Malaysian Artist Turns Makeup Into Beautiful Masterpieces

Makeup is a set of tools that when masterfully wielded, it can create a masterpiece on a person's face. 'Red' Hong Yi sees the potential, but chose to use them on a slightly different canvas than these products are intended for.

In her series "Make-Up Meets Chinese Art," the Malaysian artist uses foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara and more to create works of art that mirror traditional Chinese ones. Yi uses a specific product and incorporates it into the picture, like drawing a crane with mascara and using the applicator wands as reeds.

This isn't the first time she's used unusual art supplies -- she's transformed chopsticks into a portrait of Jackie Chan and played with her food to make pictures on plates.

Among all the artist tools, makeup seems like a costly and bizarre choice of medium, but Yi notes that it is perfect for the subject of the pictures. "Chinese art requires a lot of precision and skill -- one stroke can make a huge difference, and many times, less is more. I felt that this is similar to how a woman carefully puts on her make-up," she explained on the project's page.

Check out some of these beautiful works created with makeup.