Michael Johnson was born in Long Beach, California, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By cutting hair for his friends throughout high school, Michael discovered his love for styling. After attending Pivot Point Hair School in 1989, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in the beauty industry. After beginning his career as the assistant to Frederic Fekkai, he branched out on his own.
In the years following, Michael has worked with several popular publications, celebrities, and brands including Mariah Carey, Nine Inch Nails, Adele, Ben Affleck, Cynthia Nixon, Martha Stewart, ESPN Magazine, Cosmopolitan, SKYY Vodka, Guess?, Playboy, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Kate Spade, Donna Karen, Tory Burch, Lindsey Lohan, Justin Bieber, and The View.
When speaking on adopting his passion for make-up along the way, Michael said:
“I guess after being on shoots for 25 years, I've seen some pretty amazing makeup artists. I've been very lucky to work with some of the best ones and even luckier to have some of them as friends for over 20 years. I think it's very important to learn new crafts to keep yourself fresh. And it compliments my love of hair styling. ”