of it." She added that she prepared a casual hanbok to enhance Korea's natural charm.
When asked if she felt any burden leading the members, Ra Mi-ran said, "At first I didn't know what I had to do. The experts handled the practical work, (Park Min-young) did consultations, (Joo Jong-hyuk) did shampoos, but I had nothing to do. So I mainly made tea in the pantry or ironed makeover outfits for customers. I did all the tasks that the youngest staff usually do," adding, "If you watch the show, Min-young will look like the director, and I'll look like the youngest staff. Also, I avoided making eye contact with the accompanying people. If I started talking it would be hard, so I didn't make eye contact and diligently did other tasks," she laughed.
Finally, when asked about the philosophy or goal Perfect Glow wants to convey, producer Kim Sang-a said, "I said that the core philosophy of Perfect Glow seems to be helping people find their innate beauty, and when we planned this program I wanted to use the catchphrase 'You are more beautiful than you think.' So helping people find beauty they didn't know about becomes K-beauty's core philosophy, and I think our program could become the one that represents that," conveying emotion.
Kim Sang-a said, "Our goal is to receive a lot of love, and our casting is the 'beaut Avengers.' It's the most perfect combination, and I hope viewers can feel the happiness of K-beauty that these people show and present."
Meanwhile, tvN's Perfect Glow will premiere on the 8th at 10:50 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by tvN
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