Naked Beauty Podcast: “Katie Jane Hughes on Being Your Own Canvas”

Host: Brooke DeVard
Guest: Katie Jane Hughes (Makeup Artist & Founder of KJH Brand)
Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Naked Beauty sees host Brooke DeVard welcoming back renowned British makeup artist and founder Katie Jane Hughes. Together, they dive into what it means to build a beauty community, innovate in the ever-demanding world of cosmetics, and truly use your face as a creative canvas. From developing inclusive products to changing the narrative around influencer-artists, Katie shares an honest, inside look at her career journey, business challenges, and creative philosophy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building a Community and Brand (00:08–04:56)

Katie’s Background & Impact: Famed for her editorial and celebrity work (Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, etc.) and viral beauty tutorials, Katie champions the “skin should look like skin” philosophy.
Time & Patience: Both agree on how slow authentic growth is.
- Brooke: “I think it’s so important for people to realize how much time it takes to build community... This isn’t like an overnight success." (01:31)
- Katie: “It takes a lot of time.” (01:51)
Life Updates: Katie recently moved to a mid-century modern dream home in New Jersey and is working on balancing her NYC and NJ life.

2. Making a Career in Beauty & The Social Media Advantage (04:43–07:01)

Breaking In: Katie never had a “eureka” career moment; she gradually discovered her path through assisting, learning, and sharing online.
- Katie: “It was never this eureka moment, like, ‘Oh, that could be a job for me.’ It just sort of gradually happened…” (03:56)
Sharing Online: Social media became her portfolio and led to brand opportunities and client work.
- “Instagram became this channel that allowed for me to put out into the world my own version of editorial… my Instagram page and feed became my editorial opportunity for myself.” (05:50)
- Despite initial stigma about artists painting their own faces, Katie stands by this approach for visibility and client bookings.

3. Education & Destigmatizing Makeup (07:01–09:35)

Teaching as Empowerment: Katie’s content focuses on making makeup approachable (“helping people achieve wing liner on hooded eyes” etc.).
- “Education is a great way to get out of your head... Think about how many people you can help.” (07:59 – Brooke)
- Katie often “clapbacks” constructively to challenge gatekeeping around “what is wedding makeup.”
Technique Tips: Game-changing advice includes pushing makeup into the skin, not just sweeping, and rethinking primers.
- “Swiping and sweeping—you’re actually taking product off and not blending it in.” (09:36)

4. Behind the Scenes—Celebrity Work & Social Skills (11:03–12:51)

How to Go Pro: Visibility on social media directly led to celebrity gigs (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, etc.). Openness and showcasing your personality matter.
The Likeability Factor:
- “Being around fun, easygoing people is as important as skill. Not everyone is for everyone, and that’s OK.” (12:17 – Katie)

5. Brand Creation and Inclusive Innovation (13:08–18:07)

Birth of KJH Brand: The brand was born from a desire to “educate with every product.”
- “If I can educate with it, I’ll make it.” (13:08)
Demonstrating New Products: Katie walks Brooke through her new multipurpose Precision Sculpture Stylo crayons, designed for versatility across skin and feature types.

6. Developing for Inclusivity (16:11–18:07)

Testing Across Tones: Product development begins with deeper (more melanated) tones to ensure true inclusivity.
- “If it works for melanated complexions, it will work for fairer complexions—you can sheer it down or mix it. Makeup artists: stock your kit for Black complexions first.” (17:03–17:46)
Partnering with Team: Katie’s PD team includes perspectives from makeup artists of color for authentic, effective results.

7. Demystifying Color—Getting Comfortable with Play (18:23–19:38)

Katie encourages easing into color (“start slow, sneak in a bit of plum”). Colored liners/mascaras are great entry points.
- “It’s makeup, it washes off.” (18:40)
- Earth tones like green, mustard, and blue are “neutrals because they’re found in nature.” (19:28)

8. What’s Missing from Beauty—Function Over Hype (19:46–22:13)

Artist-Founded Innovation: The best products are usually by makeup artists who understand versatility and performance.
Identifying Gaps: The KJH brand was inspired when Katie realized no highlighter truly worked for both oily and dry skin, so she created a customizable solution.
- “Most things now will have an element where I can say, ‘if you’re dry, use it this way; if you’re oily, use it that way.’” (21:34)

9. Industry Friendship & Female Founder Network (22:23–24:01)

Supported by a “brain trust” of fellow founders like Danessa Myricks, Charlotte Palermino, and others. Katie is especially grateful for Danessa's mentorship, especially negotiating retail launches.
- “There’s nobody like [Danessa Myricks]… so giving with information, so giving with her time, so giving with just love and energy.” (22:32)

10. Behind the Business – Growth, Team & Sephora (23:06–40:01)

Scaling Up: Entering Sephora is daunting and requires financial planning and storytelling.
Product Dev: Takes inspiration from both industry innovation and her own “cocktailing” of formulas at work.
Team Structure: Small team (7–8 people) with varied perspectives, including her husband handling finance and ops.

