Known around town as the “Brow Resuscitator,” Joy is notorious for saving brows from the dangers of overzealous pluckers and waxers. And while some may think the art of brow is frivolous, Joy knows better. “The brow is the primary architecture of the face,” she reveals.
Joy emphasizes that the right width and angle of the brow gives proper balance to a face. “Rounding brows make a face look wider, brows too skinny can add age,” she details. “Angles are important, but not triangles—soft arches are best. People need an eyebrow that frames the eyes and has a natural fullness rather than a skinny tadpole.”
The stylist fell in love with makeup as a teenager. She taped up photographs of Sophia Loren and taught herself to recreate the star’s almond cat eyes. She started her career at the Jon Peters Salon, building a loyal client base and pushing the envelope in the art of makeup technique.
When she decided to open a store of her own, she knew she would be taking a risk. “For me it was all about the creative side, finding the most beautiful part of a woman and showing it off,” she divulges. “I had no idea how to start a business.”
Luckily, her combination of creativity and personal service has led to success. LA insiders and famous faces like Lucy Liu, Scarlett Johansson and Dolly Parton flock to her intimate Beverly Hills salon for custom-blended foundations, shadows and dessert-scented glosses.
Her passion for color development is both artistic and pragmatic. She explains that custom blending her products creates new and exclusive “in-between” shades. In addition, she says that the right colors make the face look healthy and rested. “Trends are only a suggestion. The person who knows what’s best for her always looks good,” she explains.
In a sense, the Beverly Hills-based beautician is guided by the essence of her subjects. “You have to know the person you’re doing—what their coloring is, how comfortable they feel with make-up, their whole personality,” she says. “In a way, you really have to be a kind of therapist.”
Photos by Jillian E. Sorkin
