How makeup was turned into a work of art: the most striking images of contemporary artists

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Contemporary art completely erases all boundaries between genres, styles, creator and creation. Nowadays, the artist's own face can become a canvas for creating a picture. Make-up artists gained immense popularity on social networks, who decided to turn themselves into a work of art - and created real masterpieces.

Living doll Porcelainette

The American make-up artist with the nickname Porcelainette often hears that she should not wear doll clothes and paint madly, because she is … full. However, the girl encourages people to take life a little less seriously - after all, we were born for joy!

Why not put on some fun clown makeup, wear a silk kimono and post a photo on social media - just for fun? However, the skill with which Porcelainette creates for itself the image of a "living doll" evokes thoughts not so much about a joke as about high art. Perfectly even tone, smooth gradations of shades, frightening elements - for example, a bleeding nose or devil's horns - along with sparkles, rhinestones and flower petals …

Each photo of a girl is a fantastic story. However, her own story is full of sorrow and pain - during her school years, Porcelainette experienced bullying, then rape. The art of makeup and the creation of unusual images for herself and for others became a real salvation for her, helped to overcome negative emotions and find real friends. Porcelainette was once rejected and insulted, but now many people admire her talent and courage.

She is inspired by everything beautiful and extravagant - the aesthetics of drag queens (these are men who exaggerate feminine images for stage performances), circus artists and, of course, all kinds of dolls - both old and modern, and artistic, and those that can be seen in any toy store. Her wardrobe is full of romantic things and vintage-style jewelry, complementing unusual makeup - in this form, she appears not only to subscribers, but also goes out for a walk.

Despite the fact that Porcelainette is a professional makeup artist, today it is more of a hobby for her. Her current work is, as expected, connected with the main source of inspiration - the artist is restoring broken articulated dolls.

Creative Cat, aka bleedkitsune, and her fantastic cosplay

Our compatriot, known under the nickname Creative Cat or bleedkitsune, from the very childhood loved to draw, wrote poetry … And with age, her craving for creativity only intensified. The girl works a lot, actively writes texts and articles for various publications, is engaged in photography, illustration - and, of course, artistic make-up. She is herself an artist, a photographer, and a model - on her Instagram you can see the most fantastic images referring to famous characters of modern culture (for example, the witch Sabrina, Disney heroines, and so on).

In addition, the Creative Cat is inspired by the films of Tim Burton and Guillermo del Toro, computer games and the accounts of other makeup artists. Both cosplay and the original work of bleedkitsune are always complex, inventive, sometimes gloomy, but always fascinate with aesthetics and quality of performance. Sequins, ornaments, unusual shades … It can take from half an hour to several hours to create each image, but the result is worth it!

Natasha Jones (njlook) - a bright view of the world

Natasha Jones boldly rejects all the rules of working with color, creating truly picturesque works on her own face. Most often, she focuses on the eyes and cheekbones, where flowers bloom, a rainbow sparkles, and fireworks flare up. Natasha begins to create each of her makeup with color. She is one of those who are really inspired by everything around - the clouds floating in the sky, the shades of heaven and earth, flowers and fruits. Sometimes she repeats the work of famous makeup artists who paint models at Fashion Week, but she always brings something of her own.

However, the girl speaks of her work exclusively as a hobby: “Makeup means a lot to me, but basically it’s a way to relax and escape from everything that is happening now (we are talking about political events in the United States)”.

Tanya Kwok Kim Young (luciphyrr) - Struggle for Diversity

Tanya was born and raised in New Zealand, but she is Chinese by birth. The girl receives an education in the field of biological sciences and physiology, but makeup for her is not only a hobby, but also a political statement. Tanya fights for diversity in the beauty industry, for the representation of women of different races in the fashion space.

"Makeup isn't just for a certain group of people," she says. "People of all genders, races and backgrounds wear makeup, and everyone has a right to appear." Tanya herself is a supporter of the avant-garde style, she freely places complex drawings on the eyelids and cheeks, draws inspiration from traditional cultures and the works of famous makeup artists.

True Elf Lithunium Snow

Self-portraits by Niels Verburn, known under the nickname Lithunium Snow, have long hit the pages and accounts of Dark Beauty Magazine and Gothesque. Niels himself has a spectacular appearance, and even with professional makeup, jewelry and incredible hairstyles, it seems like an unearthly creature. Niels often reproduces on his own body the most significant and recognizable works of famous painters - Hokusai, Vincent van Gogh, Gustav Klimt and Renaissance artists. On his Instagram account, you can also see a kind of cosplay - the young man depicts famous characters from games, films and books. For example, the antagonist Scar from Disney's The Lion King or the protagonist of Beauty and the Beast.

However, a lot inspires him. He turns his face into a blooming garden, then into a sunset sky, then “cosplays” a Gothic cathedral … And, of course, from time to time his ears acquire a pointed shape - Nils does not at all hide the fact that in fact he is an elf.