11. Personal Life, Boundaries, and Mental Health (34:17–36:50)

Working With Husband: Open about the complexities—work/life boundaries are difficult.
Founder Therapy: Considers therapy to help manage couple-business dynamics.

12. IVF Journey and Sharing Vulnerability (34:46–37:39)

Katie’s IVF journey highlights how sharing personal struggles online can create supportive communities, but also exposes one to information overload.
- “Communicating it on social media really helped me because it gave me a huge community of people to talk to about it... It made me feel like I was doing it for other people, therefore making it not much about me anymore.” (35:04–36:07)
She stays “OK with whatever the outcome”—a grounded, process-oriented perspective.

13. Support, Mentorship & Looking Ahead (37:39–41:02)

Support System: Katie credits her sister and husband as her chief supports.
Career Mentoring: She pushes for advice and relationships that foster growth.
Future: Excited about Sephora, holidays at her NJ home, and upcoming product launches (notably, brow gel in three weeks).
- “As a businesswoman, I think I’m more capable of things than I thought I was. But you can’t do everything alone.” (39:37)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Beauty Entrepreneurship:

"Nothing’s really new anymore... if I can make a product that makes somebody go, ‘Ah, that makes sense for me,’ then great." — Katie, 13:08
On Inclusivity:

"Makeup artists: Stock your kit for Black complexions first ... I’m always going deepest to fairest.” — Katie, 17:03
On Failure, Growth, and Social Media:

"It was never this eureka moment ... It just sort of gradually happened.” — Katie, 03:56
On Destigmatizing Sharing:

"Communicating it on social media really helped me because it gave me a huge community ... Me destigmatizing it and making it less abnormal made me feel like I was doing it for other people." — Katie, 35:04
On Product Multi-Use:

"Makeup artists use things in as many ways as they can. So why shouldn’t the general consumer be doing the same thing?" — Katie, 21:39
On Beauty's Functionality:

"Everything’s better with better communication." — Katie, 40:16
When She Feels Most Beautiful:

"I feel most beautiful when I have time to myself and I get to create a really cool, badass makeup look." — Katie, 41:02

Timestamps for Notable Segments

00:08 — Katie’s career recap & the long game in beauty
04:43 — Breaking into makeup as a profession
05:50 — Instagram as portfolio & changing industry norms
09:23 — Practical makeup application: The “push in” technique
13:08 — KJH Brand purpose: education + multi-use
16:36 — Product testing for diverse complexions
18:40 — Easing into color & redefining “neutrals”
19:46 — What’s missing in beauty? Artist-developed, modular products
22:23 — Katie’s founder-friend network (Danessa Myricks, etc.)
23:06 — Sephora ambitions & challenges for an indie brand
28:01 — Formulating star products, e.g. Soft Smudge in Raisin
34:46 — IVF journey: sharing personal vulnerability online
37:39 — Katie’s support system/mentorship philosophy
40:20 — Upcoming launches: new brow gel, more in the pipeline
41:02 — “When do you feel most beautiful?” (last question)

Listener Value/Takeaways

*Beauty careers today blend artistry, entrepreneurship, and community-building, with social media as a catalyst.
*True innovation equals utility and inclusivity—start with underserved needs and expand from there.
*Makeup rules are meant to be challenged—technique, color, and creativity are for everyone.
*Owning your personal narrative, even around vulnerabilities, can be empowering for you and for your community.

For makeup lovers, beauty entrepreneurs, and anyone navigating personal growth through creativity, this episode delivers wisdom, technical advice, and a refreshing perspective from one of the industry’s most candid voices.

Naked Beauty Podcast: “Katie Jane Hughes on Being Your Own Canvas”

Host: Brooke DeVard
Guest: Katie Jane Hughes (Makeup Artist & Founder of KJH Brand)
Date: November 3, 2025

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building a Community and Brand (00:08–04:56)

Katie’s Background & Impact: Famed for her editorial and celebrity work (Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, etc.) and viral beauty tutorials, Katie champions the “skin should look like skin” philosophy.
Time & Patience: Both agree on how slow authentic growth is.
- Brooke: “I think it’s so important for people to realize how much time it takes to build community... This isn’t like an overnight success." (01:31)
- Katie: “It takes a lot of time.” (01:51)
Life Updates: Katie recently moved to a mid-century modern dream home in New Jersey and is working on balancing her NYC and NJ life.

