Last year, we introduced you to Vancouver-based Mimi Choi, an incredibly talented makeup artist who uses her own face as a canvas to create jaw-dropping optical illusions. Since then, Choi’s portfolio of facial transformations has continued to grow, with each new look showcasing her expert artistry and limitless imagination. From crazy contortions to trippy textures, Choi’s trompe-l'œil looks are sure to make you do a double-take.
Using a range of liquid eyeliners, eye shadows, lipsticks, and body paint, Choi’s clever creations are often inspired by surrealist artists and photographers. For example, in one piece referencing Matthieu Bourel’s abstract collages, Choi paints her face and neck with layers of mask-like fractures, duplicating her eyes, nose, and mouth. Another, inspired by MC Escher, transforms the artist’s face into a twisted, fleshy ribbon. Other looks include a mesmerizing kaleidoscopic assemblage of life-like eyes and lips, as well as the ultimate homage to the selfie—a photorealistic smartphone painted onto her face. Choi has even turned her face into a soccer ball in reference to the 2018 World Cup.
Choi left behind a job as a teacher around four years ago to pursue her artistic passion. However, she has recently found a way to marry both careers by teaching illusion makeup classes in various locations across the U.S. Follow Choi on Instagram to see more incredible makeup art and to find out where her next class will be.
