Meet the Guy Whose Lips Are Behind Your Favorite Swatches

Talk about a power pout.
Image may contain Cosmetics Lipstick Mouth Lip Human and Person

All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Donovan Gibb gives good face. No, seriously. The makeup artist is more than a makeup artist: He swatches makeup on Instagram and leads tutorials on YouTube. Now, he can add model to the list: Cool-girl brand Nudestix, the brainchild of two sisters in their teens, has enlisted Donovan to be the face, er, lips, of their latest matte colors for Sephora.com.

It kind of makes perfect sense. Donovan’s a master of makeup (just check his epic before-and-after photos to see for yourself) but his specialty is, by far, the lips. On an almost daily basis, he swatches a rainbow of colors, from bright blue to silvery purple to Kylie Jenner’s entire Lip Kit lineup. But it’s not like he was born wielding a (lipgloss) wand. “I only got into makeup two years ago, when I was in high school,” says Donovan. “It was always a creative outlet for me.” It was one of those high school phases that everyone has — at first.

But once he graduated, the 19-year-old began doing other peoples’ makeup, both in their own homes and at beauty counters. At that point, he began posting his work on Instagram. “It was my happy place where I could be creative,” he explains. “Then, people found my Instagram and said, ‘Oh, you should do makeup tutorials’.” So he did. When he started filming the tutorials live, choosing to apply the makeup looks on himself was just a matter of logistics. “When I do YouTube, it’s usually at night and after work, so it’s harder to plan out with other people,” he says. “It’s just easier to do on myself.”

Now, he does most of his swatches on himself — a move that’s rare in Instagram’s beauty scene. “People find it…not risqué, but more like, ‘Oh my God, a boy wearing makeup’,” says Gibb. “But, I think in the past few years, it’s gotten a little more common.” His more dramatic makeup looks are a work of art — he could show up a Kardashian (or Jenner) any day of the week — but he’s not doing a smoky eye and a bold lip on a daily basis. It’s more so he can show off his techniques and skill in the most convenient way possible — AKA on himself. While he wears foundation and concealer every day, he doesn’t usually go super-glam unless he’s going to a makeup trade show or event.

That’s exactly why he loves Nudestix. While he’s totally game for an over-the-top look for a night out or big event, he appreciates being realistic. “Nudestix is great because everything is in a stick form. It’s simplified,” he explains. “It’s for the girl who doesn’t want to use 12 brushes to create a look. You need one to six pencils — at most.” So when the brand asked him to model the colors on Sephora’s website after seeing him swatch a few shades on Instagram, which he’d done just for fun, it was a match made in heaven.

Of all the Nudestix colors he’s played with so far, his holy-grail shade is Nudestix Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil in Purity. “It’s the dusky rose that everyone’s lusting after right now,” he says. Plus, it’s one of those unicorn colors that looks good on every skin tone — which is a big part of the reason Donovan loves it. Plus, when you’re trying on so many lip colors, it’s a big deal when one stands out. He didn’t have to think twice about which shade was his favorite.

In the next few months, keep an eye out for Donovan, who’ll be modeling upcoming lip colors from Nudestix. “You can be glam with one or two products,” he adds. And while he’s swatching, we’ll be watching.

Related: 13 Major Celeb Lipstick Moments That Will Inspire You To Go Bold