FACE BEAT FOR AFRICA

Makeup artist to the stars Sir John and musician, author and radio host Unathi Nkayi are bringing the Sir John and Woolworths W.Beauty makeup range to life with an exciting new campaign, setting the tone for a new dawn for African beauty.

- THOBEKA PHANYEKO

BECOMING SIR JOHN

Sir John’s striking features and alluring demeanour are enough to intimidate anyone, but he has a gentle aura that soothed me on the day of the shoot. When I call him at 9am (LA time), I’m expecting to hear him easing into the day, but he answers his phone with the same high energy he had when we met back in Cape Town, setting the tone for a lively conversation, starting with how he became a makeup artist to the stars.

“I was raised by a single mom who did what she loved,” he says.

Attending art school when he was six allowed him to express himself, a passion he continued to pursue, even in tertiary education. He attended a private university, but he had to drop out because it was too expensive. But his dreams hadn’t ended; they were only just beginning. Discovering makeup when he started his career at the age of 19, he learnt that art extends beyond canvas and paint.

I’M FOR INCLUSIVITY

“I have a social responsibility to be the ultimate professional because not only do I represent myself, but also women of colour from around the world,” he says. It means a great deal to Sir John, who’s self-taught, to be considered the go-to makeup guy, not just for celebrities but also for women of colour. He’s aware these women look to him to help them feel included. “I don’t create beautiful things for the European market alone,” he says. “Women from America, India, Pakistan and South Africa are looking at me, like, what do you have for us?”

The Sir John and Woolworths W.Beauty Volume 3 range caters to women with all skin types.