If you want a killer makeup tutorial, look no further than Joseph Harwood’s channel, but you’ll find more than just a typical influencer in Joseph; he’s clever; he has his finger on the pulse; and he’s an advocate for a better world. Find out all about Joseph Harwood.
Meet Joseph Harwood: our latest Tria Beauty partner
Joseph Harwood, also known by his followers as Jojo, is a force to be reckoned with. From the beginning of his career until now, he’s self-managed and self-created his content as a creative entrepreneur.
He’s a change-maker and entrepreneur who uses his platform to inspire people. On social media, he’s known as a beauty expert, artist, and former high fashion model.
He has an impressive life history considering his young years and he boasts an impressive following on multiple platforms. His current YouTube channel has over 15 million views and a past channel boasted over 100 million views, he has almost 80 thousand followers on Instagram with active engagement on all channels, and he’s the owner and founder of Agitprop a lifestyle, food, beauty, and travel website.
We are delighted to have Joseph as our latest brand partner with Tria for our 4X laser hair removal device.
All about Joseph Harwood
Growing up in Brighton, Jojo began exploring the LGBT scene around the age of fifteen and he was often photographed for exhibitions and art projects which later led to a MySpace platform with over 300,000 followers. After gaining popularity, he garnered the attention of Dazed and Confused magazine, which led to a casting for a cover and lookbook in McQueen’s McQ line and eventually runway modelling and high-fashion editorial work in London and Tokyo at the age of just seventeen.
It was at a fateful photoshoot in Tokyo where Jojo artfully corrected a makeup application and impressed a photographer who suggested he’d make a great makeup artist. Joseph knew then that was what he wanted to pursue, so he sought employment within the beauty retail world – to no avail since there was discrimination for his naturally androgynous look. But MAC cosmetics in Brighton, as Joseph writes, “invited Jojo to assist in a masterclass hosted by Terry Barber which allowed Jojo to see an insight into the professional world of beauty.” And thank goodness for us or the world would’ve missed out on Joseph’s talent and artistry.
After the success of the masterclass, Joseph attended a course with Prince’s Trust, which taught him how to monetise working as a makeup artist and how to design a cosmetics line. He created one of the first trans-oriented YouTube channels, 5AT. He became a renowned social media pioneer as the first trans person to have millions of views and cultivated his brand with mermaid imagery, merchandise, hair products, and makeup artistry lessons.
His loyal audience allowed Joseph to collaborate with premium beauty brands that had never teamed up with a trans person before, brands such as L’Oreal, Liz Earle, Artis, MAC, and Illamasqua and by June 2013, he had “become the go-to creative makeup artist in the UK for both celebrity makeup and creative gender non-conforming looks.” This YouTube platform JHCosmetics had over 100 million views on its tutorial content and solidified Joseph as the largest openly trans beauty creator in Europe.
Next, Joseph moved to the US to work as a celebrity makeup artist and collaborate “with the producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race on multiple conventions, panels and online shows.” One of Jojo’s favourite accomplishments was being featured on Google Home’s tribute to David Bowie and being a guest contributor to YouTube’s 2016 End of Year Review.
Now back in the UK, Joseph is an established makeup artist working with beauty brands and trying to help those in the trans community overcome barriers in the industry.
More recently, he’s been on a mission to partner with beauty brands he trusts as a resource for trans beauty. He’s been working with Jecca Blac, a transgender-focused makeup line, which is a L’Oreal Innovations project announced in Forbes. This has led to being invited to be a member of the British Beauty Council in 2021 and he is also a member of the board of Diversity and Inclusion.
Joseph has also been a lifelong vegan, having never eaten meat, and posts tasty recipes to his website, he has masterclass videos where you can learn to do your makeup on Retrieve and YouTube, he posts his visual art on his platform, and he’s a beauty and lifestyle blogger on his website, Agitprop. In his spare time, he loves travelling and all things beauty.
With all of these beauty-industry accomplishments, Joseph has still found time for his studies, excelling in academics from a young age. He studied for a Foundation Art Diploma at Enterprise City College Brighton and Hove and later obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex and an MSc in Cosmetic Science from the University of the Arts London. All of his education, wit, and intelligence has made him the entrepreneur he is today.
Joseph talks about his time in school here:
Our truncated bio doesn’t fully cover all Joseph has accomplished, so for a full bio, visit Joseph’s website here.
Joseph Harwood’s skincare routine
Joseph says that since he grew up with acne, he is “obsessed with skincare” and is “hyper-vigilant” with taking care of his skin. He lists all his favourite products on this Facebook post and he has several YouTube videos about his routines.
Some selected favourite products are the Aveda Balancing Cleanser, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, and as an eco-conscious consumer, he only likes compostable face wipes. He recommends Kiehl’s Calendula for his toner, Slurp Hyaloid night serum, Vichy Cream Retinol for acne scar fading, and has lots of moisturiser recommendations such as Shiseido Wasu. For eye creams, he loves Kiehl’s Avocado Eye or Vitamin C Eye. His go-to lip balm is Estee Lauder Intense Overnight and for body wash, Lush’s Yog Nog, but he mixes it up each time.
Here’s a video Joseph did in partnership with Estee Lauder on his skincare:
And another one on Kiehl’s skincare:
Joseph is an advocate for natural, sustainable products that work on troubled skin. We agree that Joseph’s skincare routine works since his skin looks glowing and fabulous.
