UC San Diego Student Named Clinique “Fresh Faces” Contest Winner

January 27, 2010

By Jennifer Riordan

Monica Pearce, Clinique "Fresh Faces" Winner

As Monica Pearce, 19, explains it, she just happened to stumble upon the Clinique trailer parked in the eucalyptus trees on the University of California, San Diego campus one day.

“I had just got out of class and was walking back to my apartment when I was approached by a woman saying they were offering free makeovers and photos,” Pearce said. “Then I just waited in line for about an hour with all the other girls.”

Pearce, a UC San Diego sophomore and urban studies and planning major, is far from your typical cover girl. Her focus has always been on maintaining a high grade-point average to ensure she has stellar career opportunities after she graduates. The thought of being a model never even crossed her mind.

A voicemail from Teen Vogue magazine during her break happened to brighten her vacation. The magazine notified Pearce that she had been selected as one of three winners in the Fresh Faces contest sponsored by Teen Vogue and Clinique.

More than 8,000 teen girls nationwide entered the Fresh Faces contest during the ten city tour (which included a stop at UC San Diego) and online at Clinique.com. Pearce was nominated as one of the 25 finalists in November.

“She’s such a down-to-earth person and a real natural beauty,” said Nancy Glass, a Clinique beauty and trends expert who met Pearce when the Clinique trailer was at the UC San Diego campus. “What impressed me about all the girls was their enthusiasm. They were becoming friends as they waited in line and also online through Facebook.”

The contest winners were selected through online voting and by Clinique and Teen Vogue staff. The magazine spread featuring the Fresh Faces winners will be included in Teen Vogue's April edition.

Media Contact: Jennifer Riordan, 858-822-7824 or jriordan@ucsd.edu