October 20, 2020 • 35 mins
Grace Pae is an LA-based celebrity makeup artist who has been applying makeup to famous faces since before before social media made top makeup artists stars in their own right. Esther and Grace discuss the skills required to make it in a competitive and demanding industry, how Korean beauty trends influence makeup in the West, and how Korean women and Korean-American women define standards of beauty differently.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Get Down with Kay Town. I'm your host
Esther CHOI. Hey, hey, guys, it's Esther here. I feel
like today's episode will be super fun and relaxed as
I'm sitting across one of my best friends, Grace Pay.
Grace and I grew up in South Jersey, Yes literally
like from the boonies, literally like Atlantic City, And who
(00:21):
would have thought we'd be sitting here today, like doing
it in l A in Hollywood. We came a long
fucking way. Yeah, we sure did. Yeah, yeah, So I
just wanted to share that with you all, um, And
today we're going to be talking all things beauty industry
and makeup because that's what Grace does. Frankly, I feel
like we're just having one of our normal conversations like
(00:44):
we always do. Grace is based out of l A.
And I see you maybe a few times a year,
and I feel like every time I see you, though,
you have like these crazy fascinating stories for me. Yeah. Um,
in the industry that you're in, obviously you'd like see
different kinds of ship like yeah, the time. I just
like really love it and really wanted to share some
(01:05):
of it with you. Guys are listeners. Grace is a
celebrity makeup artist out here in Hollywood. She's seen it
all when it comes to the makeup industry. Has worked
with some of the big time artists from Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Rihanna,
Fifth Harmony, and now one of your major clients being Normanty,
who is the hottest pop star in America. Right, yeah, right, yeah,
(01:29):
is going to be huge for her. Yeah, Like she's
really up and coming. She's kind of like, at the
face of it all the new Beyonce. They say, well,
welcome to the show, Grace, Thank you. This is so exciting.
It's my first podcast, and I listened to podcasts all
day every day in the car, so you're perfect, so
you know exactly what to say. Yeah, Well, no I don't,
but it's fun to be on the other side. Yeah,
(01:51):
But I mean I listened to the only kind of
podcast I listened to are like crime podcast, so obviously
it's yeah, because you have this like love for weird.
I don't know why. It was like scary stuff, like
you like the weird stuff. Yeah. I think it's like
the adrenaline. I don't know what it is, but it's
going to either be church sermons or like horror crime podcasts.
(02:14):
Those are the podcasts. It's just like sermons or like
horror or crime podcasts. Yeah, ridiculous. Yeah, I think this
is the question that I probably never asked you, Like
how do you do that? Like don't you get nervous
touching like these people's faces, they're like big time. Yeah,
(02:37):
So I mean obviously it becomes normalized after a while,
like after you get used to doing it, You get
used to it. But I remember in the beginning, So
how I started off was I started assisting for years
and I assisted Mila Morales who at the time was
working with Rihanna, and then Roni Chapau who was at
the time with the Black Eyed Peas and for a
(02:58):
Pease makeup artists. And I'm member, you know, assisting kind
of helps you get in the door, like your feet wet. Yeah,
but you're not at the like the forefront, you know
what I mean, Like you're there to assist. Like literally,
it's a completely different world because this is over a
decade ago, and this is before social media. This is
before Facebook. Before I mean, sorry, maybe Facebook was around,
but not how Yeah, There's there was no YouTube, there
(03:21):
was no Instagram. So it was literally just like old school,
like emailing, like you gotta find out through like research,
like a different world. It was a completely different world.
And I think it's amazing that there's all these available
tools now for everyone, But back then it was literally
like old school and assisting back then it was like
(03:42):
you're literally like a fly on the wall, like you
don't exist, Like don't be seeing you know what I mean,
Like that you don't exist. Yeah, that is a good assistant.
You're there to assist that artist and you're there for
that person. And so for me, um, I'm so used
to just being in the background, you know, and not
being seen, so you get kind of comfortable, you know that,
(04:05):
that yeah environment, you know. Um, but I remember the
first time I had to actually be the one to
you know, do the make like touch this person's face. Yeah, exactly.
Was it like the biggest it was. It was Fergy
And that's freaking So your first celebrity was Furgy. I
was so nervous because the makeup artist that I was
(04:27):
assisting at the time, she she wanted to start a family,
you know, so she had her or she was pregnant
at the time. I believe so first of all, it's
my first time in Paris, so it's going to be
like a traveling trip, and it was going to be
my first time actually being the one to apply the makeup.
I was so so you didn't even get practiced before
that on her face. It was like, oh, we're in Paris,
(04:49):
we're doing this photo shoot. You're you're doing Fergies makeup. Yeah,
it was like I was assisting, so I never touched
her face really, like it was just me assisting the
makeup artist. And I remember when I got the call,
I literally was like fifty fifty on accepting it because
I was so nervous to the point where I thought
I was going to throw up. And I finally was
(05:10):
just like, you know, I moved all the way across
the country to do this. I have to do it.
And at this point in time, after doing this for
like over a decade, I've learned that those are the moments,
the moments that scare you the most, to the point
where you feel like you're going to faint or throw up,
those are what reaps the most benefits. What I mean,
(05:31):
that's the defining moment of yeah, yeah, the bigger risks
you take the bigger rewards. Yeah, you're taking a chance.
You might fail miserably, but you will. You won't know.
You won't move on or grow if you don't take
those risks, you know. So I remember when I got
that call, I literally was like, I don't think I
(05:51):
can do this, Like I'm so nervous, I'm not prepared.
But I was like, I have to do this, so
I didn't. I remember every night up until that trip
anty sleep, my anxiety was at an all time high.
I literally felt like I was going to throw up
every time that thought creeped into my mind. Like it's
like the build up more than actually do. Yeah. But
(06:14):
then you know, once I got there and the makeup
artist that I was assisting for so long, she like
trained me so well. She made sure that I was prepared.
And that was also another thing. I'm so grateful for
the people I met, like the makeup artist that I
was able to assist and like, you know, learn from them.
I'm so grateful for them because they really really did
(06:35):
prepare me to succeed. But yeah, and the trip came
out amazing. It was kind of like one of those
pinched me moments, like I'm in Paris, I believe it. Yeah,
and you were like doing makeup for Yeah. It was
literally one of those like pinched me moments. And I
guess that was like my first experience and I mean
(06:55):
after that, it kind of made me a little more
confident in my skills. But I'm sure she loved it.
But also she's so sweet, like literally, That's another thing
that I'm thankful for that I've never worked with anyone
that's not, you know, the sweetest person in the world.
We'll probably because you wouldn't be able to know. Yeah, yeah,
(07:17):
And so I've been really grateful for that. Also, people
don't realize this, but makeup artists are the ones that
defined as standards of beauty here and like entertainment or
it's a really big deal because makeup transforms people. Yeah no,
why don't you percent And I'm not trying to be
like whatever, but seriously, when you did my makeup that
(07:40):
one time, I was like, wait, yeah, who is that? Yeah?
I couldn't even recognize me. I mean not to say that,
you know, the celebrities or whatever. Yeah, And just everyone
has their own style, right, Like every makeup artist has
their own style, every client has their own style. Right.
I mean a huge part of the job is also
(08:02):
kind of being able to feel them out, like what
you know, you can't do you know, a full beat,
right Like some people like that, some people don't. You know,
some people look amazing in it, some people don't natural makeup.
