Justine Marjan went from cutting hair in a garage to styling celebs
Justine Marjan is a celebrity hairstylist based in LA whose clientele list includes the Kardashian/Jenner crew, Olivia Culpo, and Shay Mitchell – just to name a few. She’s the artist behind Olivia Culpo’s chic new bob for summer and a master when it comes to innovative looks for the Red Carpet.
When Justine was in high school her group of friends would experiment with coloring and cutting each other’s hair in a garage, and now she flies to foreign countries to work with some of the biggest celebs in the world. Can you say goals?
We snagged an interview with her to see what exactly it takes to become (and stay) a go-to stylist for Hollywood’s it girls. And let’s just say, Justine makes it look easy.
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How did you figure out hairstyling was your passion?
I’ve always loved and been inspired by beauty, art, and fashion. Growing up I loved spending tons of time on hair, makeup, and sewing clothes. When I got to high school my friends and I started experimenting, cutting and coloring each other’s hair in my friend’s garage and it became a fun artistic past time. After high school, I started working in a salon as a receptionist and loved it so much that I went to beauty school and assisted in the salon on nights and weekends, eventually working my way up to lead stylist. After eight years in that salon, I moved to LA to pursue my dreams of working with celebs and fashion.
How do you go about staying creative and coming up with new styles for some of the biggest celebrities?
I’m so inspired by the individual beauty of each person I work with. I love bringing out the best in them and giving them something that they can bring to life with their personality and confidence. I’m constantly scouring the web for inspiration. I love the runway for my biggest hair inspo.
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Do you have any favorite looks you’ve done?
One of my biggest career moments was Khloe Kardashian for the cover of GQ Germany. She looked absolutely incredible and the hair was such a strong focus in the images. Another big career moment for me was Olivia Culpo at the Golden Globes this past year. We did a Frida inspired up-do with a strong middle part and braids and she ended up looking so elegant.
How did you build your client list to include people like Olivia Culpo, The Kardashian Jenners, and Shay Mitchell?
A lot of what we do is word of mouth. I try to always do my best work and create great relationships with everyone around me.
Tell us about a normal day for you!
What I love about my career and lifestyle right now is that no two days are ever the same. When I was a salon stylist, being at the same place doing the same thing all day drove me crazy. I love that every job I do is at a different location, I’m constantly creating different looks, and I have the opportunity to travel and be creative.
My days may start at 3am or 3pm and I usually work seven days a week, but every day is different. On an ideal day, I’ll make an OLLY nutrition smoothie first thing in the morning, then drink it in the car while I drive to my first client’s house. I usually have a couple jobs in a day so I’ll run around town from house to house, or if I’m on set for a shoot it’s typically a long 12-14 hour day.
When I’m finished, I come home and work on my computer for a couple hours. After work I may spend my evenings prepping hair extensions for the next day, editing photos, writing articles, or researching for upcoming jobs. So much of what I do is about staying inspired and keeping up with fashion and social media.
