Makeup is generally used to enhance natural beauty, but sometimes people unleash their creativity with it in a very unique way. This makeup artist Mimi Choi has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram because of doing just that.

She transforms her body into artistic and beautiful optical illusions. She makes her legs look like bananas or cactuses and her arms look like sandwiches or hot dogs. We've already featured her work on Bored Panda, so if you want to see more, click here, here, and here.

More info: Instagram | Facebook

#1

Image credits: mimles

Mimi told Bored Panda more about how she got into creating these unique makeup looks: "I've always been into art and makeup since I was a child, but never thought that I could ever make a career out of it. So after graduating from university, I studied to become a Montessori preschool instructor. While I love teaching and working with children, I felt suppressed in a way because I had to dress and act in a certain manner. I found that I would paint intricate details on my nails or doodle at home in the evenings as a sort of creative release. My mom had noticed this for a while and one day, she suggested that maybe I look into makeup school."

#2

Image credits: mimles

"With my family's support, I enrolled at a local makeup school called Blanche Macdonald Centre here in Vancouver. It was here that I fell in love with makeup and met so many incredible friends and mentors. During my first Halloween as a makeup student, I decided to try out an illusion look that I had seen online. It was a simple cracked face look and after posting it on Instagram, I received a lot of positive feedback. This encouraged me to explore the illusion genre further and I've been doing it ever since."

#3

Image credits: mimles

"I feel that the possibilities are endless with this type of art and eventually, my style evolved into painting more than just my face. Since then, I've painted on my arms, fingers, legs, feet, and body as well. I've even painted on a pregnant belly!"

#4

Image credits: mimles

"Because my journey to becoming a professional makeup artist is not conventional, I hope my story inspires people to pursue their passions no matter where they are in their lives. I'm proof that to make a career as an artist, you don't need a formal arts education and you don't need to graduate from an expensive art school for child prodigies. Anyone can learn and develop their craft at any stage of their life as long as they have the passion and drive!"