Some people like that kind of makeup, some people don't.
So it's really I feel like, to succeed in this industry,
(08:23):
you really have to be able to kind of read
your client and also be able to as a makeup artist,
have the skill set to really change, you know, accordingly
to what the situation is, what your client type is exactly.
Speaking of trends, do most of these stars know what
they want? Are you experimenting? Like, well, it really depends
(08:47):
on the job you're doing. Also again, like for example,
like red carpet makeup would be completely different from what
I would do for let's say a photo shoot or
um a music video, you know, and a lot of
the times I do have creative freedom, like it's it's
like a teamwork, so you have you know, usually it's
(09:09):
always going to be a conversation with the hairstylists, the
stylist and then obviously like the creative direction of where
the shoet is going, and you really have to work
together to kind of come up with like a cohesive look,
right that's gonna be for whatever the project is. So
usually we do have creative freedom, but also sometimes it
depends on you know, like a lot of people, a
(09:33):
lot of and I mean I'm the same way, So
I understand some people get comfortable with a certain look
you know there um which I totally understand. And so
sometimes it's also trying to get the client a little
more comfortable with like trying something new, right, But obviously
I would never do something or try something new, let's
(09:54):
say on like a red carpet. So red carpet is
the hardest type of makeup only because there's no like photoshop,
there's no touching up, like once the pictures are out there.
The pictures are out there, you know, in the lighting, yes,
and also you have you have no idea what the
lighting is gonna be. You have no idea the photographer
(10:16):
like how what angle they're gonna be at, So it's
really hard to tell because it's probably not even gonna
look like what it looks like in front of your face,
you know, So it's really nerve wracking to do red carpet,
and I think red carpet makeup is the hardest to
do because you have no idea what it's going to
look like until the pictures come out, you know. And
so I feel like with obviously photo shoots or even
(10:38):
music videos, you kind of do have they're gonna like,
you know, touch some stuff up, and you know, like
you have kind of like a say like, oh, can
you you know, like maybe like smooth the skin a
little bit or do this or that, And so with that,
it's not as nerve wrecking. Red carpet, hands down is
probably the most stressful thing in the world. And I
feel like what a lot of people don't know is
(11:00):
there is so much going on. It's not like you're
in a quiet room and like you know, everyone's there
is so there's so much going on there. Probably sometimes
they'll be like doing their fitting while you're trying to
get them ready. Sometimes you have like thirty minutes to
get them ready, or maybe even like twenty minutes. Sometimes
(11:21):
you have to get them ready in the car, you know,
in a moving car, or you know they're eating because
they haven't eaten, or you know they're doing like phone calls,
interviews or like you know, um meetings because you know
there's so much going on. So I feel like red
Carpet is so stressful because obviously those pictures are out
in the world for everyone to judge, especially when you're
(11:43):
working with celebrities because they're so high profile, so everyone
is there too free to judge. But then sometimes obviously
like I don't you know, I just kind of like
let it go. But I guess so frustrated because I'm
just like, you have no idea this situation that you
know you're in when you're trying to get somebody ready.
(12:04):
But you know, honestly, with that kind of experience, it
just makes you a better artist, you know, or hairstylist
or stylist or what you like, learned to work under
very high pressure situation. Actly. Yeah, I kind of wanted
(12:26):
to talk to you about your being Korean, you as
like an Asian makeup artist, Like you think that that
affected the way people perceive you, and like, how did
it affect it if it did? Okay? So for me, again,
this was way before social media, before Instagram, before like
YouTube or anything, so it was really it was so
(12:46):
much harder to be seen or like acknowledge other you know,
the people that are out there. Right. So for me,
I remember I admired Mila Morales so much because she
was the first like Asian, she's Filipino. Well she's mixed,
but you know, Filipino. Um. She was the first makeup
artist that I really really kind of looked up to
(13:08):
and was inspired by because I was like, oh my gosh,
this like, you know, Asian makeup artist is doing one
of the biggest celebrities, pop stars in the world, Rihanna,
you know. And so I remember, I really really was
so inspired by her. And again before social media, before
YouTube and all that, I researched. I googled the heck
(13:29):
out of her and then I somehow came upon that
she was teaching a workshop, right. And again this is
before any of this stuff was like normal, you know,
it was very very rare for someone of that caliber
to teach some like a workshop, and I remember it
was really expensive. I was broke as heck when I
first moved out here, and I was like, but this
is like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and so
(13:51):
I paid it. I you know, took the class and
it was like one of the most even till this day,
like something that really really motivated me even more to
become like, you know, a makeup artist. But I but now,
like like over a decade later, I do notice, like,
you know, now with social media and stuff, you're like, oh,
there are other you know, Asian makeup artists out there
(14:12):
are Asian hairstyles out there, you know. But with me personally,
even when I moved out here and I went to
make up school, I was like the only Asian in class.
I mean because I feel like the standards of beauty
obviously working in that industry, like you have to kind
of look a certain way, not to be shallow. But
that's just how it is. Yeah, yeah, and I remember,
I remember, how is this Asian girl going to know
(14:32):
like how to do exactly? But you know, ironically, on
the flip side, well not ironically, but like one of
the reasons why I also wanted to become makeup artists
because I feel like a lot of people don't know
how to work with Asian features. I think it's gotten
better now because again there's YouTube, there's tutorials, there's like Instagram.
Now that you know, now people are more aware and
(14:53):
they can learn you know, on their own. But back
then again before any of this existed. I remember in
middle school I went it was my first middle school dance,
right where you get dressed up, you got your makeup.
I went to like a counter, you know, a makeup
counter in the mall to get my makeup done, and
I remember I was so traumatized. I looked at myself
(15:16):
in the mirror and this makeup artist was like so
proud of her work, and when I was like, I
cannot go to this dance like this, I'm not going.
And I remember I was like bawling in the car
and I was like, I saw makeup is supposed to
make you look better, not worse. And I literally was
so traumatized by that experience. I eventually just like washed
(15:37):
my face and redid it on my own. But from
that experience on, I just remember I was like, oh wow,
Like I feel like people aren't familiar with Asian features
because they're completely different, you know. And also there's a
lot of makeup styles that we can't do because of
certain features that you could do on you know, like
a Caucasian roller, you know whatever. And so I remember
(15:59):
that experience and even in school, being the only Asian girl.
So how it works in makeup school is you learn
new techniques and whatnot and then you do it on
each other. Yeah, and since I was the only Asian girl,
I remember there were literally a separate chapter on how
to do Asian eyes, which I was like, oh, that's great,
so they can learn, you know what I mean. But
(16:20):
I remember, and again this was like twelve years ago,
so I'm sure it's improved now, but I remember even
when I was reading that chapter or whatever on Asian eyes,
I was like racist, not racist, but I was like,
I would never do my makeup with this, you know,
like this is gonna look horrible, and so I kind
of showed them like, hey, so like this is how
(16:41):
I would do it, and this is how I do
my own makeup. And I just remember thinking like, wow,
this is such there's such a void in that area
of makeup, you know, or beauty you know. And so
I also I feel like that is an advantage, you
know what I mean, And now it is yeah, yeah,
And so being Asian, I think it does, you know,
(17:03):
allow you to be like I can do Asian features,
you know, I'm Asian myself, and but like I like
I said, nowadays has come so far, you know, I
mean there are there are a lot of people that
can do like Asian like beautiful you know, Asian makeup,
whether they're Asian or not. But I just remember back
in the day, like just being like super traumatized was
like what the I mean, we came up such a
(17:24):
long time because so one of the most fascinating things
that you told me that is a beauty trend right
now is yeah, Asian like extend like extended eyes. So
the trend right now and so ironic because obviously, like
growing up, you would have never thought this. Yeah you
want like, you know, big eyes, that's what's considered like beautiful, right,
(17:45):
and so there's like this trend currently in makeup that
like people want, you know, really elongated extended eyes, you know,
to make them look you know, sexy and like, you
know more exotic. I guess you know that that kind
of makes your eyes look like slanted and smaller. Yeah yeah, yeah,
just like pulled out, you know. And it's so funny
(18:06):
and I feel like, Okay, maybe like as society we've
come a long way where you know, verio typically that
is what you would get made fun of, right because
you would put mad eye liner on. Yeah. So it's
just like I find it so interesting that historically that's
what as Asian people you would get made fun of.
(18:27):
But now there's like this trend of like wanting that
kind of like stretched out, you know, elongated to you know,
I it's so crazy. Do you think that maybe goes
hand in hand with K pop culture, like pop culture
really the rise of like yeah, I honestly don't know where,
(18:49):
I mean why this trend has become so popular now.
But it also is so interesting to me that just
Korean culture in general has exploded, you know, like internationally,
especially in the States and stuff, and like it's it
blows my mind that I see these fans where I remember,
(19:09):
so you know, I'm I'm much older, and I honestly
don't I am not familiar with any of the current
like K pop you know music, and like I mean,
I know, like the really big ones, but I haven't
listened to like K pop music in like decades, you know,
and so yeah exactly or like you know h O
T you know, like like late nineties, okay, And I
(19:33):
remember it was so funny the first time I realized
I've been working you know, pretty much strictly in the
music industry. And I remember the first time I realized, like, WHOA,
what is going on? Or like, how did this happen?
Or when did this happen? It was for the Billboard
Music Awards, I think two years ago, I believe Normandy
(19:53):
was performing on there with m Khalid and so I remember, like,
you know, we were backstage getting her ready to go perform,
and I kid you not, I have never heard a
crowd like screaming so scream that loud in my life,
where it was like deafening, like you couldn't even hear
the person right next to you talking to you. And
it happened all of a sudden. I was like, what
(20:15):
is going on? And then you look out and it
was like BTS performing And I didn't know who BTS
was at the time, and I know shape but and like,
but I saw the crowd and how loud they were,
to the point where even like the celebrities and stuff
were like who is this BTS? Like who are these
(20:35):
Everyone's attention, Yeah, everyone's attention was like who is BTS?
Because that crowd was that loud, screaming on top of
their lungs, like they were going to lose their minds,
and even me, I was like, who is this BTS?
And they're singing in Korean, which is even more mind
because I'm like, oh my gosh, they're singing in Korean,
but yet people they love them. And it's so kind
(20:58):
of like a proud moment too, because I was like,
oh my gosh, that's so cool. How all these fans
at the Billboard Awards they're not even Korean. Yeah, they're
not Korean. They were they were like you know, white
girls like you know what, girls like Hispanic girls, and
just like they knew word for word the lyrics in Korean.
(21:19):
And I was like, wow, this is It's a very
blowing to me proud Korean moment, Yeah, for sure. And
then from then on I just started really it just
got like bigger and bigger, and it's like, I mean,
I'm proud because especially you know, where we grew up,
it was a very very small town Boonies. There wasn't
(21:40):
a very big Asian population, and I'm sure it was
very common for any of us to have experienced racism,
you know, because it was a long time ago. Also,
you know, it was like a different time. It was before,
you know, against social media, and people were a little
more ignorant, you know. And I mean I I had
(22:00):
a great experience growing up, but it was just like
the reality of things, you know, and so growing up,
I feel like it was common to experience racism, you know,
and now just so kind of like it was like
a proud moment where I was like, yeah, see, like
now they know that we're cool, Like we're not these like,
you know, dorky mathematicians that you know, like yeah, exactly
(22:27):
know how Danton sing exactly. Yeah. So it was just
one of those Yeah, it was a really really cool moment.
It's funny though that the standards of beauty in the
(22:49):
Western world compared to the Eastern is still a little
bit different. Though it's completely because let's be real, yes,
these girls, these celebrities, these pop stars are now kind
of like wanting to look Asian, but it's still like
a very smoky, like dark tone makeup and it's still that.
But in Korea or in definitely in all of Eastern culture,
(23:11):
it's still the trendiest thing is still the no makeup makeup. Yeah,
they like it supernatural. You won't find someone like wearing eyeliner, eyeliner,
like not eyeliner. They like to look super dewey and glowy,
which I mean here too, but they like to look
very I mean just historically and culturally, you know, like
(23:34):
natural and like not dark, you know, whereas in like
ironically here, it's like I want to look to hand
because I feel like I look so much better to
you know, And so I feel like, yeah, I mean
you can even though we are all Korean, I feel
like you can spot a Korean American out in like
a crowd of like you know, Koreans, like you know,
I mean when I go to Korea, yeah, nobody Korean.
(23:57):
Nobody thinks I'm Korean. Nobody speaks Korean to me, and
I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm Korean. Yeah. Even It's so
funny because even my Imoh Money, who came to visit
from Korea, I hadn't seen her since I was like
in uh, like a nursery school. She came to visit
and she like saw me and she was like, oh
my gosh, you do not look Korean. And I was
(24:18):
like really, and because to us, I feel like he
looked like if you see it, if an Asian American sauce.
You definitely be Korean, yeah, straight up. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but I get it, like I see you know Koreans,
like you know, in Korea, and I'm like, oh, yeah,
I look totally different from them. I mean Korean Sander's
a beauty is so different then how it is here.
(24:39):
I mean they like to look super pale. I feel
like skincare obviously, it's like a it's oh that's another
huge thing too, which I'm so proud of. I mean
anywhere you go, even that Stephora, they have like their
own k beauty section, you know what I mean. I
mean it's weird because like skincare though, and like the
beauty makeup, it's still like so totally different. Like I
(25:02):
buy obviously, I use all like Korean skin cats, but
when it comes to like makeup products, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
it's like yeah to pale yeah, because um, it's it's
just different. The style is different. Um. And I mean,
you know, it also just comes down to you kind
of become your environment, right, Like we obviously live in
(25:25):
the States. We live in the US, we live in America,
so it's a different environment and it becomes more normalized,
whereas in Korea to like, you know, you become your environment.
Like I'm sure like if we were in Korea for
long enough, we would slowly so you know, to their
standard of beauty is I mean, that's like with anything.
