This Illusion Makeup Artist Is Tripping Us Out

As someone who can barely draw a stick figure, visual artists that can create realistic images with ink, paint, or pencil endlessly impress me. But Korean artist Dain Yoon's talent is next level — and the coolest part is her face is her preferred canvas to showcase her surreal illusion art.

Whether recreating iconic works by masters or totally tripping us out with optical illusions, no one could blame you if you thought her selfies were the work of a clever Photoshop artist instead of a makeup artist with a very steady hand.

On her website, the 24-year-old from Seoul, South Korea, says, "People live in illusions. People see everything in their own subjective way," and it's this philosophy that drives her work.

"Since childhood, Dain had a knack for painting," her bio says. I'll say!

Dain recently went viral for her hail nails, but her most impressive work involves using the rest of her body, especially her face, as the canvass. Anyone who can draw a realistic hand on a piece of paper amazes me, but to draw them on your own face just seems like magic. 

Here she blends herself into the display of crystal in such a way you can see her reflection in the glasses painted on her face. It's so trippy.

I love the way she even managed to paint her hair to blend with the ceiling and the shadows the chandelier casts.

Another common theme Dain plays with is the trick of painting multiple versions of her eyes and mouth on her face. I have to admit, this one makes me rub my eyes a little and get a bit of a headache as my brain tries to figure out what's going on.

If you think this underwater tableau is impressive as a still image, it's even cooler on video. Don't worry, no fish were harmed in the making of it, but the water was pretty darn cold for Dain.

Dain's talents are clearly undeniable, and she's showcased it several times in exhibitions in Seoul as well as in appearances on American talk shows. She's also had the opportunity to work for clients like Apple, BMW, and 20th Century Fox.

She collaborated with the film Alita: Battle Angel to paint herself up like a battle-worn android in this impressive video, as well. What's most amazing is how she manages to paint herself in places that require her to contort her body.

According to Dain's profile on her personal website, both her parents have backgrounds in art and design. Her mom is an artist like her, while her father works in architecture, and you can see that both have had some influence on her style.

“Anything, even in very ordinary life, could be great inspirations," she says, "As long as one takes on a unique perspective.”

Though Dain doesn't work exclusively with her body as her canvas, she prefers it because it's unique — no other canvas in the world looks like hers.

She also has a healthy self-esteem, as viewers learned when she appeared on Ellen, as her translator communicated that her preference for her own body as a canvas comes out of self-love.

However, the public doesn't always react favorably when she goes out to show off her work. She told Ellen DeGeneres she once made a baby cry with illusion makeup done to give her multiple eyes and mouths.

Keep scrolling to see more of Dain's incredible illusions!