A makeup artist is making waves by creating pop culture masterpieces on her lips and offering words of wisdom for fans and wannabe makeup artists.
Ryan Kelly, who is based in Maryland, paints stunning scenes and characters from pop culture directly onto her mouth.
The talented artist has been perfecting lip art for four years, earning her more than 78,000 Instagram followers on her page @ryankellymua.
She references everything from Disney to Netflix dramas to actors and musicians and famous pop art in her designs, and has even managed to make her lips looks like a couple of juicy trashes of bacon.
Creative: Makeup artist Ryan Kelly from Maryland paints pop culture scenes on her lips
Incredible: Some of her most stunning work includes lip art of Game of Thrones characters, Kim Kardashian (pictured) and Justin Timberlake
Groovy baby: She likes to paint prominent pop culture moments and characters, including Austin Powers
Hilarious: Some of the lip art will even poke fun at popular themes, such as the Justin Timberlake meme from his NSYNC days
Bow down: Multiple creations from Kelly involve Game of Thrones characters like Daenerys
All in the details: Kelly will even create nail art to fit the lip design. She painted on a dire wolf to match her Jon Snow creation
Bad apple: Other popular characters Kelly likes to create include those from the Disney franchise, like Maleficent
‘It’s hard to say exactly how I got started with lip art, or how it caught on,’ she said. ‘I have always loved the idea of macro beauty images, and for some reason I gravitated toward lips.
‘I do look back on some of those earlier looks and cringe a bit, but I suppose that’s part of the creative process.
‘One thing that’s remained pretty consistent is the content. I love sort of poking fun of trends and pop culture references, and keeping the ideas sort of silly and kitsch.
‘As a full-time makeup artist of 10 years or so, having an outlet like lip art to express ideas that are a little bit left of center keeps me sane.’
Incredible: Kelly recently did a tribute to Jeff Goldblum by painting him on her lips in front of scene that looked similar to Starry Night
Icon: Other people painted on Kelly’s lips include Marilyn Monroe from her iconic Andy Warhol painting
Theater nerd: On Instagram, Kelly targeted other fellow ‘theater nerds’ by incorporating popular characters in her lip designs. Pictured is from The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Stunning: She also paired a playbill-designed nail with the movie poster from Les Miserables
Tribute: ‘As a full-time makeup artist of 10 years or so, having an outlet like lip art to express ideas that are a little bit left of center keeps me sane,’ she said (pictured: Banksy-inspired lips)
Queen: Kelly paid homage to Rihanna by painting the singer on her lips with a gold chain outlining the facial feature
Wakanda forever: She paid tribute to Black Panther with this dark pout
As for her advice to those who would like to follow in her footsteps, she said ‘never to take yourself too seriously.’
‘It’s very easy to get caught up in what everyone else thinks because we’re all so driven by engagement and by what sells. But it can’t be about trying to be like someone else or following a trend.
‘Create the trend! Be authentic! Love what you create regardless of who praises you or doesn’t.’
She, though, got plenty of praise from her grandfather, who encouraged her artistic abilities.
‘My grandfather was an incredible artist. He used to tell me, “Just make a huge mess and then fix it.” I hear that phrase in my head almost every time I paint. It’s amazing the freedom that comes with giving yourself permission to be imperfect.’
Killer queen! There are many popular pop culture moments featured on Kelly’s lips. She decided to do a Queen tribute because of the release of Bohemian Rhapsody
Sizzling: Kelly has even created bacon on her lips as one of her popular designs
Under the sea: ‘Create the trend! Be authentic! Love what you create regardless of who praises you or doesn’t,’ Kelly said. Pictured are her The Little Mermaid-inspired lips
What’s your favorite color? A recent lip design was of Will Ferrell when he played Buddy in Elf
Throwback: Kelly even paid homage to a popular children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar