Justine Marjan's Journey to Becoming a Celebrity Hairstylist
Behind Justine Marjan's Ascent From Salon Receptionist to Celebrity Hairstylist
1
As a teenager, Marjan got a job as a receptionist at a hair salon in her hometown outside of Santa Barbara, CA. She worked there for eight years, completely mesmerized by the stylists — right up until she decided to go to cosmetology school. It wasn't an easy decision: "My dad is an immigrant, and that type of career path is just so unconventional," Marjan said. "Now he couldn't be happier for me or more proud."
Immediately upon graduation, Marjan moved to LA in pursuit of a career as a hairstylist for Fashion Week, red carpets, or editorial photo shoots. She would look through magazines for names of hairstylists and salons under the credits section, which is how she found Madonna's hairstylist Andy LeCompte. "I used to go to Andy LeCompte's salon every Monday and ask if they were hiring," Marjan said. "They never were."
Eventually, another opportunity presented itself. Two celebrity stylists Marjan had been following posted on Instagram that they were looking for assistants: Kristin Ess and Jen Atkin. Marjan was hired part-time for both jobs.
"That was really what catapulted me into the whole celeb styling world," she said.