Makeup transforms, inside and out.
It’s what attracted makeup artist Mimi Choi to the art form as a child.
She was fascinated by the power of makeup, she said: “I would watch my mom put on mascara and red lipstick, and eventually, I snuck into her makeup collection and tried things out on myself.”
Choi began experimenting with looks while in college, but it was just a hobby then, and she went on to become a preschool teacher for several years.
“I enjoyed doing intricate nail art during my free time as a creative outlet,” she explained. “This is when I decided to enroll in makeup school and pursue my passion.”
It’s at Blanche Macdonald, the beauty school in Vancouver, Canada — where she’s based — that Choi began to explore illusion makeup looks. In 2013, she started sharing them on Instagram, and today, she has 1.6 million followers on the platform, where she’s known as @mimles.
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“My audience has grown organically,” she said. “As I created more looks and my technique improved, I would be featured by makeup brands and various media outlets around the world.”
“Honestly, I don’t pay much attention to my follower count,” she continued. “I paint for myself, but I am grateful that others enjoy my work as well.”
Finding inspiration from “everything” around her, “including paintings, textures, patterns and even my dreams,” she said, the art world has had “a huge” influence on her work. “When I travel, I like to explore museums, which is where I gain much of my inspiration.”
Maurits Cornelis Escher, Salvador Dalí and Giuseppe Arcimboldo are artists she particularly loves.
“They go beyond simply painting what they see,” Choi said. “Their illusional interpretations are so inspiring to me, and their works challenge me to achieve their level of creativity.”