Makeup is an excellent tool for bringing out one’s best qualities or concealing aspects of our appearance that we feel less confident about. However, there are those who are able to take it to an entirely new level and transform their use of cosmetics into a mystical kind of artistic self-expression. Mimi Choi is one of these folks; the artist has acquired 1.7 million followers on Instagram thanks to the mind-blowing optical illusion looks that she posts.
Surprisingly, her works are frequently motivated by the dreams she gets during the periods of sleep paralysis she experiences: “In addition to not being able to move, I see things,” she adds. “Once I’ve altered the appearance of a vision, I can guarantee that it won’t happen again.”
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Mimi told us a few years ago about how she started her career, “I’ve always been creative, and I’d done bridal makeup before, which people really liked.” I’d done some crazy things before, but nothing as crazy as the work I do now.” Mimi’s skills really improved after she went to a beauty school in her area. But when Halloween was coming up, things really got going. “I wanted to do something different for October 31, so I went on Instagram and found a picture of a woman whose face looked like it was broken.”
“I had never done crazy makeup on myself before, but I pulled out my black and white eyeliner and gave it a try. What happened next is history.”
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Before Mimi found make-up art, she worked in a pre-school, which is interesting. Her website says, “With her background and previous job as a teacher, Mimi now teaches at Blanche Macdonald and leads various masterclasses and workshops around the world where she shows how to do her most famous looks. She also works as a freelance artistic director for different campaigns. Some of the brands she has worked with include NYX Professional Makeup, MAC, Kryolan, Mehron, UNICEF, Warner Brothers, and Samsung, to name a few.
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Mimi has made a name for herself in the world of makeup because she has been able to create so many great looks over the years. The talented artist has been featured on international TV shows, in magazines, and in music videos. Most notably, she gave actor/model Ezra Miller the “most talked-about” look at the Met Gala a few years ago.
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