How the makeup artist turns into movie icons, including Harry Potter and Shrek
A makeup artist has revealed how she spent up to 13 hours using body art to completely transform into beloved movie characters.
Nikhita Patel, 20, has always been an artist and studied art as an A-Level when she was a teenager.
She fell in love with makeup just two years ago and honed her skills while studying for her makeup degree specializing in hair and media at University College Birmingham.
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The 20-year-old started out with glamorous makeup, but decided to give body painting a try and didn’t look back.
She has painted works of art on herself, including Phoebe from Friends, Will Smith, and the famous kissing scene from The Notebook.
Nikhita, who lives in Cannock, said: “I used to do realistic paintings with acrylic paint and when I went to college we did a module on body art, and i ‘fell in love with it.
“Anyone can do glam makeup and wanted to try something different.”
Nikhita paints every look at herself by hand – doing it upside down in its own reflection.
“With paintings, it’s not so bad, but it can be hard with words! she said.
“The Fresh Prince look was a challenge, but it’s worth it. “
The reception she received for her work has been amazing, she says, with many people asking her how she manages to achieve such stunning looks.
She said: “Everyone was like ‘wow’ and asked me how I did it.
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“My first track was a Harry Potter which took 11 hours.
“The longest lasted 13 hours – recent charges have taken me this long.
“But it’s quite therapeutic because you aren’t focusing on anything else.”
Nikhita does make-up for clients but has never painted body art on anyone other than herself.
“I don’t think anybody would sit there that long!” ” she said.
After sitting until 1 p.m. to create her look, she will take photos and then wash them off after about 10 minutes.
Sometimes she opened the door halfway to a creation.
“The postman is sick of seeing me like that, I’m pretty sure!” she joked.
As Halloween approaches, Nikhita has planned some spooky looks.
“Last year I did a lot of gore and this year I’m doing more movie-themed films,” she said.
“I want to work in prosthetics, we haven’t done much in my studies yet, but this is the path I want to take.
“My Edward Scissorhands look was one of my favorites, as was Hotel Transylvania.”
Nikhita cuts down on her expenses by improvising with things she finds around the house.
She tried to create one body art look a week, tailoring it to her days at her part-time job at New Look.
Friends encouraged her to apply for the BBC Three Glow Up makeup show, but she wants to hone her skills first.
“Everyone tells me to apply for Glow Up but I’m not sure I have confidence in myself yet!
You can follow Nikhita on Instagram here.
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