How Katie Jane Hughes Became The Internet’s Go-To Makeup Artist

I caught up with celebrity and editorial makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes in L.A. while she was in glam-tour mode with Dua Lipa, and we went deep on career longevity, the internet’s role in her rise, and why her namesake line, KJH Brand, is built to teach—not just “trend.”

When I asked how posting changed her bookings, Katie didn’t hesitate. Early on, when legacy shoots felt out of reach, she treated her feed like a living portfolio. “My page became my editorial,” she told me, a place to set her own brief, show technique, and get discovered by celebrity teams. She still swears by artists sharing work on themselves; it demystifies the process for clients and doubles as a lookbook they can point to on set.

If you follow Katie, you know the mantra: skin should look like skin, even with coverage and color. One of my favorite corrections she made to my routine is simple brushwork: press and tap product in instead of swiping it around. And while she’s not anti-primer, Katie believes “priming starts with skincare,” emphasizing the importance of cleanser, moisturizer, and smart layering over extra steps.

I asked what pushed her to create a line when her career was already thriving. Her answer: Education. Every formula is designed to be teachable and multi-use, with adjustable application for different skin types. Her Soft Smudge Blush (I love the shade Soft Raisin) took years to perfect—it gives that diffused, powdery-meets-creamy payoff that stays put and doubles on lips with a balm or serum. She also let me play with Precision micro-contour crayons for underpainting eyes and lips, plus a clear brow gel that she describes, simply, as “a damn good brow gel”, no gimmicks, just hold and flexibility.

We talked shade development, and I loved her philosophy: start deeper and work to fair. “If it works on melanated complexions, you can always shear it down,” Katie said, pushing brands to build equity into product design—not tack it on at the end. Her PD process includes testing across tones and tapping makeup artists of color on the core team.

KJH Brand is self-funded so far, and Katie’s considering Sephora for 2026—whether to debut on a smaller discovery shelf or go big with a full bay that tells the brand story. It’s thrilling and terrifying, she admitted; beauty ops mean long lead times, lots of POs, and real capital discipline. Her husband, Tarek, runs the finance side. As founders, they’re learning to set boundaries, take 15-minute walks, and communicate like a true startup.

Katie wants more of us playing with color—starting small. Try a mossy green or rust liner, a single wash of berry on the lid, or a taupe-y contour crayon as a subtle lip overliner (“aim for your volume lip line, not just the pigmented border”). And her reminder I cosign: it’s makeup. It washes off.

We swapped innovation picks during our chat. On the list: the new Danessa Myricks blurring setting spray that leaves a soft-focus finish; Glossier’s ultra-precise brow pencil with a built-in sharpener; Violette_FR’s buildable eye paints (that royal-blue moment!); Fara Homidi’s dual-finish concealer/balm compact for custom coverage; and a new reparative moisturizer from iS Clinical that makes every base sit better.

When I asked when she feels most beautiful, Katie said it’s when she has an hour to herself to create something bold and share it with her community. It tracks: the career, the content, the company—teach, experiment, include, and make skin look like skin.

Listen to my full conversation with Katie Jane Hughes on Naked Beauty →