Joseph Harwood’s experience with our Tria 4X laser
Joseph explained to us that he had worked with multiple different home laser devices that were “weaker IPL and had massive recharge time.” In one of his YouTube videos, Joseph explained that he has light hair everywhere on his body but has a dark W patch on his face that he’d want to address at some point, which is where Tria came in!
Tria wanted to help and we were curious how Joseph would compare our Tria 4X laser to his previous experience.
Joseph notes that these IP lasers were “totally ineffective and took hours to complete” on his paler hair type.
He explains that “the difference with the Tria is that the applicator is wireless and has a quick recharge, so you can get a larger area done very quickly, and it really works. It’s fantastic and definitely an incredible improvement.”
Joseph previously had salon treatments and whilst he had a great experience with the professionals at the salon, he was left with “drastic burns and a checkerboard regrowth patches during the pandemic.” The client didn’t listen as he “repeatedly explained that they were misunderstanding [his] skin type and they mistreated [him] and nothing was done to repair the damage in [his] regrowth.” As salon treatments are expensive, we all expect that customer satisfaction and care are high priorities.
Joseph explains: “I had to find something that I could use at home – I have a blog showing all the results on my website – and Tria was a life saver. It completely balanced out the pattern and helped me regain confidence.”
In his YouTube video, Joseph talks about his hair-removal journey and he’s been on it for almost five years with unsuccessful results. He’s suffered from folliculitis, which is where the hair follicle becomes inflamed and doesn’t push through, and he explains he has a mixed hair pattern on his face where the hair grows in multiple directions. Joseph wanted to try the Tria diode laser to control the hair growth on his face and shape the hair the way he chooses.
He demonstrates how easy the device is to use, the different setting levels, and recommends a numbing cream you can purchase from the chemist. We recommend our Calm Soothing Gel but use what works best for you as long as you ensure that any product doesn’t clog up the laser’s window and prevent it from working effectively.
Joseph explains who can use the laser (people with light brown to dark hair, not red or grey) and not to use on dark moles or dark freckles. He expounds that the diode laser removes the hair at the root by sending a charge down the hair through the pigment and to finish with something that cools. He explains that whilst using the laser, don’t use anything abrasive on the skin, like peels or anything light-sensitive like retinol.
Take a look at Joseph’s review here:
Tria is thankful that Joseph has loved using the laser so far and he’s kindly promoting the product on his social media channels. We hope this laser can help his followers feel more confident and comfortable with hair removal – and know that there are at-home devices out there that do deliver results. We look forward to Joseph’s upcoming results video.
Here’s how to follow Joseph Harwood on social media
Joseph’s social channels are a journey and you’ll find so much content to love – makeup tutorials from everyday looks to Halloween and costume makeup, wig tutorials, amazing makeup transformations, vegan food and recipes, high-brow art, beauty recommendations, mental health advocacy, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and more. It is clever content with a conscientious vibe. Joseph is an intellectual who is self-aware and world-aware. You’ll find tutorials, honesty, advice, advocacy, and the friend you wish you had rolled into one platform.
If you, like us, cannot wait to hit “follow” and “subscribe” over multiple platforms, here are links to Joseph’s various channels.
- Instagram: @josephharwood
- Twitter: @JosephHarwood
- Tiktok: @JosephHarwood
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JosephHarwoodProfile
- YouTube: Joseph Harwood, Joseph Harwood Beauty, and AGITPROP: Lifestyle, Growth, Balance, Travel
- Portfolio: https://www.josephharwood.com/
- Lifestyle and art website: https://www.agitprop.world/
For an idea of the fun, creative videos Joseph creates, take a look at this pop art tutorial.
What’s next for Joseph Harwood?
Tria asked Joseph what’s next for his journey since he’s already accomplished so much in a short space of time. Joseph was refreshingly candid and astute.
He provided context, “I moved from social media in 2016 because I felt that it was changing from a distribution platform to an advert platform that blocked organic content from reaching an audience. I didn’t feel like it was a successful approach to sharing my ideas and making changes, so I pivoted and moved into beauty and it’s taken over five years now to get the respect from the beauty industry that I should have been given if it was competency-based.” We agree that Joseph is a talent that should have long-ago been recognised and we look forward to his career growing exponentially.
He continues, “I’ve only just been accepted as someone who can give feedback on issues and make some difference, and that is an achievement.”
He furthers, “So for me, it’s about returning full circle, being able to use social media for fun to create new teaching and inspirational content. I’m working on a product line. I’m continuing to develop and design for other companies and I am hoping to launch more creative outlets that can mentor young LGBT People.”
He concludes, in an insightful and admirable way, “I want to inspire people, and continue to help make the world more inclusive, healthy, and sustainable.”
In short, Joseph wants to be the inspiring influencer that was missing when he was young.
In his Tria review video, he mentions how current advocates expound upon ideas he brought up over a decade ago and these ideas are being monetised in the current market and only now gaining traction. Whilst this newfound traction can be great for the community, he feels that the group of people who pioneered the ideas years ago should be given their due recognition. So, his new aim of working with brands to make the world a better and more inclusive place is one we wholeheartedly get behind.
The takeaways
We cannot wait to see where Joseph’s career takes him next and for his new product line. We are delighted to have Joseph as our latest Tria partner and that he had a positive experience with the product. We cannot wait to hear about his results in a few more weeks. We’ll keep you posted, so look out for his next video.
Joseph is also trying out our Age-Defying laser and we look forward to seeing what he thinks!
Let us know on our social media your experience with the 4X laser and if you, like Joseph, have had mixed reviews on salon treatments and other at-home devices.