PDA! Dancing! Benny Blanco Bidding Big! Inside Selena Gomez's Rare Impact Fund Benefit

At her third annual Rare Impact Fund Benefit on Wednesday evening, Selena Gomez s voice could be heard playing on a loop throughout Los Angeles Nya Studios West—but for once, it wasn t her chart-topping music. “What if I’m not enough? Does this really matter? Will people even hear me? You can’t make a difference,” the singer could be heard questioning herself, vulnerably.

“It’s creepy to hear my own voice, but I’ve asked myself those words more times than I can count—and I believed them,” the newly-wed star admitted to a crowd of 400 attendees at a cocktail party organized to raise funds for her mental health awareness foundation. “The voices felt extremely loud and it was almost impossible for me to push back. But, I’m still here and I’ve learned that those voices are not where I’m at. When they do come back, I answer louder. But, it’s still a weird and hard topic. Tonight is about proving that progress is possible.”

Radiant in a custom Danielle Frankel dress and EFFY diamond earrings, the Rare Beauty founder told Vogue that the philanthropic arm of her work is what continues to fuel her. “Creating a cosmetics brand is really cool, but to have a purpose behind it actually makes it much more worth it,” she said. Standing adjacent to the suitably bright and sunset-hued arrivals carpet, she added, “Sometimes the glitz and glam of it is worth the [tireless] work that we are doing behind the scenes. Tonight is absolutely one of the most important nights of my life. Honestly, if I fell off the world tomorrow, I hope this is the mark I ve left—for young people and mental health.”

Gomez kicked off the bash on stage with candid remarks. Her openness about her struggles with mental health has already helped millions of people cope with the isolating experiences of anxiety, depression, and other conditions. And she has further harnessed the power of self-belief and self-acceptance against adversity when it comes to building Rare Beauty, which infuses the world of color cosmetics with the power of positive conversations and individuality. “Five years ago the Rare Impact Fund was just an idea formed from a promise to make mental health resources accessible, to break the stigma, and to help young people feel seen, known, and loved. To see how far we’ve come from our first gala, nothing has made me feel prouder than what I have been able to do with the Rare Impact Fund. It’s the most incredible feeling,” Gomez added.