Make-up is a wonderful tool for talented artists all around the globe to showcase their jaw-dropping skills and impressive techniques.
From a natural everyday look to some hardcore special effects gore - it's clear that MUAs have really been stepping up to the plate.
The latest viral craze revolves around one woman's particularly harrowing 'uncanny valley' make-up look, which has left the internet beyond creeped out. Have a look but, you've been warned, it's quite the jumpscare:
Now, incase you're lucky enough to be unfamiliar with what the 'uncanny valley' is, let me break it down for you.
Advert
The 'uncanny valley' theory centres around the idea that some people have a fairly uncomfortable and disturbed reactions to when things like robots and animations closely resemble humans in many respects, but are not quite convincingly realistic.
Think of a weird old doll that appears almost humanoid but just misses the mark, or a retro cartoon whose face isn't quite right.
Make-up artist, Meg Murphy who goes by the handle @megssfx online, took to Instagram to share with her 21.7k followers her 'creepiest and easiest Halloween make-up'.
And no - there was no presence of fake blood, blacked-out coloured contacts, or prosthetics commonly used to complete any spooky season look.
Advert
It was something far more chilling.
The 20-year-old began by quickly shaving the ends of her brows before adding a light foundation all over her face, then an even lighter colour under her eyes, which was followed by a white eyeliner in her waterline.
She then rounded off her eyebrows with a dark brow pencil and used concealer to block out the front and end sections so they appeared shorter.
Advert
Next, Meg added black eyeliner to her lids and even more concealer to the outer corner of her eye so they looked smaller.
A touch of mascara was then applied to her lashes.
And now for the lips.
Advert
Meg lengthened her smile using a brown lip liner and blurred out her Cupid's bow when lining her pout.
Some bronzer was added to her temples followed by a rosy blush to the centre of her cheeks towards her nose.
The clip then cuts to the finished look and, let's just say, it's definitely not one for the faint-hearted.
The reel has since gone viral after clocking up a staggering four million views and over 235k likes on the platform with hundreds upon hundreds of people rushing in to share their reactions to the look.
Advert
One Instagram user revealed: "THIS SCARED THE LIVING SH*T OUT OF ME!"
"Actually PETRIFIED," admitted a second.
A third penned: "I can't figure out whats so creepy about it but it just is."
A final Instagram user offered a neat little explanation as to why the make-up triggered such a freaked out response in viewers, writing: "For anyone wondering why this is so unsettling: the eyebrows curve down way too soon.
"The white she placed under the eyes make them look way too round and circular.
"The lips are also too round, lacking a Cupid's bow. The face is devoid of any colour or fleshiness, it looks pale and washed out.
"All of these together make it look like a poor imitation of a human."
So, there you have it.
Topics: Beauty, Instagram, Make-Up, Social media, TikTok
Rhiannon Ingle