When Shen Quanrui, better known simply as “Ricky,” entered Boys Planet, his only intention was to win a spot in ZEROBASEONE, the new K-pop group. He didn't plan on also becoming a sensation in the beauty industry, representing brands like Urban Decay, collaborating with renowned makeup artists like Risabae, and going viral for his style. But the words that charmed his fanbase, who diligently voted every day and landed the Shanghai-born idol a fourth-place ranking in the X Factor-esque Korean series, sealed his fate: “Young and rich, tall and handsome.”
“The actual story is we all had to think of something for the one-minute PR, so back then we were talking about what kind of concept we should do for ourselves,” Ricky tells Teen Vogue. Though he can't remember who exactly said it at that moment, someone suggested using that particular phrase because the other contestants often jokingly called him that. Since it was catchy, he and the staff decided to go with it.
Two years later, as the 21-year-old singer arrives at the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel for our photo shoot, he perfectly embodies those words, fitting right in with the hotel's extravagant elegance. He steps out of the car and glides through the lobby in a monochrome look, a black satin top and slacks, with his silver Versace drop earrings.
The first thing Ricky does on set is take a moment to greet the staff, making sure to shake hands with everyone. As he goes through the racks with the styling team, he looks at each piece for a moment and thoughtfully shares his perspective. When trying on a Diesel denim top, he precisely measures how low he'd like to button it; he wants to show just a peek of his new chest tattoo. Upon hearing that these photos are set to be released in September, a sly grin spreads across his face as he realizes he can reveal the fresh ink.
Ricky has always been around makeup, and it was, in fact, his mother who first properly introduced him to the world of cosmetics. “My mom is pretty, and she knows all the makeup stuff,” he says. “I think she helped me clean my eyebrows,” he adds with a smile.
Makeup became an integral part of Ricky's preparation for Boys Planet. The trainees attended classes in singing, dancing, and makeup. At the time, Ricky's warm blond hair and smoky eyeliner helped him stand out among the other 97 contestants, who mostly rocked more minimalistic looks.
With Boys Planet catering to a global audience, unlike previous K-pop competition series, a simpler approach to makeup might have been more palatable for Western viewers, but taking the risk paid off for Ricky. With fan-favorite stages like his team's cover of Stray Kids' “Back Door” and the original song “Over Me,” Ricky earned a spot in ZEROBASEONE. But that was only the beginning for him.
Nowadays Ricky views hair and makeup as a baseline: “I think it's just so needed in this culture because they can help you become more perfect on the stages and on those photo shoots.” He does it especially for the fans, nicknamed ZEROSE. “I think doing makeup and hair and setting yourself perfect is part of my job because there's always going to be fans waiting to see the best side of me,” he explains. “And there's always going to be different fans that expect the same me every day. So I mean, if there are people waiting, then I don't want to disappoint them.”
His willingness to go the extra mile — always dressing in formal clothes, carefully choosing hair colors, and wearing detailed makeup — stems from a more profound desire he reflected on before officially debuting as an idol in ZEROBASEONE. “I want to have an image that [I'm] not afraid of trying and expressing myself,” he says, explaining the shift in his style. “I want to do what I like and what I respect, and get respect from that.”
After the group's highly anticipated debut in 2023, Ricky, now officially an idol, started gaining attention for his aesthetic. No longer confined to the Boys Planet global-contestant uniform, fans finally got to see a new side of him. Coinciding with globally trending Douyin makeup, techniques and styles popularized on the Chinese video app, his style, particularly his precisely drawn eyeliner, had the internet in a frenzy. Atop a halo of gray eye shadow, the sharp yet delicate double wings were all over social media, garnering praise from fans and makeup influencers alike.
Ricky is also aware that his rise to stardom has come with some naysayers who call his makeup “too much.” “No one is perfect, and if there are good comments, there must be bad comments with it," he says. "If you are not seeing the bad comments, that means you are just blindfolding yourself.”
