Noah Centineo is, for all intents and purposes, my new boyfriend. At least, he is in a figurative, fictional sense. And if you saw him in the internet's new favorite rom-coms, To All The Boys I've Loved Before and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, you'd most certainly agree. We are all — in some alternate universe where happy endings exist — in a relationship with Centineo.
So, when we spotted the 22-year-old in artist Sarah Bahbah's latest photo series, "Dear Love," we were admittedly shook. Like Beyoncé dropping an album, Bahbah posted three of the series' first photos on Instagram late last night — without notice — and the reaction has been overwhelming because, duh, it's Noah Centineo.
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Although there are more photos to come (Bahbah posts a new one every day in her series), the ones available to view on her feed now are beautiful. Draped in fractured sunlight and coddled by a white duvet, Centineo's beauty, paired with Bahbah's signature subtitles, is heartbreaking in all the right ways. And if you thought it was purposeful lighting, photo editing, or your imagination magnifying how beautiful Centineo looks in the images, you're wrong.
Makeup artist and groomer Emily Wetzel tells Refinery29 that yes, he's as naturally beautiful as you imagine. "He’s just, like, a dream boy," Wetzel laughs. But this isn't the first beautiful person Wetzel has worked with alongside Bahbah. She's been collaborating with the artist for several years now on her Insta-popular series. "[Bahbah's work] is so beautiful in this undone, '90s sort of way, and less is so much more for her work. But she is very specific about the hair and makeup for her projects," Wetzel tells us. "That's a big part of the conversation before we do a project together, right down to how a curl lays on the face."
Speaking of curls, Centineo's didn't require a whole lot of work. Wetzel says that it only took about 30 minutes to get his hair and skin ready because, again, he's genetically blessed. Still, that doesn't mean Wetzel skimped on the product.
To contain Centineo's curls while keeping his hair matte and natural, Wetzel used the Leonor Greyl Baume Bois de Rose, then added the Leonor Greyl Eclat Naturel styling cream to fight frizz in the L.A. heat. She finished off his famous mop with the Serge Normant Meta Revive Dry Shampoo (for subtle volume and lift) and Oribe's Superfine Hair Spray.
Wetzel did use a tiny bit of makeup on Cetineo, but only a little to enhance his best features: those brows. After priming and prepping his skin with the Tatcha Water Cream, Kaja Blur Drop Weightless Water Primer, and Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder, Wetzel lightly filled in Centineo's thick brows with the Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Brow Palette with the darkest shade ("He has full brows, but this amped them up," she says). And if you must know (you do), Wetzel topped everything off with some Rosebud Salve on Centineo's lips.
If you're thinking this is exactly how it would be to wake up next to Centineo, you're not far off. Wetzel says that when it comes to the creative direction for the beauty aspects of Bahbah's shoots, it's about capturing the true essence of the subject in a natural environment and never trying to change them. So, it's official: Centineo in bed contemplating love is our 2019 vibe.