Meet Madeleine Gibson | Makeup Artist & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madeleine Gibson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madeleine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I never imagined I would start my own business. For most of my life, I thought I wanted to be a doctor. However, while studying for the MCAT, I was a shell of myself. I knew this wasn’t what I wanted the rest of my life to look like, so put my dreams of med school on pause. This decision severely bruised my ego. I was in a state of grieving the loss of my identity. For so long, I centered myself in academic success and this felt like an utter failure.

As young people, we are often rewarded for pursuing the things we’re good at, especially if those things perfectly harmonize with what society considers to be ‘good’ and ‘worthwhile’. Once my ‘good’ and ‘worthwhile’ talents no longer served me as a path forward, I was left feeling lost and intimidated about the vast unknown that was my future.

My senior year, I stumbled into the career fair and found myself at a booth for a trainee program at a beer company. ‘This is pretty cool,’ I thought. And that’s exactly what people would say to me for the next 3 years when I told them I worked there. Both with this job and the tech strategy job that followed, I convinced myself that I loved my work, because I cared more about people thinking that it was a ‘good’ job than if it was a job that made me happy. Ultimately, though, a lie to yourself is a hard one to sell and I found myself feeling emptier than ever.

In August of 2023, my mental health hit rock bottom. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, which, as a happy go lucky extrovert was extremely uncharted territory for me.

I took a leave of absence from my job to work on my mental health. For the first time in my life, I felt empowered to take the driver’s seat of my future, rather than just let life happen to me. This was perhaps the first time ever that I chose to do something that I KNEW would disappoint people, be disapproved of, and looked down on. I also KNEW that it was the best thing for me, so I didn’t care.

In the next few months, I dedicated myself to recuperating my mental health, a truly UGLY venture at first, but one that became quite beautiful. For the first time, I considered, ‘What do I LOVE doing? What’s something that makes me feel truly fulfilled?’

‘MAKEUP’ resounded loudly in my head. I had been doing makeup for friends and family since I was 14. I loved being able to express myself. I relished in people’s amazement at their own appearance when I handed them the mirror after a job well done. Makeup gave me a creative outlet, but it also gave me a purpose in helping others realize their own beauty and give them confidence.

Once I made this realization, there was no going back to corporate America. I started saving up what I like to call an “FU fund,” or 9 months of living expenses in order to give myself a fighting chance at making it as a full time makeup artist. Doubt often crept in and engulfed my brain like an insidious wildfire, but I chose to fight that doubt every day, making habits of showing up for myself and believing in my vision. Slowly, the fear of failing faded into the background. I thought ‘If I do fail, it will be the best, proudest failure of my life.’

All of this to say, the thought process behind starting my own business, at its core, was to enjoy life again. Too much of our life is spent working, so you may as well love what you do. And even though it’s only been a mere 2 months officially in business, I can say for certain that I finally LOVE what I do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a professional makeup artist specializing in celebrity, luxury bridal, and fashion makeup. I also dabble in SFX makeup as a hobby, which has been some of my most fun and also challenging work.

In the last year, I have also become a content creator. This role was born out of the desire to share my makeup tips with as many people as possible, but evolved into another outlet to express myself beyond makeup.

I am deeply invested in the high fashion, haute couture world. My favorite thing to learn about, second only to makeup, is the history of fashion, so content creation has allowed me to connect with people on pop culture fashion moments, as well as to explore my own personal style.

My content ranges from makeup tutorials to maximalist OOTDs to turning my boyfriend into shrek to my everyday household chores, but the one thread that ties it all together is centering myself on being transparent and real. My goal with content creation is to help people feel confident in their own skin by boldly and unapologetically expressing myself, while simultaneously sharing the natural fears and discomfort that come with doing exactly that. I hope that people can see that just because you feel uncomfortable or scared to do something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. It means that you go for it even harder, because that discomfort is a sign that something fabulous is right around the corner.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh my gosh I love this. Hopefully, it’s a crisp fall day, because TRULY no one does fall like Denver.

Friday morning: wake up, walk to Aviano’s in Cherry Creek. The shops and streets of Cherry Creek feel like they’re out of a small town idyllic movie.

Friday afternoon: venture up to Boulder, walk around the town, pop into shops, and stop for lunch at Rosetta Hall’s rooftop. It’s a gorgeous food hall with lots of cuisine options, but most notably, a stunning view of the flatirons in the back. Hopefully, they’ll be speckled with yellow from the aspen leaves changing.

Friday night: my favorite chill patio spot, Homegrown – arguably the best brussel sprouts in town, plus delicious pizza, immaculate vibes, and tasty drinks.

Saturday morning: One Fold in Uptown. You simply MUST arrive before 11 otherwise the line will be out the door. Everything on the menu is to die for, but if you want a truly out of this world breakfast, get the lapcheung sausage fried rice. I can’t even explain how mouth-wateringly divine this meal is, but just know that my out of town friends text me randomly, because they’re thinking about that exact meal.

Saturday mid morning: walk off our food comas at either Cheesman or Wash Park. You can’t go wrong.

Saturday lunch (if you’re hungry for it): Cutis Deli Park. I used to be a certified HATER, because they don’t toast their sandwiches, but their Italian sandwich and local Denver chips turned me into a believer.

Saturday afternoon: Nap to party bus to Red Rocks for a concert. I’m not the biggest concert goer (hot take, I know), but every out of towner deserves to feel the energy at Red Rocks.

Saturday late night: make sure to place your order for Sunday morning at Rosenberg’s. Otherwise, they might not be accepting orders when you wake up Sunday morning. Let that be a testament to how delish – EBTB butter and canned gatorade. I rest my case.

Sunday morning: swing by Rosenberg’s on the way to the airport and I’ll send you on your way. Denver misses you already!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow there are TOO many people to thank. I would not be where I am without the incredible support system that I have.

First, thank you so much to my amazing, supportive parents. They set an example of what it looks like to work your a*s off. No one works harder than you guys. And somehow they always showed up to every soccer game, to every school play, to every parents weekend, and to every possible thing that they could involve themselves in.

They also showed me how to choose a partner that supports me wholeheartedly in everything I do. In the last year, both my mom and dad left their corporate law jobs to start their own firms. This not only showed how to face your fears and believe in yourself, but also gave me a front row seat of them being each other’s steadfast support systems through a challenging time.

I’m so thankful that they not only accepted but thoroughly supported my choice to take a leave of absence from my job and eventually to leave altogether. It was a scary thing to tell them, but they’ve been my biggest cheerleaders ever since. My dad even got an instagram so he could see all of my work and my mom swipes up with heart eyes on damn near every story I post.

Thank you to my boyfriend, Cam, for helping me get out of the darkest days of my mental health struggles. He kept our house clean with no help from me for months when I was in the trenches. He kept me fed when I couldn’t bring myself to cook for myself or do the most basic things for myself. He has driven me to countless makeup appointments, washed my brushes hundreds of times, helped me pack my kit over and over again, taken THOUSANDS of photos of me, but most of all, he believed in me more than anyone.

Thank you to my angelic sister, brother, and the rest of my family and incredible friends who have been nothing but supportive of my journey. There are moments along my journey where I have had to turn to each of them to lift me back up. Some of them gave me wings without even realizing it. I am so lucky to have each and every one of them.

And finally, to the strangers-turned-friends on the internet who have chosen to take part in this journey we’re building: I’m so grateful for you. Kind words from people I don’t know have encouraged me to keep going when I wanted to give up. I’m forever grateful.

Instagram: @glambygibs

Image Credits
Amanda Villarosa, Weston Mosburg, Rylo Creative