Jessica Mae Koza
Founder & Creative Director, WarPaint International Beauty Agency
Jessica Mae Koza is an award-winning makeup artist and the founder and creative director of WarPaint International Beauty Agency (WPI Beauty), the Twin Cities' original on-site hair and makeup agency. She is a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and won the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Innovation in Retail Award. Jessica co-founded WPI Beauty in 2010 with her husband, Samuel J. Koza, and led it to more than a decade of Best of Weddings honors from The Knot and WeddingWire. She is a recurring beauty expert on KSTP 5's Twin Cities Live and has appeared on WCCO, KARE 11, and FOX 9. Her portfolio spans bridal, editorial, commercial, television, celebrity, and rock-star clients, including Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil.
About Jessica Mae:
Makeup and beauty have been Jessica Mae's lifelong passion. Jessica has built her career in professional beauty since 2006, starting as a counter manager for Benefit Cosmetics, where her drive to learn and grow quickly took over.
In 2010, she moved beyond retail to build something new: an agency of top talent. What began as "Makeup by Jessica Mae" became WarPaint International Beauty Agency, which Jessica launched with her husband, Samuel J. Koza, as an on-demand, on-location hair and makeup agency. Today, WPI Beauty represents vetted, insured Artisans serving Minneapolis–St. Paul and Chicagoland for weddings, corporate and commercial work, and high-profile clients.
Her philosophy drives every WPI appointment: beauty starts with each client's inner beauty first.
Press & Awards
Over the years, Jessica Mae and her team at WarPaint International Beauty Agency have won numerous industry awards and accolades. Jessica has been featured on dozens of live news segments, live radio programs, newspaper and magazine interviews, and her teams of Artisans’ work being published in editorial and industry-related publications in various cities throughout the United States. Some of her accolades include:
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree (2017)
NAWBO Innovation in Retail Award (2016)
The Knot Hall of Fame, and National Ambassador to The Knot Wedding Network
WeddingPro Best of Weddings winner (The Knot & WeddingWire), 2015–2026.
Minnesota Bride "Best of Makeup", 2021–2024
Minneapolis Happenings Magazine "Best in Beauty," 2015–2016
RAW Makeup Artist of the Year, 2011
Chicago Style Weddings: three covers, fall 2022
Lake Minnetonka Magazine: cover, Valentine's Day 2021
KSTP 5 Twin Cities Live: dozens of beauty and trend segments
WCCO (CBS): dozens of morning show appearances
KARE 11 and FOX 9 Minneapolis: live trend segments
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Jessica Mae Koza founded WarPaint International Beauty Agency (WPI Beauty) in 2010 with her husband, Samuel J. Koza. An award-winning makeup artist who began her career as a Benefit Cosmetics counter manager, Jessica built WPI Beauty into the Twin Cities' original on-site hair and makeup agency, now serving Minneapolis–St. Paul, Chicagoland, and destinations nationwide and worldwide.
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Jessica is a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree and a winner of the NAWBO Innovation in Retail Award. She is also a member of The Knot Hall of Fame. Under her leadership, WPI Beauty earned Best of Weddings honors every year from 2015 to 2026 and Minnesota Bride's "Best of Makeup" from 2021 to 2024.
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Yes. Jessica is a veteran on-air beauty expert who has appeared on KSTP 5 Twin Cities Live, WCCO, KARE 11, and FOX 9. She speaks on building a beauty agency, running a business with a life partner, beauty standards in the freelance industry, and the beauty industry's effect on self-worth.
She also consults with beauty professionals on how to build a six- to seven-figure beauty agency of hair and makeup artists.
Contact jessica@warpaintinternational.com.
Appearances and Purpose
Jessica Mae is an alumnus of Tony Robbins’ “7 Forces of Business Mastery” for CEOs and Entrepreneurs. Jessica is a disciple of disruption and an agent of change. Jessica can be contacted for speaking engagements in topics of:
How to be in business with your life partner
The beauty industry and its effects on self-worth
The business of building a beauty agency
Beauty industry standards and how to standardize the freelance sector
How spiritual growth drives business success.
Jessica Mae Koza’s Makeup Portfolio
Jessica Mae has a diverse portfolio of clients with work ranging in Bridal, Consumer, Editorial, Commercial, Television, Celebrity, and Rock Star.
