Not to sound cliché, but Joanna Simkin’s passion for makeup began as a child in a coloring book. Luckily, her passion for staying in the lines ended by the time she reached high school, where serious art classes became the forefront of her studies in San Francisco. She flourished as an art scholar and was awarded a prestigious honor, winning a citywide art contest.

 

Upon graduation, she followed her artistic drive to the Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing in New York City. During her studies, to pay the bills, she took a job at the makeup counter of Estee Lauder. Within a year, her budding skill set as a makeup artist noticeably drove business. Her ability to keep faces, fresh, natural, yet still pretty, didn’t go unnoticed, and landed her a job at the famed John Barrett Salon at Bergdorf Goodman.

 

While at John Barrett, she was recruited as a consultant for skin care line Carol’s Daughter. A team of celebrity investors, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige, soon acquired the brand and, as the company grew, so did her responsibilities. By her fifth year she held the title of Director of Marketing and Publicity. In that position, Joanna had the opportunity to cultivate strong relationships with many entertainment partners, A-List celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies. Between styling shoots for the brand, and constant travel, both her desire to be back on the creative side of the beauty industry and an itch to return to the west coast were ignited.

 

Armed with an impressive rolodex and a desire to leverage it, Joanna moved to Los Angeles and hit the ground running as a full time makeup artist. Immediately engulfed in photo shoots, production, and red carpet events, in two short years her resume now boasted Department Head positions on commercials for brands like McDonalds, Old Navy, Canon, and a campaign of commercials for Mercedes-Benz starring Kobe Bryant. Joanna has been commissioned for projects of mega pop stars Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and most recently the Marvel/Paramount Pictures feature “Thor”.

 

Joanna credits notable makeup artists Scott Barnes and Pat McGrath as her inspirations. Both their creativity and professionalism are qualities Joanna sees in herself. Joanna’s attention to detail spawned her mantra, which is: “No Photoshop Necessary.”

 

Joanna is a special request for mega stars such as Selita Ebanks, Nicki Minaj, and Estelle. Interestingly, her talented “Skin should look like skin” approach has made her a constant request for male superstars Idris Elba, Lupe Fiasco, TI, Snoop Dogg, and more.