Jeanette Aw’s makeup artist Elain Lim creates paintings from expired makeup

Interestingly, Lim’s first portrait done with expired makeup was that of Kim Go-eun, his favorite actress and the female lead of the K-drama, Goblin: The Lonely and Great God.

In fact, he only paints portraits, and usually of women’s faces.

So, has being a makeup artist helped you?

Lim admitted that he naturally gravitates towards faces because he knows them well. “Maybe it’s because as a makeup artist I paint women’s faces with makeup, it’s easier for me to do eyebrows or add hair on the head. I’ve seen a lot of portrait artists who aren’t very good with hair. It often seems very rough and tough,” she shared.

Although the 51-year-old also shared that painting has also influenced her approach to makeup; Seeing different color combinations in a new light and painting daily has helped her hands stay steadier during makeup application.

“It also reminds me to step back and look at the big picture, something that, as a makeup artist, I didn’t do often because I was always focusing on the minute details.”

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AND COLORFUL

Although Lim’s painting journey lasted less than a decade, he has already made great strides.

Not only has he held two exhibitions (the first was self-organized in 2017 and the second during the pandemic in 2021), but his works were also exhibited at Art Busan.

The opportunity arose when Lim’s niece, an independent art curator in 2017, who was bringing artworks to South Korea for Art Busan, approached her. “She asked me to send her one of mine so she could add it to the mix, so I did.”