2. Making a Career in Beauty & The Social Media Advantage (04:43–07:01)

Breaking In: Katie never had a “eureka” career moment; she gradually discovered her path through assisting, learning, and sharing online.
- Katie: “It was never this eureka moment, like, ‘Oh, that could be a job for me.’ It just sort of gradually happened…” (03:56)
Sharing Online: Social media became her portfolio and led to brand opportunities and client work.
- “Instagram became this channel that allowed for me to put out into the world my own version of editorial… my Instagram page and feed became my editorial opportunity for myself.” (05:50)
- Despite initial stigma about artists painting their own faces, Katie stands by this approach for visibility and client bookings.

3. Education & Destigmatizing Makeup (07:01–09:35)

Teaching as Empowerment: Katie’s content focuses on making makeup approachable (“helping people achieve wing liner on hooded eyes” etc.).
- “Education is a great way to get out of your head... Think about how many people you can help.” (07:59 – Brooke)
- Katie often “clapbacks” constructively to challenge gatekeeping around “what is wedding makeup.”
Technique Tips: Game-changing advice includes pushing makeup into the skin, not just sweeping, and rethinking primers.
- “Swiping and sweeping—you’re actually taking product off and not blending it in.” (09:36)

4. Behind the Scenes—Celebrity Work & Social Skills (11:03–12:51)

How to Go Pro: Visibility on social media directly led to celebrity gigs (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, etc.). Openness and showcasing your personality matter.
The Likeability Factor:
- “Being around fun, easygoing people is as important as skill. Not everyone is for everyone, and that’s OK.” (12:17 – Katie)

5. Brand Creation and Inclusive Innovation (13:08–18:07)

Birth of KJH Brand: The brand was born from a desire to “educate with every product.”
- “If I can educate with it, I’ll make it.” (13:08)
Demonstrating New Products: Katie walks Brooke through her new multipurpose Precision Sculpture Stylo crayons, designed for versatility across skin and feature types.

6. Developing for Inclusivity (16:11–18:07)

Testing Across Tones: Product development begins with deeper (more melanated) tones to ensure true inclusivity.
- “If it works for melanated complexions, it will work for fairer complexions—you can sheer it down or mix it. Makeup artists: stock your kit for Black complexions first.” (17:03–17:46)
Partnering with Team: Katie’s PD team includes perspectives from makeup artists of color for authentic, effective results.

7. Demystifying Color—Getting Comfortable with Play (18:23–19:38)

Katie encourages easing into color (“start slow, sneak in a bit of plum”). Colored liners/mascaras are great entry points.
- “It’s makeup, it washes off.” (18:40)
- Earth tones like green, mustard, and blue are “neutrals because they’re found in nature.” (19:28)

8. What’s Missing from Beauty—Function Over Hype (19:46–22:13)

Artist-Founded Innovation: The best products are usually by makeup artists who understand versatility and performance.
Identifying Gaps: The KJH brand was inspired when Katie realized no highlighter truly worked for both oily and dry skin, so she created a customizable solution.
- “Most things now will have an element where I can say, ‘if you’re dry, use it this way; if you’re oily, use it that way.’” (21:34)

9. Industry Friendship & Female Founder Network (22:23–24:01)

Supported by a “brain trust” of fellow founders like Danessa Myricks, Charlotte Palermino, and others. Katie is especially grateful for Danessa's mentorship, especially negotiating retail launches.
- “There’s nobody like [Danessa Myricks]… so giving with information, so giving with her time, so giving with just love and energy.” (22:32)

10. Behind the Business – Growth, Team & Sephora (23:06–40:01)

Scaling Up: Entering Sephora is daunting and requires financial planning and storytelling.
Product Dev: Takes inspiration from both industry innovation and her own “cocktailing” of formulas at work.
Team Structure: Small team (7–8 people) with varied perspectives, including her husband handling finance and ops.

11. Personal Life, Boundaries, and Mental Health (34:17–36:50)

Working With Husband: Open about the complexities—work/life boundaries are difficult.
Founder Therapy: Considers therapy to help manage couple-business dynamics.

12. IVF Journey and Sharing Vulnerability (34:46–37:39)

Katie’s IVF journey highlights how sharing personal struggles online can create supportive communities, but also exposes one to information overload.
- “Communicating it on social media really helped me because it gave me a huge community of people to talk to about it... It made me feel like I was doing it for other people, therefore making it not much about me anymore.” (35:04–36:07)
She stays “OK with whatever the outcome”—a grounded, process-oriented perspective.

