Grotesque may not be the right word for what Mimi Choi does to her face and hands. But this is exactly what comes to mind when you see the handiwork of this 31-year-old Canadian makeup artist from Vancouver.
Mimi Choi is a makeup artist and Instagram star with a unique talent for creating mind-blowing optical illusions through makeup. From psychedelic 3D designs to mesmerizing morphs, her artistry has captivated Instagram users around the world. Find out more about Mimi’s story and journey to becoming a viral icon in the beauty industry.
Using the skin of her face and hands as her canvas, she creates hyper-realistic objects and unbelievable optical illusions that are only limited by her imagination. Thankfully she does all these things to herself and uses only her hands and face, and not other body parts, to express her creativity on the skin.
Three years back, when Choi turned a makeup artist, she was a school teacher. But, the allure of pursuing the makeup profession was too much to resist. So, she joined a local beauty school, called Blanche MacDonald, to learn the ropes of the art of makeup.
That she took this art to the extreme is what makes her stand apart from the rest. Such is her eye for detail in creating her works of art in her person, that they appear photoshopped. And creating these is no cakewalk. Just to give an idea, the makeup art titled ‘shoelace quadruple eye’, took her over five hours to complete. Other creations too take hours to complete.
The best part is her makeup artist doesn’t require any special effects products, but only everyday makeup material. For example, using only NYX Cosmetics Liquid Liners, Makeup Forever Artist Eye Shadows, Suva Beauty Hydra liners, and House of Lashes Knockout Lashes, she created her ‘shoelace quadruple eye’.
For transforming her hands into sushi, she used a combination of Kryolan Aquacolors, Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliners, and Hydra liners. The inspiration for this weird creation came from a sushi dinner she had. Why sushi? She says, “I’ve seen people paint animals on their hands before, but I thought why not food?” Yes, why not?
Choi is a perfectionist and is always looking for a new ways to do things. Take, for example, highlighting. She uses extreme contouring coupled with highlighting to create something extremely surreal, such as her ‘Shifted Face look’.
Exploring Her Creative Inspiration
What is Choi’s inspiration for the kind of makeup creations she does? Says she, “When I do illusions now, I draw my inspiration mostly from my surroundings, photography, paintings, and emotions. I try not to look at other makeup artists’ work too much and challenge myself to produce original, unique work. My main goal, each time I do a new look, is to beat myself from yesterday because I’m the biggest critic and competition to myself. It’s gotten really hard to impress myself these days, but it motivates me to keep trying and doing better.”
Understanding What Makes Mimi’s Content So Engaging
Mimi Choi’s innovative makeup art is so beloved by her followers mainly because it is emotion-evoking and thought-provoking. Through the use of vivid colors, mesmerizing shapes, and surrealistic illusions, she brings ordinary objects and themes to life. From a creative perspective, her Instagram page serves as a source of inspiration for all makeup enthusiasts who want to experiment with their beauty routine!
Creating a new niche in makeup artistry and her fantastic visualizations have made Choi a darling of social media. On Instagram, she has over 558,000 followers and counting and almost 80,000 fans follow her on Facebook.
Through this form of surreal makeup, Choi hopes to inspire people to think outside the box.
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