Our Friend of the Week - Jessica Johnson

Your City: Portland, Maine & New York City

FRIEND OF THE WEEK: 11 QUESTIONSWEBSITE: JESSICA JOHNSON BEAUTYINSTAGRAM: @JJCLASSICBEAUTYFACEBOOK: @JESSICA JOHNSON CLASSIC BEAUTY

1. Nickname:  No nickname2. What’s your short story?  I paid my way through college working as a makeup artist and for Lancome at I. Magnin. After college I worked for the Governor of California. One day I was doing some research for him and I came across an article about the cosmetics industry that said that the top recession proof businesses are bars and beauty salons. I quit that week and enrolled in cosmetology school. Since then I've done just about everything in the business from giving services, salon ownership, product sales, business operations, logistics and fulfillment, product development and infomercials. The sum total of that experience has brought me here, building the Jessica Johnson Classic Beauty brand, which includes a branded storefront and services as well as a targeted product line with a niche focus on great brows and radiant skin.3. What’s your jam?  It’s a toss up between Led Zeppelin and Earth, Wind & Fire. They’re from a time when the music mattered. They make you want to shake it. They don't make music like that anymore. They don't make rock stars like that anymore.4. What motivates you?  We're all about making beauty classic again. Edith Head famously said "A dress should be tight enough to show you're a woman but loose enough to prove you're a lady." I'm not a big fan of the noisy, tawdry, obviousness that permeates so much of fashion and beauty today. We're reintroducing women to the quieter, subtler, more refined idea of classic beauty. If you look at the icons of the era the two universal essentials are great brows and great skin. When you've got those two elements racing out the door looking classy and fabulous is a snap. Our mission is to help women achieve it with less time, money and fuss. Making classic beauty desirable, approachable and affordable, that's what drives me.5. Who do you think you’d have great friend chemistry with? I’d love to have tea with Margaret Thatcher, cocktails by the pool Jack Nicholson, then break bread over a large bowl of pasta with Sophia Loren6. What qualities do your favorite friends have in common? Instant wit. I always think of the perfect come back driving home from the event. I love being around people whose minds are never on pause, who relish the joys of language and are ready at all times with a snappy retort. We also share a common interest in books, film, music, health and good belly laugh.7. What’s the smartest, most inspiring, awesome thing you’ve read, watched, or listened to? I’m currently reading Medical Medium by Anthony William and it’s blowing my mind. William has a divine given gift to instantly diagnose anybody's pain and illness. He then prescribes a regimen of healing foods. I believe food is medicine and we can heal ourselves through our daily diet, thoughts, and emotions. The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book by Don Miguel Ruiz is an old favorite that I still re-read periodically. Like William, Ruiz believes that our thoughts create the heaven or hell in which we live. Heal your thoughts, heal your life. I still watch The Godfather 1 & 2 and listen to Aaaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring in complete amazement.8. What whets your appetite? I'm half Greek but I definitely got the half with the hedonism in it. The Greeks have a simple rule: seek pleasure, avoid pain. So, yes, I can be had. Try champagne. And lobster. Come to think of it, those two things are how my husband lured me to Maine. A hike, long run, round of golf, hearing my kids laugh and yoga – all do it for me.9. What’s next on your To Do List? Renting a Tuscan Villa for the summer is on my bucket list. I think my kids would love it and I’m in desperate need for a get away, but I don’t see that in my immediate future as I’m in deep launch mode right now.10. How are you friends with Gina + Amy?  Gina and I met in 2000 when I opened my first business, Anawalt Salon. She and Amy were building Splendora, the first web-based resource of beautiful, chic places and things, and they featured my salon. Since then we've all engaged in other ventures but it's so cool that we are returning to what we know by starting companies that are similar to the ones that launched our careers.11. Who would you nominate for our next Friend of the Week? My boss in New York – Yves Durif. He’s one of the most inspiring, kindest people I’ve ever met and the most brilliant hair stylist in the business – truly gifted.