By Devon Abelman, Allure
Aside from my mom's daily primping, face painting was my first
introduction to the wonders of makeup. With the help of some thick
paint, someone at a carnival or street fair could transform 5-year-old
me into a butterfly or tiger. As an adult, orange winged liner and black lipstick
are about as close as I get to metamorphic powers of face painting.
Makeup artists on Instagram have been taking the childhood novelty up a
notch, though. Not to sound cliche, but they color outside the lines,
quite literally painting liners and shadows outside the typical lines
MUAs adhere to. Creative designs aren't relegated to just lids; they use
their cheeks and lips as a canvas, too.
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This wave was pioneered by professional makeup artist Val Garland.
For years, she's been the queen of using a model's whole face to her
advantage, drawing on flowers and abstract patterns instead of painting
on a classic cat eye and a red lip. (No tea, no shade, no pink lemonade
to MUAs that do.) Garland and the other makeup artists I'm about to
introduce you to aren't about special effects or optical illusions.
Their face painting isn't meant to trick your eyes or make you think
something is happening that definitely isn't. Instead, these makeup
artists are all about creating looks that are — excuse my language —
fucking beautiful to look at. They have teeny tiny details like a Picasso that you only notice after a third or fifth glance.
A post shared by ValGarland (@thevalgarland) on
Sayumi Masuda a.k.a. @whateveryousay1687
Background: The 20-year-old aspiring makeup artist from Sapporo, Japan started doing her own makeup when she was 13. "That was normal makeup to make myself look beautiful, but my mom didn't like that," she tells Allure. It wasn't until two years ago when Masuda started doing her "face painting." Then, she started her Instagram page last year after he friend recommended she do so. "I found that it is really fun!" she says.
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Style: Masuda sums up her makeup style as "anything is OK." She adds, "My face is a canvas, so I express my feelings and what I want to tell other people with my face painting." In addition to her feelings, Masuda pulls inspiration from nature, animals, and art — all are evident in her creations. She's covered her face in reinterpretations of fine art like Venus de Milo, as well as wildlife such as tigers and lizards.
The finished product: Depending on the look, Masuda says it takes about an hour and a half to create. She never leaves the house with her face paintings, though — except for on Halloween. "When I go out with the girls, I love to wear normal beauty full-faced looks!" she explains.
Laura Kalmakoff
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Style: When asked to put her describe her makeup, Kalmakoff said it is "a combination of editorial makeup and abstract art. It’s bold, it’s geometric, and it makes a statement." Her favorite looks are the ones inspired by galaxies. Usually, they involve a lot of chunky glitter, as well as opaque black and white paint.
The finished product: Like Masuda, Kalmakoff doesn't prefer to take her face paintings outside, noting she never has with a laugh. If I spent one to two hours creating looks like she does, I so would. But that's just me.
Ariella Prado a.k.a. @itsariellaa
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Style: To Prado, makeup means self-expression and "a different outlet for art." With that in mind, she describes her personal style as colorful and abstract. Most of her looks include brightly colored liners swirled all around her face and equally as vibrant eye shadows.
The finished product: After spending a good four hours painting her face, Prado doesn't just wash her face. "Every one of my looks I've ever done I've worn out," she says. "I've gotten a couple of "what the f**ks," but I've gotten a lot of compliments from random people." Sometimes, Prado's looks could take up to six hours because she doesn't plan out any of them beforehand. "I just sit and see what happens," she says.
Kimberley Weber a.k.a. @kimberleymargarita_ or Colour Creep
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Style: "My makeup style is pretty all over the place," Weber notes. "If I were to have to label it, it would be somewhere in between avant-garde and fantasy." The focus on fantasy is ever present in her whimsical looks and what drives her. "I see myself as a canvas," she says. "I love to transform myself into whatever my imagination comes up with that day." In addition to painting her face, she loves creating costumes and props for her looks, too. "I feel like that pulls it all together," she adds.
The finished product: Surprisingly, Weber says her looks usually take just one to two hours to complete. "But I have spent up to five hours plus on some of the more extravagant looks," she admits. Unlike Prado, she doesn't always go out in public in her makeup. When she does, Weber says, "It's always an interesting experience. It always takes me by surprise when people ask to take photos of me."
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