Some artists use paper or canvas to create their masterpiece; others use walls or entire buildings. Mimi Choi prefers to use her own mug.
“My face is a blank canvas where I can practice my art,” Choi said, as reported in the Independent.
At first glance, Choi’s makeup jobs look like visuals that were created in Photoshop.
But Choi says she never uses photo-enhancing apps. Her toolbox includes a paintbrush and drug-store bought cosmetics. Except her looks aren’t your standard face paint. The makeup-created faces range from creepy—a black hole encompassing her face—to interesting—her face sliced in half. There are elegant bridal looks that are just stunning.
The 31-year-old, Vancouver, Canada, resident began playing with makeup found in her parents’ medicine cabinet. At the time Choi said she was feeling uninspired working as a teacher and makeup art allowed her tap into her creative energy while dealing with issues such as anxiety.
“I hope my strange creativity can inspire people to think outside the box,” Choi wrote on Instagram.
Today, Choi is a full-time makeup artist, sometimes taking up to five hours to create a single face, and has an Instagram feed full of tips and tricks for the 156,000 followers.
Still, Choi says she tries not to compare herself to other makeup artists. Instead, she draws inspiration from her surroundings.
“My main goal each time I do a new look is to beat myself from yesterday,” Choi told Allure. “It’s gotten really hard to impress myself these days but it motivates me to keep trying and doing better.”
Take a look at her literal body of work below:
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