So you think it's a very environmental. Yeah, because for us,
(25:49):
right when we see Koreans from Korea here, they you're like,
oh yeah, they're definitely from Korea. You know, they stick
out like a sore thumb. But if we were in Korea,
we would probably stick out like a about them. They
probably like, oh yeah, they're not from here. They're from like,
you know, the States or something. So I really do
think it has a lot to do with like your environment,
you know, same. I mean even just like aside from
(26:10):
you know, just culturally, even just you know, in California,
there's literally so many different types of makeup. Obviously, Like
if you are in an area where they like to
wear more heavier makeup with like you know, a heavier eye,
you know whatever, I feel like you kind of tend
to mold into that also, you know, because that's what's normalized,
(26:34):
you know, in your moronment. But if you're like in
an area where, like you know, they don't wear that
much makeup. It's more you know, natural. I feel like
you kind of mold into that too, you know. Yeah,
but that's the thing about makeup that's so fun. It's
not permanent. You can wash it off, so it's fun
to experiment. You can do, like, you know, different types
of makeup for different things, and it's fun. It's not permanent,
(26:56):
just you can you can wash it off if you
don't like it. You know, you can try looking Asian
and then you don't like it up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah,
it's really really interesting to me how big Korean culture
has exploded. Yeah, um here overseas. Yeah, what do you
think the trend will be like in terms of makeup
(27:17):
artistry depauty trend? Do you see more like Asian influences
in this industry? I mean yes, I again, it depends
just because there's always gonna be different types of people
that like different types of styles, right, So there's never
gonna be just one type of trend. But I think
(27:39):
I just think it's gonna now kind of become a
little more natural. I I do think you think, yeah,
I do, so I will gravitate towards like kind of
like that Eastern like I think so like you know,
less like just more like glowy you know skin just
like less you know, harshness to the face. And I
just think all so like, yeah, it's going to gravitate
(28:02):
more towards you know, skincare, like taking care of your
skin so your skin looks good enough where you don't
have to wear a lot of makeup. And nowadays, with
like you know, all these like tools and devices and
like you know science, with you know, the skincare, I
feel like it's kind of go that way. I mean,
I own every possible thing you can imagine, and it's
i mean like tools like you know, skincare, and so
(28:25):
I think, I mean it is true. It's just like
you know, your makeup is only going to look as
good as how your skin looks. Your natural Yeah, So
I think it is kind of going to go that way.
And I feel like just in general, like Korean you know,
beauty in particular, I feel like they're so ahead of
us because I remember, like you know, thinking like oh,
(28:45):
you know, like all those like snail masks and like
even like that magnetic mask that was like huge like
a year ago. I remember years ago, my mom got
that for me from like a Korean skincare line, like
the magnetic you know, face mass that you liked take
off like a magnet, or you know, like certain ingredients
that they now use in American skincare. My mom would
(29:07):
be using that kind of stuff on me years ago,
and so I think they're just ahead of that. I
feel like they are usually mostly always ahead of the
game when it comes to that kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah, okay,
Well we're going to do this fue thing where well,
you know, because I literally was at your place speaking yeah, yeah,
(29:28):
you were. Honestly, I didn't have you tasted because I
was like, you know what, I'm gonna have your tastes tomorrow. No,
and I already yeah, and I already have you know
a lot of your coming games. I mean you Yeah.
Every time I go to New York, I always hit up.
You know. This is more special though, because I've made
something specifically for you. Yeah okay, so Grace, Yeah, why
(29:50):
is this your favorite dish? Honestly, I love so like
I ever since I was young, I could literally just
eat rice with if I wanted to bo tofu, yeah tofu.
I just love tofu um and obviously swunooble you know, um,
I love spice and so yeah, I feel like you
can never go wrong with sundooble. I feel like wherever
(30:11):
you go, it's hard to really mess updoble. Okay, well
that's I think that's so kind of that's you can
really mess it up. Okay, but maybe because you just
love Yeah, I just love toople, like honestly, I just love.
So it could just be like plain and you'll still Yeah. Okay,
so take a bite and m hm oh wow, I
(30:38):
didn't actually eat I didn't try this yesterday. Yeah, I
didn't let you because I was like, I want you
to eat it on and I'm not just saying this.
This is really good, so good. Wow. I mean, what's
your favorite type of sundooble if you had to pick?
Probably yeah would yeah, because when I ever, whenever I
(31:00):
go to um Tofu houses usually c D or something. Yeah,
like usually they call sun Dog Specialized in double restaurant,
they call it like like Tofu house or something. Right,
you can pick out, pick your protein, you can pick
your spiciness level. Yeah, um, so how do you normally
get yours when you go? When I first moved here
(31:23):
and I went to bc D Tofu House here and
I'm really good with spice, Like I love spice and
I can handle it. And so I remember, I think
there's like four levels at BCD from what I remember,
and I was like, there was like, you know, mild, medium, spicy,
and then like extra spicy, right, and I was like,
I can do spicy because medium usually most of the
(31:43):
time is never like it's never different, especially a Korean.
Um okay at bc D here, Wow, what did you
get spicy? Or I got spicy? Really yeah? And it
was too spicy for you? Maybe it was. I just
don't remember. I just remember when I first went there,
I was like, I can do spicy, so maybe I
(32:04):
got extra spicy. I just don't remember. It was definitely
spicy or extra spicy. And I'm not even exaggerating. My
face was vibrating, That's how hot it was. My whole
face was like vibrating. And I was like, oh my gosh,
I yeah, I definitely um. But you know what, for
(32:27):
some reason, I liked it even though like I'm like
that spice, yeah, even though I'm dying, I really like
I just I like it. Yeah. A lot of the
times when I eat something and I'm dying and people
are like, why do you keep eating? And I'm like,
I don't know, because it's really good. I have this
very specific memory of you. I don't really probably don't
remember this because it's just like my memory of you.
(32:50):
So it was We're in Philadelphia. We had a long
night of partying and drinking. We had many of those
kind of nights, especially with Esther. I. I have many
many stories you can I'm not going to. I'm just kidding.
Oh yeah, but this memory is with It was like
(33:11):
the day after drinking and we went to go eat
a sable at this at the Philadelphia. There's like a
one restaurant that does it, and you ordered your Sundable
and literally you inhale that ship in like fucking like
five minutes. Like you were like a crazy person. I'm
a fast eater. I mean you're always been a fast eater,
but like I've never seen anything like that. And then
(33:32):
you burned your entire mouth and you didn't care whatever.
That's like the usual for me. I always burned my
mouth because I can't wait. I just eat it and
then the roof of my mouth is always burned. So
now when I think of like Sunda boo. It's like,
like I think of that moment with you. I know,
I know exactly what you're talking about because I just
I'm a fast eater. Yeah yeah, I don't know if
(33:52):
that's good or bad, but I'm just a fast eater. Well,
you eat very much like you eat it like so
like like you watch I watch you eat. And in
Korean there's this thing called um and you definitely have
that like it's someone you watch someone eat it and
it's just like I need to eat it look good.
(34:12):
It's like that you you have that. Yep. So, Grace,
thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for
having me. This was fun. I'm so excited to be
on the other side of the podcast. Where can people
find you maybe if they want their own makeup done? Um? Well,
(34:34):
my Instagram, so weird to say, is Grace Underscore pay
p A E G R a c E Underscore p
A E UM. And then my website is www dot
Grace pay Makeup dot com. Super straightforward. That's you can
follow my journey on there. Thanks Grace, Thanks and that's
(34:58):
our show. Thanks for listening. If you like what you heard,
please subscribe and leave us a five star review. Get
Down with Kaytown is a production of I Heart Radio
and was created by our executive producer, Christopher Haciodes and
me Esther Troy. Follow me on all social media at
toy Bites and I'd also like to thank our producer,
editor and mixer Marci de Peina. For more podcasts from
(35:20):
I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to Get Down with Kay Town. I'm your host
Esther CHOI. Hey, hey, guys, it's Esther here. I feel
like today's episode will be super fun and relaxed as
I'm sitting across one of my best friends, Grace Pay.
