<p>The makeup artist speaks with <em>L'OFFICIEL</em> about finding power in his voice, the importance of self-care, and his favorite Beyonc&eacute; beauty look.</p>

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      <p><span>Makeup artist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sirjohn/">Sir John</a> is the man responsible for some of Hollywood&rsquo;s most iconic beauty looks, working his magic on names like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/beyonce-parfum-new-perfume-ce-noir-details" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyoncé</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/naomi-campbell-most-iconic-90s-catwalk-moments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naomi Campbell</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/iman-style-moments-david-bowie-runway-model-young" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iman</a>, Joan Smalls, and Jessica Alba. </span></p>
      <p><span>&ldquo;I knew I was onto something when I was meaningfully impacting how people felt through my artistry,&rdquo; Sir John tells <em>L'OFFICIEL</em>. &ldquo;In my 20s, I felt a universal alignment, which presented the coolest opportunities. I was working with Charlotte Tilbury, Pat McGrath, and Sam Fine as an editorial assistant during the day on the most elaborate sets with iconic photographers while also doing makeup at a club in Queens at night.&rdquo; </span></p>
      <p><span>He adds: &ldquo;I remember telling myself, &lsquo;Okay, my life is changing.&rsquo; I was in a different space daily, meeting new people and forming new relationships. Every day was truly the first day at school, being invited back each day to unleash more impact.&rdquo; </span></p>
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      <p>L'OFFICIEL: <em>Besides being a celebrity makeup artist, you also hold titles including Makeup Creative Director for Global Brands at Kilian Paris Beauty. How has life changed for you since taking on these roles? </em></p>
      <strong> </strong>
      <p><span>Sir John: What I know now that I didn&rsquo;t know then is that my voice is the strongest thing that I have. My voice is more powerful than my hands. When I speak of my voice, it&rsquo;s not so much about how my language comes out, it&rsquo;s what I do with it. It&rsquo;s my advocacy. It&rsquo;s how I use my platform and the spaces </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">that I worked to be in, to hold space and create more space for people who look like myself &mdash; for people who are not always invited to the party. No matter if it&rsquo;s popular or not. That&rsquo;s the work, that&rsquo;s the goal.</span></p>
      <p><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">L'O: <em>How would you describe your creative process?</em></span></p>
      <p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">SJ: It depends on the project. As a creative director, I like to understand all the components involved. I am a team player; whether it&rsquo;s a photographer, model, or editor that I am working with, I find it important to go into their world and collaborate. It creates a beautiful synergy that translates into beautiful outcomes.</span></p>
      <p><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">For me individually, I am an analog guy in a digital world. What&rsquo;s energizing to the soul is what I heard <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/dapper-dan-harlem-influence-fashion-gucci-logo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dapper Dan</a> say recently at an award ceremony, which is: &ldquo;We learn and we recycle from our culture. We are constantly inspired by the people.&rdquo; When I think of the people, I think of the democracy of social media. I think of everyone having a voice, everyone needing to be seen, to feel something. That&rsquo;s the inspiration for my creative process. Black culture.</span></p>
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      <p>L'O: <em>Tell us about some of your favorite experiences working with celebrity clients.</em></p>
      <p><span>SJ: What I&rsquo;m fueled and inspired by is strong women and how they maneuver and operate in all walks of life. It&rsquo;s really great to be around </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">A-list talent but I&rsquo;m more inspired by the tenacity and the flexibility of the everyday woman and what she brings to the table, and how that re-energizes all of us.</span></p>
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            <p>L'O: <em>Out of all the looks you&rsquo;ve done on your celebrity clients, which are you most proud of?</em></p>
            <p><span>I love <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/beyonce-jay-z-tiffany-and-co-about-love-campaign-fall-winter-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyoncé&rsquo;s first iconic Tiffany campaign</a>. There&rsquo;s a moment of her wearing a matching white dress and stole that I&rsquo;m particularly fond of. In general, when I look at the archive of my work in my office, it warms my heart that I&rsquo;ve been adjacent to punctuations in time. </span></p>
            <p>L'O: <em>What are some of your biggest takeaways from working in the industry for as long as you have?</em></p>
            <p><span></span><span>SJ: One of the largest assets I have is relationships. The way I show up every day and how I treat people is my calling card and the cornerstone of my reputation &mdash; personal branding. Before social media, I understood the value of and respect around your name and how to protect it. Respect and hard work are aligned and go hand in hand. </span></p>
            <p><span>The biggest thing I learned in this business is knowing your value. You have to have an unwavering faith in yourself. Know what you stand for and what you don&rsquo;t. Somewhere in the middle, you&rsquo;ll find the confidence </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">to advocate for yourself in the most graceful and diplomatic ways that translate from Harlem to Hong Kong.</span></p>
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      <p>L'O: <em>Walk us through your beauty routine.</em></p>
      <p><span></span><span>SJ: I believe in changing skincare for the timezone that I&rsquo;m in. It changes based on weather and humidity. At the moment, I&rsquo;m packing for <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/celebrities-at-paris-fashion-week-spring-summer-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paris Fashion Week</a> so I&rsquo;m looking for more emollient moisturizers and alpha-hydroxy and beta-hydroxy toners. This is a great time for me to jump into a great mild chemical exfoliator that sloughs off all the dead skin cells and fun of summer. And then a Shani Darden eye cream does help. </span></p>
      <p>L'O: <em>What are the beauty products you swear by?</em></p>
      <p><span></span><span>SJ: Supergoop <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/best-foundations-with-spf-sunscreen-ilia-armani-milk-makeup-nars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sunscreen</a> all year round. Black doesn&rsquo;t crack but it can sag. I believe heavily in what I ingest so I believe in fortifying my skin from the inside out. Kale is rich in Vitamin K, which speeds up circulation to prevent dark circles or lackluster skin. I love carrots and beats because they increase oxygen in your blood; the beta-carotene from carrots also increases cell turnover which makes your skin brilliant, alive, and energized. So all </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">of these things add to your overall complexion as a whole and they have nothing to do with makeup.</span></p>
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<p>L'O: <em>Lastly, what are some makeup tips you think everyone should know?</em></p>
<p><span>SJ: I don&rsquo;t believe in trends when it comes to makeup. For me, do whatever makes you feel cooler, sexier, and anchored in yourself. However, there are some things that are just not okay! [he laughs] Don&rsquo;t use the wrong color of foundation or lashes that are too heavy.</span></p>
<p><span>Choose to put effort into your self-care. Beauty is such a strong vehicle for emotion. When it comes to beauty, anyone can take lipstick or a little mascara and reveal the best version of themselves.</span></p>
<p><span>Overall, we are all affected by beauty. The better you feel about what you see, the more you&rsquo;ll be in touch with it. So, it&rsquo;s our job to figure out how to move that needle emotionally inside for all of us. That&rsquo;s universal.</span></p>

Sir John. (Photo courtesy of Sir John)

Makeup Artist Sir John On Working With Beyoncé, Black Culture, and Knowing Your Value

L'OFFICIEL USA December 2024 - Julianne Moore Cover

Makeup Artist Sir John On Working With Beyoncé, Black Culture, and Knowing Your Value

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