A lot of parents ask their teens to tone down their makeup, but one 16-year-old has done the exact opposite – with amazing results.
Caitlin Black has been stunning her online followers with the impressive creations, which include sunsets, chocolate bars and optical illusions.
The student from Gorey, County Wexford, taught herself the makeup tricks after being inspired by a scary movie night when she was 14.
Caitlin Black from County Wexford, Ireland, creates incredible visual illusions with makeup
Painstaking detail: The hugely intricate jobs can take anything from 60 minutes to an hour
The 16-year-old began trying out different techniques when she watched Halloween films with a friend
‘Do this because you want to’: Despite having over 7,000 followers on Instagram, the 16-year-old warns not to get obsessed with social media
Caitlin said: ‘I got into makeup artistry one evening when myself and a friend were watching Halloween movies and we decided to get out my grubbiest oldest children’s face paints and we did a half sugar skull [where half the face is painted like a skeleton]’.
‘I found it so interesting as I have always had a passion for art, but this was different, I was using my face as a canvas – which intrigued me greatly.’
‘Since then my love for face and body painting along with special effects has blossomed into something I love to do in any spare time I have!’
Caitlin used YouTube and other artists for inspiration, and now has a growing list of clients
The teen explains that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to create something amazing: ‘For my special effects makeup I went into my local art store and got cheap paint brushes which did the job!’
The artist said: ‘I found that so interesting as I have always had a passion for art, but this was different – I was using my face as a canvas, which intrigued me greatly’
Caitlin used YouTube and other artists for inspiration, and now has a growing list of clients.
The teen explains that she does not need expensive equipment to perfect the looks.
‘I find that you don’t need fancy brushes to effectively create something amazing, for my special effects makeup I went into my local art store and got cheap paint brushes which did the job! They ranged from a few large brushes to tiny detail brushes.’
She adds that practice makes perfect, and small details are hugely important for making the effect go the extra mile.
The heavy makeup has to come off somehow, and Caitlin hops in the shower to take it all off after taking a few snaps of her work
Practice makes perfect: The 16-year-old says that fine-tuning your skills is important, and tiny details can make a look much more realistic
Incredibly, the intricate makeup can taken her anything from sixty minutes to five hours: ‘I get lost in my thoughts and time really does slip away!’
Of course, layers of heavy makeup have to be removed somehow, and after taking some snaps of her painstakingly-made creations, Caitlin hops in the shower to wash it all away.
Despite having 7,000 followers on Instagram, the 16-year-old warns not to get obsessed with your online presence: ‘Don’t get caught up on the amount of followers you have or likes you get. The world of social media can brainwash you, don’t walk into that trap!
‘Do this because you want to, because you love it and because it’s your passion.’
Caitlin, who is in her fifth year of secondary school, says that the process of using the makeup and face paint helps her to be more imaginative
The student from Gorey, County Wexford, taught herself the makeup tricks after being inspired by a scary movie night when she was 14
She says: ‘Makeup and sfx is something that keeps me sane, it allows me to become more creative and see things in a new light’
Caitlin, who is in her fifth year of secondary school, says that the process of using the makeup and face paint helps her to be more imaginative.
She explains: ‘Makeup and sfx is something that keeps me sane, it allows me to become more creative and see things in a new light.
‘I am so glad that I found it and I hope it will lead me in a path of incredible opportunities in the future.’