13. Support, Mentorship & Looking Ahead (37:39–41:02)

Support System: Katie credits her sister and husband as her chief supports.
Career Mentoring: She pushes for advice and relationships that foster growth.
Future: Excited about Sephora, holidays at her NJ home, and upcoming product launches (notably, brow gel in three weeks).
- “As a businesswoman, I think I’m more capable of things than I thought I was. But you can’t do everything alone.” (39:37)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Beauty Entrepreneurship:

"Nothing’s really new anymore... if I can make a product that makes somebody go, ‘Ah, that makes sense for me,’ then great." — Katie, 13:08
On Inclusivity:

"Makeup artists: Stock your kit for Black complexions first ... I’m always going deepest to fairest.” — Katie, 17:03
On Failure, Growth, and Social Media:

"It was never this eureka moment ... It just sort of gradually happened.” — Katie, 03:56
On Destigmatizing Sharing:

"Communicating it on social media really helped me because it gave me a huge community ... Me destigmatizing it and making it less abnormal made me feel like I was doing it for other people." — Katie, 35:04
On Product Multi-Use:

"Makeup artists use things in as many ways as they can. So why shouldn’t the general consumer be doing the same thing?" — Katie, 21:39
On Beauty's Functionality:

"Everything’s better with better communication." — Katie, 40:16
When She Feels Most Beautiful:

"I feel most beautiful when I have time to myself and I get to create a really cool, badass makeup look." — Katie, 41:02

Timestamps for Notable Segments

00:08 — Katie’s career recap & the long game in beauty
04:43 — Breaking into makeup as a profession
05:50 — Instagram as portfolio & changing industry norms
09:23 — Practical makeup application: The “push in” technique
13:08 — KJH Brand purpose: education + multi-use
16:36 — Product testing for diverse complexions
18:40 — Easing into color & redefining “neutrals”
19:46 — What’s missing in beauty? Artist-developed, modular products
22:23 — Katie’s founder-friend network (Danessa Myricks, etc.)
23:06 — Sephora ambitions & challenges for an indie brand
28:01 — Formulating star products, e.g. Soft Smudge in Raisin
34:46 — IVF journey: sharing personal vulnerability online
37:39 — Katie’s support system/mentorship philosophy
40:20 — Upcoming launches: new brow gel, more in the pipeline
41:02 — “When do you feel most beautiful?” (last question)

Listener Value/Takeaways

*Beauty careers today blend artistry, entrepreneurship, and community-building, with social media as a catalyst.
*True innovation equals utility and inclusivity—start with underserved needs and expand from there.
*Makeup rules are meant to be challenged—technique, color, and creativity are for everyone.
*Owning your personal narrative, even around vulnerabilities, can be empowering for you and for your community.

Katie Jane Hughes on Being Your Own Canvas

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Summary

Naked Beauty Podcast: “Katie Jane Hughes on Being Your Own Canvas”

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building a Community and Brand (00:08–04:56)

2. Making a Career in Beauty & The Social Media Advantage (04:43–07:01)

3. Education & Destigmatizing Makeup (07:01–09:35)

4. Behind the Scenes—Celebrity Work & Social Skills (11:03–12:51)

5. Brand Creation and Inclusive Innovation (13:08–18:07)

6. Developing for Inclusivity (16:11–18:07)

7. Demystifying Color—Getting Comfortable with Play (18:23–19:38)

8. What’s Missing from Beauty—Function Over Hype (19:46–22:13)

9. Industry Friendship & Female Founder Network (22:23–24:01)

10. Behind the Business – Growth, Team & Sephora (23:06–40:01)

11. Personal Life, Boundaries, and Mental Health (34:17–36:50)

12. IVF Journey and Sharing Vulnerability (34:46–37:39)

13. Support, Mentorship & Looking Ahead (37:39–41:02)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps for Notable Segments

Featured Products & Recommendations

Listener Value/Takeaways

Summary

Naked Beauty Podcast: “Katie Jane Hughes on Being Your Own Canvas”

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Building a Community and Brand (00:08–04:56)

2. Making a Career in Beauty & The Social Media Advantage (04:43–07:01)

3. Education & Destigmatizing Makeup (07:01–09:35)

4. Behind the Scenes—Celebrity Work & Social Skills (11:03–12:51)

5. Brand Creation and Inclusive Innovation (13:08–18:07)

6. Developing for Inclusivity (16:11–18:07)

7. Demystifying Color—Getting Comfortable with Play (18:23–19:38)

8. What’s Missing from Beauty—Function Over Hype (19:46–22:13)

9. Industry Friendship & Female Founder Network (22:23–24:01)

10. Behind the Business – Growth, Team & Sephora (23:06–40:01)

11. Personal Life, Boundaries, and Mental Health (34:17–36:50)

12. IVF Journey and Sharing Vulnerability (34:46–37:39)

13. Support, Mentorship & Looking Ahead (37:39–41:02)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

Timestamps for Notable Segments

Featured Products & Recommendations

Listener Value/Takeaways