Grace and I grew up in South Jersey, Yes literally
like from the boonies, literally like Atlantic City, And who
(00:21):
would have thought we'd be sitting here today, like doing
it in l A in Hollywood. We came a long
fucking way. Yeah, we sure did. Yeah, yeah, So I
just wanted to share that with you all, um, And
today we're going to be talking all things beauty industry
and makeup because that's what Grace does. Frankly, I feel
like we're just having one of our normal conversations like
(00:44):
we always do. Grace is based out of l A.
And I see you maybe a few times a year,
and I feel like every time I see you, though,
you have like these crazy fascinating stories for me. Yeah. Um,
in the industry that you're in, obviously you'd like see
different kinds of ship like yeah, the time. I just
like really love it and really wanted to share some
(01:05):
of it with you. Guys are listeners. Grace is a
celebrity makeup artist out here in Hollywood. She's seen it
all when it comes to the makeup industry. Has worked
with some of the big time artists from Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Rihanna,
Fifth Harmony, and now one of your major clients being Normanty,
who is the hottest pop star in America. Right, yeah, right, yeah,
(01:29):
is going to be huge for her. Yeah, Like she's
really up and coming. She's kind of like, at the
face of it all the new Beyonce. They say, well,
welcome to the show, Grace, Thank you. This is so exciting.
It's my first podcast, and I listened to podcasts all
day every day in the car, so you're perfect, so
you know exactly what to say. Yeah, Well, no I don't,
but it's fun to be on the other side. Yeah,
(01:51):
But I mean I listened to the only kind of
podcast I listened to are like crime podcast, so obviously
it's yeah, because you have this like love for weird.
I don't know why. It was like scary stuff, like
you like the weird stuff. Yeah. I think it's like
the adrenaline. I don't know what it is, but it's
going to either be church sermons or like horror crime podcasts.
(02:14):
Those are the podcasts. It's just like sermons or like
horror or crime podcasts. Yeah, ridiculous. Yeah, I think this
is the question that I probably never asked you, Like
how do you do that? Like don't you get nervous
touching like these people's faces, they're like big time. Yeah,
(02:37):
So I mean obviously it becomes normalized after a while,
like after you get used to doing it, You get
used to it. But I remember in the beginning, So
how I started off was I started assisting for years
and I assisted Mila Morales who at the time was
working with Rihanna, and then Roni Chapau who was at
the time with the Black Eyed Peas and for a
(02:58):
Pease makeup artists. And I'm member, you know, assisting kind
of helps you get in the door, like your feet wet. Yeah,
but you're not at the like the forefront, you know
what I mean, Like you're there to assist. Like literally,
it's a completely different world because this is over a
decade ago, and this is before social media. This is
before Facebook. Before I mean, sorry, maybe Facebook was around,
but not how Yeah, There's there was no YouTube, there
(03:21):
was no Instagram. So it was literally just like old school,
like emailing, like you gotta find out through like research,
like a different world. It was a completely different world.
And I think it's amazing that there's all these available
tools now for everyone, But back then it was literally
like old school and assisting back then it was like
(03:42):
you're literally like a fly on the wall, like you
don't exist, Like don't be seeing you know what I mean,
Like that you don't exist. Yeah, that is a good assistant.
You're there to assist that artist and you're there for
that person. And so for me, um, I'm so used
to just being in the background, you know, and not
being seen, so you get kind of comfortable, you know that,
(04:05):
that yeah environment, you know. Um, but I remember the
first time I had to actually be the one to
you know, do the make like touch this person's face. Yeah, exactly.
Was it like the biggest it was. It was Fergy
And that's freaking So your first celebrity was Furgy. I
was so nervous because the makeup artist that I was
(04:27):
assisting at the time, she she wanted to start a family,
you know, so she had her or she was pregnant
at the time. I believe so first of all, it's
my first time in Paris, so it's going to be
like a traveling trip, and it was going to be
my first time actually being the one to apply the makeup.
I was so so you didn't even get practiced before
that on her face. It was like, oh, we're in Paris,
(04:49):
we're doing this photo shoot. You're you're doing Fergies makeup. Yeah,
it was like I was assisting, so I never touched
her face really, like it was just me assisting the
makeup artist. And I remember when I got the call,
I literally was like fifty fifty on accepting it because
I was so nervous to the point where I thought
I was going to throw up. And I finally was
(05:10):
just like, you know, I moved all the way across
the country to do this. I have to do it.
And at this point in time, after doing this for
like over a decade, I've learned that those are the moments,
the moments that scare you the most, to the point
where you feel like you're going to faint or throw up,
those are what reaps the most benefits. What I mean,
(05:31):
that's the defining moment of yeah, yeah, the bigger risks
you take the bigger rewards. Yeah, you're taking a chance.
You might fail miserably, but you will. You won't know.
You won't move on or grow if you don't take
those risks, you know. So I remember when I got
that call, I literally was like, I don't think I
(05:51):
can do this, Like I'm so nervous, I'm not prepared.
But I was like, I have to do this, so
I didn't. I remember every night up until that trip
anty sleep, my anxiety was at an all time high.
I literally felt like I was going to throw up
every time that thought creeped into my mind. Like it's
like the build up more than actually do. Yeah. But
(06:14):
then you know, once I got there and the makeup
artist that I was assisting for so long, she like
trained me so well. She made sure that I was prepared.
And that was also another thing. I'm so grateful for
the people I met, like the makeup artist that I
was able to assist and like, you know, learn from them.
I'm so grateful for them because they really really did
(06:35):
prepare me to succeed. But yeah, and the trip came
out amazing. It was kind of like one of those
pinched me moments, like I'm in Paris, I believe it. Yeah,
and you were like doing makeup for Yeah. It was
literally one of those like pinched me moments. And I
guess that was like my first experience and I mean
(06:55):
after that, it kind of made me a little more
confident in my skills. But I'm sure she loved it.
But also she's so sweet, like literally, That's another thing
that I'm thankful for that I've never worked with anyone
that's not, you know, the sweetest person in the world.
We'll probably because you wouldn't be able to know. Yeah, yeah,
(07:17):
And so I've been really grateful for that. Also, people
don't realize this, but makeup artists are the ones that
defined as standards of beauty here and like entertainment or
it's a really big deal because makeup transforms people. Yeah no,
why don't you percent And I'm not trying to be
like whatever, but seriously, when you did my makeup that
(07:40):
one time, I was like, wait, yeah, who is that? Yeah?
I couldn't even recognize me. I mean not to say that,
you know, the celebrities or whatever. Yeah, And just everyone
has their own style, right, Like every makeup artist has
their own style, every client has their own style. Right.
I mean a huge part of the job is also
(08:02):
kind of being able to feel them out, like what
you know, you can't do you know, a full beat,
right Like some people like that, some people don't. You know,
some people look amazing in it, some people don't natural makeup.
Some people like that kind of makeup, some people don't.