He accepts the attention regardless: “With more bad comments, that means you're more famous and more people are looking out for you, and that's a good thing. There's only going to be more people loving you than hating you. So, for me, I don't even care about the bad comments. I look at it as a joke.”
Indeed, positivity prevailed. Ricky's look generated so much buzz that makeup bloggers soon began sharing tutorials on how to achieve his signature aesthetic. “I have seen some [videos on] how to do someone's makeup on YouTube and TikTok, and when it actually becomes me — 'How to do Ricky's makeup, how to do Ricky's hair' — I was actually surprised at first. Like, ‘Oh!’ I was happy,” he recalls. “It means that there's this kind of significance to this, so what I'm doing is right. I just feel appreciated that people like it and are trying to do it.”
While he is flattered by the popularity, Ricky insists that beauty for him isn't about chasing trends; instead, he focuses on what fits him best — and suggests others do the same. That said, if you do want to emulate his aesthetic, he has a few tips to offer: For makeup, add more eye shadow to the outer corners of your eyes; for hair, focus on sculpting the center strand of your bangs into a picturesque swoop.
And for the one detail you can't see, perfume, Ricky says, “Recently I'm into some mysterious vibe with vanilla.” He complements the classic scent with woody notes and spices, such as cinnamon and saffron.
Still, Ricky's style is ever-changing. Just as he switched out his signature blond for a surprise red stint and, later, his highly anticipated black hair — “I can't be blond forever; my hair is going to just go crazy” — there are more sides to him, and he wants to show them to the world.
As the crew prepares for the next set of photos, Ricky queues up his favorite songs, sometimes dancing along as well. “I need to turn on my music so that I can feel myself and get confident,” he says. His playlist consists of R&B, mainly throwbacks that came out when he was just five years old — he says it's the only music he listens to.
ZEROBASEONE is currently promoting its first full-length album, Never Say Never, and it seems Ricky is taking that title to heart. When told about fans joking that he's looking more and more like a C-drama actor every day, he chuckles. “Really? Maybe a long way in the future, yeah," he says. "It's not going to happen soon, but yeah, I have thoughts of doing it in the future.”
Ricky is not quite ready to share his upcoming plans, especially as fans eagerly wait to see whether the group members renew their contracts and continue as ZEROBASEONE or part ways at the end of the year. In the meantime, he says, “I just want to keep doing what I want to, and have the power to promote the music and styles that I love and respect. I want to be [like] those kinds of people that can just straight do what I want to do and show what I want to show.”
Though he doesn't know exactly what that looks like yet, he knows he wants it to be something new and unique to others — and also to himself: “I don't like the idea of being the same," Ricky says, "same as others, and same as the past me.”
He continues, “I'm always exploring various sides of myself that I can show, the other sides of me. Not just looking for new sides, but to develop new things I can show that I'm good at. I've always been focusing on music and performances that I truly love and respect. I know it takes time and experience to actually reach this level, but that's where I want to go as an artist.”
Photographer Andy Jackson
First Assistant Justin Yoon
Second Assistant Louis Olazo Calata
Lighting Tech Sangwoo Suh
Stylist SK Tang
Stylist Assistant Juliana Navaa Prado
Hair Kim Jooyeon
Makeup Hwang Yeonjin
Location Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel
Production Assistant Cooper Shepard
Art and Design Director Emily Zirimis
Senior Designer Liz Coulbourn
Associate Visuals Editor Bea Oyster
Global Fashion Director Tchesmeni Leonard
Associate Fashion Editor Samantha Gasmer
Assistant Fashion Editor Crystal Okonkwo
Style Director Alyssa Hardy
Editor at Large Sara Delgado
Associate Fashion & Beauty Editor Donya Momenian
Associate Editor Aiyana Ishmael
Associate Director of Audience Development and Analytics Mandy Velez Tatti
Senior Social Media Manager Honestine Fraser
Senior Social Media Manager Jillian Selzer
