As the man behind Beyoncé’s jewel-toned eyes and high-impact lips, which characterized her Mrs. Carter tour and last year’s string of On the Run performances with Jay Z, the makeup artist Sir John is one of the beauty world’s best-kept secrets. But all that changes today, when L’Oréal Paris announces the rising star as its new celebrity makeup artist.
It’s a big moment for the thirty-something New York native, who earnestly admits that he had “no knowledge of what mascara was” until a few years ago. As an art school student based in Atlanta, Sir John got his start while sitting in on a catalogue shoot. When the makeup artist canceled, “I pieced together what the model had in her bag—I used my fingers, no brushes,” he recalls of filling in on the spot and finding that he had a knack for color.
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That’s not the only fortuitous twist of fate that put Sir John’s career into fast-forward. When he relocated to New York City at age 20, he got a window dressing job at Henri Bendel on something of a whim. It led to a visual merchandising job at Gucci, which was followed by an appointment with Pat McGrath that was set up by his long-time friend, and fellow editorial makeup artist, Yadim. (“We met at the MAC counter in Atlanta over a decade ago,” Sir John confirms.) A flurry of backstage gigs with McGrath, as well as the makeup whiz Charlotte Tilbury, brought Sir John face-to-face with Beyoncé at Tom Ford’s spring 2011 show; a couple of years later, the singer asked him to join her on tour. “We shot videos all over the world. It was such a great experience,” he says of traversing the globe with the superstar and L’Oréal Paris ambassador. It was also where he got his first “honest” look at the company’s color arsenal. “I’ve come to love the brand through her eyes,” he admits, calling out Bey’s favorite Infallible lip color line, which Sir John insists does not rub off on microphones, and is “worth its weight in gold”—or gold-sequined bodysuits as the case may be.
His other current kit staples include L’Oréal Voluminous Original Mascara, which his mother wore, and the brand’s new La Palette Nude eye shadows. “I like emotional connections and that starts with the eyes,” he says. It’s that kind of passion that Sir John will be bringing to his new role, which will include “getting [his] hands dirty” in product development and adding a “cool, modern, digital” approach to the company’s upcoming launches. “We’re putting a fun new spin on things,” he promises. “That’s where I come in.”
The post Exclusive! Beyoncé’s Makeup Artist, Sir John, Joins L’Oréal Paris appeared first on Vogue.
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