So it's really I feel like, to succeed in this industry,
(08:23):
you really have to be able to kind of read
your client and also be able to as a makeup artist,
have the skill set to really change, you know, accordingly
to what the situation is, what your client type is exactly.
Speaking of trends, do most of these stars know what
they want? Are you experimenting? Like, well, it really depends
(08:47):
on the job you're doing. Also again, like for example,
like red carpet makeup would be completely different from what
I would do for let's say a photo shoot or
um a music video, you know, and a lot of
the times I do have creative freedom, like it's it's
like a teamwork, so you have you know, usually it's
(09:09):
always going to be a conversation with the hairstylists, the
stylist and then obviously like the creative direction of where
the shoet is going, and you really have to work
together to kind of come up with like a cohesive look,
right that's gonna be for whatever the project is. So
usually we do have creative freedom, but also sometimes it
depends on you know, like a lot of people, a
(09:33):
lot of and I mean I'm the same way, So
I understand some people get comfortable with a certain look
you know there um which I totally understand. And so
sometimes it's also trying to get the client a little
more comfortable with like trying something new, right, But obviously
I would never do something or try something new, let's
(09:54):
say on like a red carpet. So red carpet is
the hardest type of makeup only because there's no like photoshop,
there's no touching up, like once the pictures are out there.
The pictures are out there, you know, in the lighting, yes,
and also you have you have no idea what the
lighting is gonna be. You have no idea the photographer
(10:16):
like how what angle they're gonna be at, So it's
really hard to tell because it's probably not even gonna
look like what it looks like in front of your face,
you know, So it's really nerve wracking to do red carpet,
and I think red carpet makeup is the hardest to
do because you have no idea what it's going to
look like until the pictures come out, you know. And
so I feel like with obviously photo shoots or even
(10:38):
music videos, you kind of do have they're gonna like,
you know, touch some stuff up, and you know, like
you have kind of like a say like, oh, can
you you know, like maybe like smooth the skin a
little bit or do this or that, And so with that,
it's not as nerve wrecking. Red carpet, hands down is
probably the most stressful thing in the world. And I
feel like what a lot of people don't know is
(11:00):
there is so much going on. It's not like you're
in a quiet room and like you know, everyone's there
is so there's so much going on there. Probably sometimes
they'll be like doing their fitting while you're trying to
get them ready. Sometimes you have like thirty minutes to
get them ready, or maybe even like twenty minutes. Sometimes
(11:21):
you have to get them ready in the car, you know,
in a moving car, or you know they're eating because
they haven't eaten, or you know they're doing like phone calls,
interviews or like you know, um meetings because you know
there's so much going on. So I feel like red
Carpet is so stressful because obviously those pictures are out
in the world for everyone to judge, especially when you're
(11:43):
working with celebrities because they're so high profile, so everyone
is there too free to judge. But then sometimes obviously
like I don't you know, I just kind of like
let it go. But I guess so frustrated because I'm
just like, you have no idea this situation that you
know you're in when you're trying to get somebody ready.
(12:04):
But you know, honestly, with that kind of experience, it
just makes you a better artist, you know, or hairstylist
or stylist or what you like, learned to work under
very high pressure situation. Actly. Yeah, I kind of wanted
(12:26):
to talk to you about your being Korean, you as
like an Asian makeup artist, Like you think that that
affected the way people perceive you, and like, how did
it affect it if it did? Okay? So for me, again,
this was way before social media, before Instagram, before like
YouTube or anything, so it was really it was so
(12:46):
much harder to be seen or like acknowledge other you know,
the people that are out there. Right. So for me,
I remember I admired Mila Morales so much because she
was the first like Asian, she's Filipino. Well she's mixed,
but you know, Filipino. Um. She was the first makeup
artist that I really really kind of looked up to
(13:08):
and was inspired by because I was like, oh my gosh,
this like, you know, Asian makeup artist is doing one
of the biggest celebrities, pop stars in the world, Rihanna,
you know. And so I remember, I really really was
so inspired by her. And again before social media, before
YouTube and all that, I researched. I googled the heck
(13:29):
out of her and then I somehow came upon that
she was teaching a workshop, right. And again this is
before any of this stuff was like normal, you know,
it was very very rare for someone of that caliber
to teach some like a workshop, and I remember it
was really expensive. I was broke as heck when I
first moved out here, and I was like, but this
is like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and so
(13:51):
I paid it. I you know, took the class and
it was like one of the most even till this day,
like something that really really motivated me even more to
become like, you know, a makeup artist. But I but now,
like like over a decade later, I do notice, like,
you know, now with social media and stuff, you're like, oh,
there are other you know, Asian makeup artists out there
(14:12):
are Asian hairstyles out there, you know. But with me personally,
even when I moved out here and I went to
make up school, I was like the only Asian in class.
I mean because I feel like the standards of beauty
obviously working in that industry, like you have to kind
of look a certain way, not to be shallow. But
that's just how it is. Yeah, yeah, and I remember,
I remember, how is this Asian girl going to know
(14:32):
like how to do exactly? But you know, ironically, on
the flip side, well not ironically, but like one of
the reasons why I also wanted to become makeup artists
because I feel like a lot of people don't know
how to work with Asian features. I think it's gotten
better now because again there's YouTube, there's tutorials, there's like Instagram.
Now that you know, now people are more aware and
(14:53):
they can learn you know, on their own. But back
then again before any of this existed. I remember in
middle school I went it was my first middle school dance,
right where you get dressed up, you got your makeup.
I went to like a counter, you know, a makeup
counter in the mall to get my makeup done, and
I remember I was so traumatized. I looked at myself
(15:16):
in the mirror and this makeup artist was like so
proud of her work, and when I was like, I
cannot go to this dance like this, I'm not going.
And I remember I was like bawling in the car
and I was like, I saw makeup is supposed to
make you look better, not worse. And I literally was
so traumatized by that experience. I eventually just like washed
(15:37):
my face and redid it on my own. But from
that experience on, I just remember I was like, oh wow,
Like I feel like people aren't familiar with Asian features
because they're completely different, you know. And also there's a
lot of makeup styles that we can't do because of
certain features that you could do on you know, like
a Caucasian roller, you know whatever. And so I remember
(15:59):
that experience and even in school, being the only Asian girl.
So how it works in makeup school is you learn
new techniques and whatnot and then you do it on
each other. Yeah, and since I was the only Asian girl,
I remember there were literally a separate chapter on how
to do Asian eyes, which I was like, oh, that's great,
so they can learn, you know what I mean. But
(16:20):
I remember, and again this was like twelve years ago,
so I'm sure it's improved now, but I remember even
when I was reading that chapter or whatever on Asian eyes,
I was like racist, not racist, but I was like,
I would never do my makeup with this, you know,
like this is gonna look horrible, and so I kind
of showed them like, hey, so like this is how
(16:41):
I would do it, and this is how I do
my own makeup. And I just remember thinking like, wow,
this is such there's such a void in that area
of makeup, you know, or beauty you know. And so
I also I feel like that is an advantage, you
know what I mean, And now it is yeah, yeah,
And so being Asian, I think it does, you know,
(17:03):
allow you to be like I can do Asian features,
you know, I'm Asian myself, and but like I like
I said, nowadays has come so far, you know, I
mean there are there are a lot of people that
can do like Asian like beautiful you know, Asian makeup,
whether they're Asian or not. But I just remember back
in the day, like just being like super traumatized was
like what the I mean, we came up such a
(17:24):
long time because so one of the most fascinating things
that you told me that is a beauty trend right
now is yeah, Asian like extend like extended eyes. So
the trend right now and so ironic because obviously, like
growing up, you would have never thought this. Yeah you
want like, you know, big eyes, that's what's considered like beautiful, right,
(17:45):
and so there's like this trend currently in makeup that
like people want, you know, really elongated extended eyes, you know,
to make them look you know, sexy and like, you
know more exotic. I guess you know that that kind
of makes your eyes look like slanted and smaller. Yeah yeah, yeah,
just like pulled out, you know. And it's so funny
(18:06):
and I feel like, Okay, maybe like as society we've
come a long way where you know, verio typically that
is what you would get made fun of, right because
you would put mad eye liner on. Yeah. So it's
just like I find it so interesting that historically that's
what as Asian people you would get made fun of.
