Sir John

Biography

Sir John Barnett (born July 1, 1982), known professionally as Sir John, is a make-up artist, activist, influencer, and executive. He is best known for being a creative collaborator and make-up artist of Beyoncé.

Among those he has done make-up work for include Naomi Campbell, Serena Williams, Chrissy Teigen, Priyanka Chopra, Margot Robbie, Zendaya, Naomi Osaka, Mary J Blige, Iman, Celine Dion, Viola Davis, Erykah Badu, Joan Smalls, and Kat Graham.

Sir John is a creative director for L'Oreal Paris USA and the Chief creative officer of CTZN Cosmetics.

Sir John was born in Buffalo, New York. He took an interest in art at an 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. His friend, a catalog model, invited him to accompany her to a photo shoot for an upcoming spread.

The make-up artist for the shoot canceled at the last minute and the shoot photographer, recognizing that Sir John studied art, offered him the opportunity to do his friend's 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 19, Sir John was transferred to work at MAC's SoHo Bloomingdales location in New York City.

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.