Sir John (make-up artist)

Sir John was born in Buffalo, New York. He took interest in art at early age—receiving formal training from the age of six. Sir John honed his skillset at the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (BAVPA). At the age of eighteen, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, following his passion for art, to study art history, printmaking, and sculpture at American InterContinental University. While in Atlanta, Sir John serendipitously discovered a love for make-up. The following week, the photographer invited Sir John to work on another photo shoot, and soon introduced Sir John to some of his friends in the cosmetic industry; this led to his first full-time job at a local make-up counter for MAC Cosmetics. At the age of 23, he pivoted into visual merchandising and executed displays for Barneys New York, Henri Bendel, Bergdorf Goodman, and Gucci. Concurrently, he moonlighted as a make-up artist at the Riviera Gentlemen's Club in Astoria, Queens. == Career ==

Pat McGrath and Charlotte Tilbury In 2010, while on a lunch break, Sir John ran into his old friend Yadim Carranza—a make-up artist that he knew from his time at MAC and a lead assistant of British make-up artist Pat McGrath. This encounter led to an opportunity to work as a make-up artist under the wing of Pat McGrath—first in Bryant Park, New York City, and, shortly thereafter, during Milan Fashion Week. In Milan, Sir John served as a make-up artist at his first show ever, the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show. He also worked Prada's fashion show and, at Bulgari Hotel Milano, with his first celebrity client, Naomi Campbell. In 2012, Sir John signed an agreement with Beyoncé to become her make-up artist. Her make-up was lauded as an "insanely gorgeous coppery dream of a makeup look" by Cosmopolitan, "#flawless" by Glamour, and one of the "most memorable Super Bowl beauty moments" by Allure. During the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show, Beyoncé announced her seventh concert tour, in support of her sixth studio album Lemonade, The Formation World Tour. The Formation World Tour and Lemonade Sir John conceived and fine tuned her look for 49 sold-out shows, spanning 16 countries. The palette for The Formation World Tour consisted of warmer tones—bronze and terracotta shades. In alignment with Beyonce's 2016 Elle US, UK, and France magazine covers, Sir John focused on skin glow and naturalness. According to Sir John, he wanted Beyoncé to " look like a college girl on campus", a look that was inspired by the 1988 film School Daze. 60th Annual Grammy Awards That same year he partnered with Beyoncé to help create three looks for the pre-Grammy Roc Nation Brunch, 2018 Clive Davis Recording Academy Gala, and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. American Beauty Star Sir John became an executive producer (alongside Adriana Lima, Norton Herrick, and Ross Elliot) and in-show mentor for an American competition reality television series on Lifetime, American Beauty Star. The series ran for two seasons—Sir John was a mentor during both seasons—and featured Adriana Lima, Ashley Graham, Christie Brinkley, Russell James, and Yu Tsai. Executive leadership In 2015, Sir John was named a creative director for L’Oréal Paris USA, making him the brand's first Black creative director in the United States. In 2022, he was tapped as Chief creative officer of CTZN Cosmetics. == Make-up work ==

In 2016, Sir John was crowned InStyle Makeup Artist of the Year. == Personal life ==

Sir John currently resides in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California. == References ==