(18:27):
But now there's like this trend of like wanting that
kind of like stretched out, you know, elongated to you know,
I it's so crazy. Do you think that maybe goes
hand in hand with K pop culture, like pop culture
really the rise of like yeah, I honestly don't know where,
(18:49):
I mean why this trend has become so popular now.
But it also is so interesting to me that just
Korean culture in general has exploded, you know, like internationally,
especially in the States and stuff, and like it's it
blows my mind that I see these fans where I remember,
(19:09):
so you know, I'm I'm much older, and I honestly
don't I am not familiar with any of the current
like K pop you know music, and like I mean,
I know, like the really big ones, but I haven't
listened to like K pop music in like decades, you know,
and so yeah exactly or like you know h O
T you know, like like late nineties, okay, And I
(19:33):
remember it was so funny the first time I realized
I've been working you know, pretty much strictly in the
music industry. And I remember the first time I realized, like, WHOA,
what is going on? Or like, how did this happen?
Or when did this happen? It was for the Billboard
Music Awards, I think two years ago, I believe Normandy
(19:53):
was performing on there with m Khalid and so I remember, like,
you know, we were backstage getting her ready to go perform,
and I kid you not, I have never heard a
crowd like screaming so scream that loud in my life,
where it was like deafening, like you couldn't even hear
the person right next to you talking to you. And
it happened all of a sudden. I was like, what
(20:15):
is going on? And then you look out and it
was like BTS performing And I didn't know who BTS
was at the time, and I know shape but and like,
but I saw the crowd and how loud they were,
to the point where even like the celebrities and stuff
were like who is this BTS? Like who are these
(20:35):
Everyone's attention, Yeah, everyone's attention was like who is BTS?
Because that crowd was that loud, screaming on top of
their lungs, like they were going to lose their minds,
and even me, I was like, who is this BTS?
And they're singing in Korean, which is even more mind
because I'm like, oh my gosh, they're singing in Korean,
but yet people they love them. And it's so kind
(20:58):
of like a proud moment too, because I was like,
oh my gosh, that's so cool. How all these fans
at the Billboard Awards they're not even Korean. Yeah, they're
not Korean. They were they were like you know, white
girls like you know what, girls like Hispanic girls, and
just like they knew word for word the lyrics in Korean.
(21:19):
And I was like, wow, this is It's a very
blowing to me proud Korean moment, Yeah, for sure. And
then from then on I just started really it just
got like bigger and bigger, and it's like, I mean,
I'm proud because especially you know, where we grew up,
it was a very very small town Boonies. There wasn't
(21:40):
a very big Asian population, and I'm sure it was
very common for any of us to have experienced racism,
you know, because it was a long time ago. Also,
you know, it was like a different time. It was before,
you know, against social media, and people were a little
more ignorant, you know. And I mean I I had
(22:00):
a great experience growing up, but it was just like
the reality of things, you know, and so growing up,
I feel like it was common to experience racism, you know,
and now just so kind of like it was like
a proud moment where I was like, yeah, see, like
now they know that we're cool, Like we're not these like,
you know, dorky mathematicians that you know, like yeah, exactly
(22:27):
know how Danton sing exactly. Yeah. So it was just
one of those Yeah, it was a really really cool moment.
It's funny though that the standards of beauty in the
(22:49):
Western world compared to the Eastern is still a little
bit different. Though it's completely because let's be real, yes,
these girls, these celebrities, these pop stars are now kind
of like wanting to look Asian, but it's still like
a very smoky, like dark tone makeup and it's still that.
But in Korea or in definitely in all of Eastern culture,
(23:11):
it's still the trendiest thing is still the no makeup makeup. Yeah,
they like it supernatural. You won't find someone like wearing eyeliner, eyeliner,
like not eyeliner. They like to look super dewey and glowy,
which I mean here too, but they like to look
very I mean just historically and culturally, you know, like
(23:34):
natural and like not dark, you know, whereas in like
ironically here, it's like I want to look to hand
because I feel like I look so much better to
you know, And so I feel like, yeah, I mean
you can even though we are all Korean, I feel
like you can spot a Korean American out in like
a crowd of like you know, Koreans, like you know,
I mean when I go to Korea, yeah, nobody Korean.
(23:57):
Nobody thinks I'm Korean. Nobody speaks Korean to me, and
I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm Korean. Yeah. Even It's so
funny because even my Imoh Money, who came to visit
from Korea, I hadn't seen her since I was like
in uh, like a nursery school. She came to visit
and she like saw me and she was like, oh
my gosh, you do not look Korean. And I was
(24:18):
like really, and because to us, I feel like he
looked like if you see it, if an Asian American sauce.
You definitely be Korean, yeah, straight up. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
but I get it, like I see you know Koreans,
like you know, in Korea, and I'm like, oh, yeah,
I look totally different from them. I mean Korean Sander's
a beauty is so different then how it is here.
(24:39):
I mean they like to look super pale. I feel
like skincare obviously, it's like a it's oh that's another
huge thing too, which I'm so proud of. I mean
anywhere you go, even that Stephora, they have like their
own k beauty section, you know what I mean. I
mean it's weird because like skincare though, and like the
beauty makeup, it's still like so totally different. Like I
(25:02):
buy obviously, I use all like Korean skin cats, but
when it comes to like makeup products, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
it's like yeah to pale yeah, because um, it's it's
just different. The style is different. Um. And I mean,
you know, it also just comes down to you kind
of become your environment, right, Like we obviously live in
(25:25):
the States. We live in the US, we live in America,
so it's a different environment and it becomes more normalized,
whereas in Korea to like, you know, you become your environment.
Like I'm sure like if we were in Korea for
long enough, we would slowly so you know, to their
standard of beauty is I mean, that's like with anything.
