Makeup Artist Mimi Choi Has Created The Perfect Illusion
Professional makeup artist Mimi Choi talks to us about her creative ideation, and the connection between beauty and art.
With close to two million followers on Instagram, Vancouver-based professional makeup artist Mimi Choi has made a name for herself as a pioneer in illusionary beauty. Just one look at her feed is enough to understand how she’s earned such a massive following.
Choi redefines what it means to be a makeup artist by using her face as a blank canvas to create the most mind-bending illusions. Her skills are so impressive that she’s managed to gain the attention of beauty aficionados, conglomerates like Sephora (where she now does master classes), and celebrities like Fantastic Beasts actor Ezra Miller, for whom she did makeup for the 2019 Met Gala.
The artist’s talents come from an appreciation of makeup at a young age. “I used to love watching my mother put on red lipstick and eyeshadow when I was young,” Choi says. “It amazed me how transformative makeup was and I would find myself sneaking into her room to play with her cosmetics when she was out of the house.”
“Even before enrolling in makeup school, I enjoyed using colourful makeup to express myself and paid particular attention to clean lines and fine details. I had become quite good at doing my own makeup that friends and family members would ask me to do their bridal or graduation makeup, even when I was working as a preschool teacher.”
We speak to Choi about her passion for makeup artistry, what goes into her creative process, and the blurred lines between beauty and art.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in makeup?
It was in 2013 that I decided to pursue my passion for makeup, as I just didn’t feel completely fulfilled in my teaching role. With the encouragement and support of my family, I enrolled at the Canadian makeup and nail artistry and hair design school Blanche Macdonald Centre immediately after quitting my job. For my first Halloween as a makeup student, I attempted my first illusion. It was a simple cracked face look using only a black and white kohl liner. When I shared this look on social media, I received a lot of positive feedback, which motivated me to continue exploring this genre. Since then, my portfolio has evolved into what it is today.
Your niche is in makeup illusionism. Was this skill something you had to experiment with or did it come to you naturally?
I was naturally drawn to creative makeup ever since I started at Blanche Macdonald. During special effects class, I was fascinated by the transformative potential that different colours and textures had. I was excited by the possibilities and applied what I learned to my illusions. I never had any formal art training so my skills were built over time through countless hours of trial and error. However, I feel that my true strength is in my creativity. My imagination and pursuit of developing my own realism techniques have always motivated me to continue experimenting with different concepts and products to execute the visions in my head. Eventually, my skills caught up with my creativity, which now allows me to execute challenging concepts.
Tell us about your creative process.
My inspiration comes from many different sources, including photography, classical art, digital art, sculptures, and even the dreams I experience during my bouts of sleep paralysis. When I have sleep paralysis, my body is unresponsive but my mind is awake and I often see frightening visions that have inspired some of my more morbid looks. The strange thing is that I don’t experience the same vision when I paint a look inspired by my dreams. In a way, makeup acts as therapy, as it helps me conquer my fears.
My painting process is typically very spontaneous. I don’t sketch my concepts out on a face chart unless it is requested by a client. Instead, I have a general idea of what I want to achieve and I paint directly on myself. I prefer to allow my current emotions to dictate my art. I often make adjustments to my initial concept on the fly. I feel like all of my final looks would have looked completely different had I attempted them on another day, or if my mood or energy had been different. To me, spontaneous art is the most beautiful and authentic.
Out of all the looks you’ve created, which one remains the most symbolic to you?
It’s hard for me to choose one, but I would have to say it’s those with multiple eyes and features. This style jumpstarted my career and is by far the most requested look by my clients. Since first attempting the look in 2014, it has been recreated countless times by other makeup artists. My Chinese porcelain looks are also very meaningful to me because they are inspired by my childhood memories and my grandfather, who has always been a huge inspiration to me.
What are some of your main takeaways from teaching master classes?
I learn a lot about myself when I teach. My illusions require a high level of attention to begin with, so the added layer of explaining my thought process and techniques in real time challenges me further. My classes and workshops are very interactive and collaborative so I actually learn a lot from my students as well and it is so inspiring for me to hear their stories and learn about their unique journeys. Meeting the people who support my work and those who seek to push the genre is so validating and really warms my heart.
How do you think beauty and art are connected?
To me, beauty and art are undefined and completely subjective. Effective art evokes feelings in the observer, whether those feelings be attraction or repulsion. Creating an art piece is what I seek to achieve when I paint. Whether it is considered beautiful is up to my audience to decide.
Lastly, if you weren’t a professional makeup illusionist, what would you be?
I would probably continue to be involved in childcare or early childhood education, and I would likely discover another creative outlet for myself eventually, whether that be avant-garde hairstyling, nail art, drawing, or even cake decorating.
