Working with stars like Tyla, JT, Rico Nasty and Amaarae, the make-up artist known as Jean aims to invoke a visceral effect
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Jeanette Williams, simply known as “Jean”, has built a signature look that is undeniably vixen. Pencil-thin brows, razor-sharp eyeliner, boldly lined lips and doll-like lashes are key features of the make-up artist’s style. But while that might recall “bimbos” of the past, Jeans turns the aesthetic on its head, giving the characters she creates more mysterious – at times edgy, at times middle America – storylines, which she’s often shot and directed herself. Her multidisciplinary portfolio, which spans stars like Tyla, JT, Rico Nasty and Amaarae, layers unusual colour palettes with mundane suburban settings and low-fi photography to give an edge to the traditional restrictive scripts.
Growing up in the Southside of Chicago, her make-up style is a blend of her city’s rich culture, Black women, and cinematic movement. Since she was a child, Jean, now 25, has been intensely training in various dance techniques, from ballet to improv, making stage make-up the foundation of her work as an artist. But it wasn’t until she moved to New York that a small make-up kit, her ideas, and Instagram launched her career as we know it. “I just kept doing good make-up and didn’t stop,” she tells Dazed.
Although she’s predominantly known for her alternative approach to make-up – turning model Dosha Deng into an objectified, glass-faced mannequin, giving Bloody Clip juicy lips and Cindy Kimberly tear-streaked panda eyes – her discipline expands far past her brushstroke. From artistic directing a Topicals campaign starring Chxrry to cutting Tyla’s bowl cut for her latest tour announcement, in true Piscean fashion, Williams has a hand in building multiple worlds at once. But there is always a common thread: highlighting the beauty and achievements of the Black women around her, and inspiring people with her work. “I want my art to invoke a visceral effect on those who relate to it.”
Read on for more of Jean’s favourite things, her upcoming tour with Rico Nasty, and more.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you grew up?
Jean: I’m Jean, a 25-year-old Pisces from the south side of Chicago. I grew up around my mother and grandparents in the city. Chicago culture is so rich. Music, dance and arts were always around and a part of my upbringing. The community where I’m from is mainly Black, with nail and beauty shops and beauty supply stores nearby.
How did you get into make-up artistry?
Jean: Make-up for stage and dance performance is really where I refined my style and technique. After college, I decided I wanted to move to New York to pursue multiple artistic and production disciplines. I kind of just started with a small make-up kit, my ideas and Instagram. I just kept doing good make-up and didn’t stop. Most of the jobs I work have been through repeating clients, referral or organic interactions.
What’s your earliest beauty-related memory?
Jean: My grandma was a Mary Kay sales representative so at maybe five or six years old I would sit up early with her watching her “make her face up” for the day, usually watching The View on TV. My grandmother had a beautiful deep skin tone, rich berry blushes, terra-cotta bronzers, and a good mineral powder foundation were always her essentials. I remember the care and time she always put into making up her face.
What’s been your career highlight so far?
Jean: Getting the privilege to work with Black artists and muses consistently my entire career is definitely an overall highlight for me. Some favourite faces like The Clermont Twins, Tyla, Aweng and Dream Doll were all a glam highlight for me. And two other highlights do come to mind: one would be working and touring with JT, she’s such an enigma and it’s been really impactful seeing what she’s accomplished and is constantly pushing forward. That experience led me to go on my second tour with Amaarae, opening for Sabrina Carpenter, and now my upcoming third tour with Rico Nasty, which I’m already certain will be a career highlight. Rico is one of my favourite artists ever; I’m really honoured to do make-up for her.
Describe your beauty aesthetic in three words.
Jean: Cinematic, vixen, alternative.
Which fictional character do you most relate to and why?
Jean: A mix between one of the hex girls from Scooby-Doo and Alex from Totally Spies!
Who is your beauty icon?
Jean: I have to be cliché and say Rihanna, my Pisces sister. I think she’s just been the blueprint for so long. From the start, she’s been her. I just love what she’s contributed to beauty.
What is your current obsession?
Jean: Boba and a joint… I’m super obsessed with winter melon black tea or lychee long boba.
What does beauty mean to you?
Jean: To me, beauty is a double-edged sword. It’s self-satisfaction, attention to detail, creativity, but it’s also sacrifice, maintenance and demanding.
When do you feel most beautiful?
Jean: I actually feel most beautiful when I catch myself feeling tired or bored with the way I am presenting, but really it’s just time for me to shift into a new era and experiment with new character modifications. I always feel really good about myself, being able to be authentically me, just reinvented every time I feel like it.
Are you optimistic about the future?
Jean: I try to be optimistic about the future, but I’m such a realist. It can be hard with the way the world is. But if my thoughts are as powerful as I hope they are, I do think optimistically about the future as much as I can.
What is the future of beauty?
Jean: The future of beauty is wherever Black women decide to lead it. Honestly. We’re always at the forefront of beauty, and also the blueprint for beauty trends.
It’s 30 years from now. You stumble home at 3am and catch your reflection in the fridge door. What do you look like?
Jean: I’ll be in my 50s, so I imagine I’ll still have my over-plucked eyebrows, eyebrow ring, and over-lined brown lips. I’ve been doing my skincare since 2016, so my skin is still giving, and I’ll probably have on some dark eyeliner and smudged all my beauty marks I drew on with my eyeliner. Oh, and hair is giving pixie cut moment.
You encounter a hostile alien race and sound is their only mechanism for communication. What song would you play to them to inspire them to spare you and the rest of the human race?
Jean: ”Check it out” by Nicki Minaj & Will.i.am
You have to replace part of your body with that of an animal or a mythological creature. What do you go for and why?
Jean: Fairy wings would eat, no more trains or Uber rides… duh.