So you think it's a very environmental. Yeah, because for us,
(25:49):
right when we see Koreans from Korea here, they you're like,
oh yeah, they're definitely from Korea. You know, they stick
out like a sore thumb. But if we were in Korea,
we would probably stick out like a about them. They
probably like, oh yeah, they're not from here. They're from like,
you know, the States or something. So I really do
think it has a lot to do with like your environment,
you know, same. I mean even just like aside from
(26:10):
you know, just culturally, even just you know, in California,
there's literally so many different types of makeup. Obviously, Like
if you are in an area where they like to
wear more heavier makeup with like you know, a heavier eye,
you know whatever, I feel like you kind of tend
to mold into that also, you know, because that's what's normalized,
(26:34):
you know, in your moronment. But if you're like in
an area where, like you know, they don't wear that
much makeup. It's more you know, natural. I feel like
you kind of mold into that too, you know. Yeah,
but that's the thing about makeup that's so fun. It's
not permanent. You can wash it off, so it's fun
to experiment. You can do, like, you know, different types
of makeup for different things, and it's fun. It's not permanent,
(26:56):
just you can you can wash it off if you
don't like it. You know, you can try looking Asian
and then you don't like it up. Yeah, exactly. Yeah,
it's really really interesting to me how big Korean culture
has exploded. Yeah, um here overseas. Yeah, what do you
think the trend will be like in terms of makeup
(27:17):
artistry depauty trend? Do you see more like Asian influences
in this industry? I mean yes, I again, it depends
just because there's always gonna be different types of people
that like different types of styles, right, So there's never
gonna be just one type of trend. But I think
(27:39):
I just think it's gonna now kind of become a
little more natural. I I do think you think, yeah,
I do, so I will gravitate towards like kind of
like that Eastern like I think so like you know,
less like just more like glowy you know skin just
like less you know, harshness to the face. And I
just think all so like, yeah, it's going to gravitate
(28:02):
more towards you know, skincare, like taking care of your
skin so your skin looks good enough where you don't
have to wear a lot of makeup. And nowadays, with
like you know, all these like tools and devices and
like you know science, with you know, the skincare, I
feel like it's kind of go that way. I mean,
I own every possible thing you can imagine, and it's
i mean like tools like you know, skincare, and so
(28:25):
I think, I mean it is true. It's just like
you know, your makeup is only going to look as
good as how your skin looks. Your natural Yeah, So
I think it is kind of going to go that way.
And I feel like just in general, like Korean you know,
beauty in particular, I feel like they're so ahead of
us because I remember, like you know, thinking like oh,
(28:45):
you know, like all those like snail masks and like
even like that magnetic mask that was like huge like
a year ago. I remember years ago, my mom got
that for me from like a Korean skincare line, like
the magnetic you know, face mass that you liked take
off like a magnet, or you know, like certain ingredients
that they now use in American skincare. My mom would
(29:07):
be using that kind of stuff on me years ago,
and so I think they're just ahead of that. I
feel like they are usually mostly always ahead of the
game when it comes to that kind of stuff. Yeah, yeah, okay,
Well we're going to do this fue thing where well,
you know, because I literally was at your place speaking yeah, yeah,
(29:28):
you were. Honestly, I didn't have you tasted because I
was like, you know what, I'm gonna have your tastes tomorrow. No,
and I already yeah, and I already have you know
a lot of your coming games. I mean you Yeah.
Every time I go to New York, I always hit up.
You know. This is more special though, because I've made
something specifically for you. Yeah okay, so Grace, Yeah, why
(29:50):
is this your favorite dish? Honestly, I love so like
I ever since I was young, I could literally just
eat rice with if I wanted to bo tofu, yeah tofu.
I just love tofu um and obviously swunooble you know, um,
I love spice and so yeah, I feel like you
can never go wrong with sundooble. I feel like wherever
(30:11):
you go, it's hard to really mess updoble. Okay, well
that's I think that's so kind of that's you can
really mess it up. Okay, but maybe because you just
love Yeah, I just love toople, like honestly, I just love.
So it could just be like plain and you'll still Yeah. Okay,
so take a bite and m hm oh wow, I
(30:38):
didn't actually eat I didn't try this yesterday. Yeah, I
didn't let you because I was like, I want you
to eat it on and I'm not just saying this.
This is really good, so good. Wow. I mean, what's
your favorite type of sundooble if you had to pick?
Probably yeah would yeah, because when I ever, whenever I
(31:00):
go to um Tofu houses usually c D or something. Yeah,
like usually they call sun Dog Specialized in double restaurant,
they call it like like Tofu house or something. Right,
you can pick out, pick your protein, you can pick
your spiciness level. Yeah, um, so how do you normally
get yours when you go? When I first moved here
(31:23):
and I went to bc D Tofu House here and
I'm really good with spice, Like I love spice and
I can handle it. And so I remember, I think
there's like four levels at BCD from what I remember,
and I was like, there was like, you know, mild, medium, spicy,
and then like extra spicy, right, and I was like,
I can do spicy because medium usually most of the
(31:43):
time is never like it's never different, especially a Korean.
Um okay at bc D here, Wow, what did you
get spicy? Or I got spicy? Really yeah? And it
was too spicy for you? Maybe it was. I just
don't remember. I just remember when I first went there,
I was like, I can do spicy, so maybe I
(32:04):
got extra spicy. I just don't remember. It was definitely
spicy or extra spicy. And I'm not even exaggerating. My
face was vibrating, That's how hot it was. My whole
face was like vibrating. And I was like, oh my gosh,
I yeah, I definitely um. But you know what, for
(32:27):
some reason, I liked it even though like I'm like
that spice, yeah, even though I'm dying, I really like
I just I like it. Yeah. A lot of the
times when I eat something and I'm dying and people
are like, why do you keep eating? And I'm like,
I don't know, because it's really good. I have this
very specific memory of you. I don't really probably don't
remember this because it's just like my memory of you.
(32:50):
So it was We're in Philadelphia. We had a long
night of partying and drinking. We had many of those
kind of nights, especially with Esther. I. I have many
many stories you can I'm not going to. I'm just kidding.
Oh yeah, but this memory is with It was like
(33:11):
the day after drinking and we went to go eat
a sable at this at the Philadelphia. There's like a
one restaurant that does it, and you ordered your Sundable
and literally you inhale that ship in like fucking like
five minutes. Like you were like a crazy person. I'm
a fast eater. I mean you're always been a fast eater,
but like I've never seen anything like that. And then
(33:32):
you burned your entire mouth and you didn't care whatever.
That's like the usual for me. I always burned my
mouth because I can't wait. I just eat it and
then the roof of my mouth is always burned. So
now when I think of like Sunda boo. It's like,
like I think of that moment with you. I know,
I know exactly what you're talking about because I just
I'm a fast eater. Yeah yeah, I don't know if
(33:52):
that's good or bad, but I'm just a fast eater. Well,
you eat very much like you eat it like so
like like you watch I watch you eat. And in
Korean there's this thing called um and you definitely have
that like it's someone you watch someone eat it and
it's just like I need to eat it look good.
(34:12):
It's like that you you have that. Yep. So, Grace,
thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for
having me. This was fun. I'm so excited to be
on the other side of the podcast. Where can people
find you maybe if they want their own makeup done? Um? Well,
(34:34):
my Instagram, so weird to say, is Grace Underscore pay
p A E G R a c E Underscore p
A E UM. And then my website is www dot
Grace pay Makeup dot com. Super straightforward. That's you can
follow my journey on there. Thanks Grace, Thanks and that's
(34:58):
our show. Thanks for listening. If you like what you heard,
please subscribe and leave us a five star review. Get
Down with Kaytown is a production of I Heart Radio
and was created by our executive producer, Christopher Haciodes and
me Esther Troy. Follow me on all social media at
toy Bites and I'd also like to thank our producer,
editor and mixer Marci de Peina. For more podcasts from
(35:20):
I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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