Vancouverite 鈥檚 incredible illusion makeup ranges from the creepy to the cute, but it鈥檚 always absolutely jaw-dropping. What鈥檚 just as amazing is that she鈥檚 only been doing it for four years.
In 2013, Choi was a preschool Montessori teacher who enjoyed messing about with makeup. She was passionate enough about it to take a course at Blanche McDonald, but never thought about making it her profession. Then, that Halloween, she decided to experiment a little. 鈥淚 tested out a cracked face design using just black and white eyeliners,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was my first-ever creative makeup and, when I posted the image on
Instagram, lots of people liked, reposted and shared it. That surprised me and motivated me to keep exploring and improving on this style even though it was uncommon at the time.鈥�
These days, Choi is a bona fide Internet sensation, with more than 450,000 Instagram followers 鈥撎齭he says she uses IG as a way to document her progress as an artist. Her work has been featured around the world in publications like the Daily Mail and Allure magazine. Inspiration comes from everywhere 鈥撎齋alvador Dali鈥檚 work is a current theme. 鈥淚t could be from the pattern of a shirt, a painting, a photograph or architecture,鈥� she says.
鈥淪ometimes I look at something in my surroundings and wonder if I could achieve the same effect with makeup.鈥�
Choi doesn鈥檛 digitally alter her images and mostly uses everyday makeup from brands like Make Up For Ever and M.A.C. So what鈥檚 her secret?
鈥淐ontinual practice, trial and error and hands-on experience,鈥� she says. She never likes to repeat a look, preferring to create something new every time. 鈥淲hen I feel like creating, I look through my list of ideas and just execute the makeup in one go. I don鈥檛 plan extensively beforehand 鈥� I like to go with the flow,鈥� she explains.
Her art has given her some incredible opportunities including travelling the world and collaborating with brands like the aforementioned Make Up For Ever, M.A.C and Samsung. There鈥檚 also the little matter of her celeb fans: Snoop Dogg got in touch to see if she could work on his Halloween makeup, and, though it didn鈥檛 happen, 鈥渋t鈥檚 really cool to know that such a legendary musician follows my work,鈥� she says.
So what does a famous illusion makeup artist look like in her downtime? 鈥淎 good pair of mink lashes is a must. Other than that, I like to keep it simple with light mineral powder and a nice eyeliner,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 normally just wear lip balm on my lips because I hate it when my lipstick gets messy or smudged while I鈥檓 eating... And I am always eating.鈥� Perhaps that might explain this year鈥檚 Halloween costume: A burger, eating a burger, in an oversized tee shirt decorated with... a burger. 听
鈥� You can follow Mimi at on Instagram.
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