How Makeup Artist Sir John Recovered from Burnout — and How He's Helping Others Prioritize Wellness Now (Exclusive)

Sir John is the mastermind behind countless unforgettable makeup moments.

His work — as former creative director of L’Oréal Paris, chief creative officer for CTZN Cosmetics and mentor on the Lifetime TV series American beauty staras well as backstage at fashion week, for magazines, on campaigns, on sets, on tour and in the privacy of celebrity homes before red carpets — she took him around the world and back again.

But today, current creative director Killian Paris is in his spacious, sun-drenched LA studio where he creates content and nurtures relationships, to talk about what’s next to add to his resume.

The makeup artist heads to the Canyon Ranch Lenox Resort in Massachusetts from October 20-25 to participate in the Enchant Beauty Festival.

The six-day event includes archery to zip lines and everything in between, including a talk with a professional called “Beauty is a Feeling.”

“I always talk about the fact that beauty is a feeling,” says Sir John. “It has to do with identity and the mental health aspect: Why do we put on mascara? Why do we need a concealer? I think it’s important to start revealing how we feel about what we see — these are conversations we need to normalize. Because the way mom sees herself, that’s how her daughter will see herself.”

Make-up artist Sir John.

Courtesy of Sir John

While millions of people rely on aspects of the beauty industry every day, some people don’t think they are influenced by it. That’s simply not true, says Sir John. “I’ve talked to a few people who have said, ‘Oh, beauty doesn’t affect me.’ But if you spray the scent, it affects your mental health. If you walk by a building and you see that you’re having a good hair day, it moves the needle for you.”

Today more than ever, Sir John feels that beauty and well-being are intertwined. “There is really a shorter distance, if no space, between them. When we think about one, we also think about the other.”

Therefore, everyone can benefit from a “vibe check” every now and then, including a beauty expert who shared that he once had an honest conversation with himself about the landscape of beauty and his place in it for his own well-being.

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“This is what I say to younger beauty professionals: in a way, we are servants of talent. We give a lot of ourselves, and most of the time we work on someone’s crown chakra, so energy is very important. And, for so long, most of my work has been kind of non-verbal in the sense that we read the room to understand what our clients need, and sometimes we can suffer from burnout,” says Sir John.

“I suffered from severe burnout for a while and started to lose some of my magic. I knew I had to take better care of myself because I was giving so much of myself to everyone else and losing what I loved about what I was doing. So, someone told me to do an artist residency and go on a trip just for inspiration to energize myself. As creatives, we never prioritize this space.”

The experience was a catalyst “for more careful practices about how to keep yourself stable,” Sir John shares.

Canyon Ranch Lenox.

Courtesy of Canyon Ranch

Canyon Ranch’s event will strive to help its guests re-energize through multiple programming options for mind, body and spirit recovery. In addition to Sir John’s talk, tastemakers such as Rachel Roy and her daughter Ava Dash, celebrity trainer Dani Coleman and more.

Beauty and wellness have a history of exclusivity. These are the obstacles that Sir John is actively working to remove. “When we think of wellness providers, we think of a certain aspirational lifestyle that most BIPOC communities didn’t feel they were necessarily called to. But mental health is very important to me. I worked with BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective) and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and [in doing so] I realized that all these things we do are really starting to affect our mental health. So as a beauty professional and as someone who is really vocal in our culture, it’s my job to shift some of this so that it’s not so transactional and superficial, but starts to be a little more reflective and healing.”

Canyon Ranch Lenox.

Courtesy of Canyon Ranch

For her wellness routine, the beauty guru says she starts in the morning with mindful exercises. “I sound like I’m taking a bath. I know it sounds woo-woo, but I’ve found it really calms my nervous system. Then I put my crystals in the sun,” he says. “I also use my Medicube, which is a serious little facial tool from Korea. Then I put my grills on.”

“Back in 2021, I coined a term called ‘dopamine glam’. We’re in a space where everyone chooses something — nail color or eye shadow — that makes them feel something. With the dopamine life, set up your day so you can have little pockets of joy, like Pac-Man in the 1980s.”

For Sir John, this ranges from making his own flower arrangements to working out with his trainer in his backyard with his dog nearby.

She has methods for managing stress, like cooking or clearing out after a bad call or Zoom.

Canyon Ranch Lenox.

Courtesy of Canyon Ranch

A change in environment has a great effect on his state of consciousness. “Before I became a makeup artist, I did window dressing at Barney’s, Bergdorf Goodman and, remember Henry Bendel? I was a merchandiser there for a while. Then I went across the street to Gucci. Changing your environment, moving things around the house, changing your vision can completely change your state of mind to a great extent. So if you want a big, huge, not even a dopamine hit, a serotonin rush because it’s more sustainable over a long period of time, change your environment. Keep moving things.”

When it comes to his best advice these days, Sir John focuses on the inside out. “I love makeup, but what really worries me at this great age of mine is gut health, what I do to eat my skin care. I want to be here for a long time.”

This does not mean that he never indulges in his favorite things. “I still like the seven-cheese mac and cheese,” he laughs. “I still like all things and I like tequila, but just without the salt around the rim.”

Make-up artist Sir John.

Courtesy of Sir John

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When Sir John heads to the Berkshires in a few weeks, he says: “I’m looking forward to the community, I love dialogue, I love talking. You know what I realized? There is more power in my voice, or what I can say, than in anything I can do with my hands.”

More than 150 people registered to participate in the event. Book your place here.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education