I think everyone has their white whale when it comes to makeup. There’s always one thing that you think looks really cool on Instagram, but never turns out quite right in practice.
For me, it’s nail art. I try time and time again to make my nails turn out perfectly, but they always turn out gloppy and sticky instead. The only time I ever have success, it’s because I’m closely following online tutorials like this cool dental-floss stripe pattern.
Eye makeup, on the other hand, is my favorite. I’m a long-time wielder of the liquid eyeliner — unlike these sorry saps who are learning how to use it for the very first time — and I’ve never been one to shy away from crazy eyeshadow or wild mascara.
That said, I don’t think I’ll ever be at the level of Tal Peleg. When I say that she’s a makeup artist, what I mean is that she’s an artist, and makeup happens to be her medium of choice.
I’m telling you right now, you have never, but never, seen anything that looks like her designs before. She creates eye makeup styles, but her designs are miles away from my simple cat-eye.
We’re talking entire universes, contained (mostly) in the blank space between eye and eyebrow. Honestly, I never knew that it was possible to create something so intricate and beautiful in such a tiny space!
Scroll through the gallery below to see some of Tal's most beautiful designs, ranging from fairytale-perfect to gothic and spooky!
1. One of Tal's favorite subjects to illustrate? The beautiful ladies behind our favorite fairy tales! Like...
…Cinderella! At first glance, I thought this might be Elsa from Frozen, but then I spotted the tiny glass slipper. My favorite thing about this design is how much her eyeshadow dress looks like Cinderella's dress in the Disney movie!
2. And she isn't afraid to stray into territory not covered by the Disney cannon...
Here, she's created a clever depiction of Red Riding Hood, and her first encounter with the wolf. Isn't it cool how Red's hood sweeps up from the inner corner of the eye?
3. And Tal isn't one to feel constricted by the limitations of her canvas.
I love the rich purples and greens of her depiction of Rapunzel, caught in the act of lowering her famous hair, but I'm more impressed with the way those endless locks trail down her cheek! It could almost be a wayward strand of her own mane.
4. Naturally, that means that she's also happy to go above her comfort zone!
This clever depiction of the mattresses in the story of the Princess and the Pea is so cute and whimsical. And her decision to turn her eyebrow into another layer? Brilliant!
5. That said, she's also happy to work with the organic contours of the face.
For her amazing version of the Princess and the Frog, she took advantage of those on-point brows, and created a bedtime 'do worthy of a princess, complete with a tiny pink bow!
6. She's also totally happy to go back to basics if her design calls for it!
For her illustration of Snow White's deep sleep, Tal kept to the shape of a simple cat eye design, and swept the sleeping princess' features along the edge.
7. And, despite her achievements in one area, she's never timid about expanding her subject matter.
While the story of Pandora's Box isn't strictly a fairytale, it is still a story about a beautiful, mythical girl who finds herself in a tricky situation. Plus, I love the pattern of ghostly skulls escaping from the box! And they're just a taste of the darker aspect of Tal's talent. As you'll see on the next page, she's an artist that's perfectly happy to explore the spooky side of things…
8. For example, she knows the best way to pay homage to the master of gothic horror...
She gives Edgar Allen Poe a fitting tribute, recreating his most famous portrait and adding the spooky trappings of his famous poem "The Raven." It's so cool how she renders the whole thing in black and white, and then uses that tiny speck of color in the candle to create an illusion of light!
9. She's an expert on things that go bump in the night...
This is the perfect design to rock on a night where you went out, even though you wanted to stay in. Those scary ghosts under the bed are a great incentive to spend your night elsewhere, if you ask me!
10. And she's an expert on making your makeup a little bogeyman-esque in it's own right!
This extreme smokey eye looks very cool, but also a little bit like it might reach out and grab you, which is presumably what happened to the tiny figure on the outer corner of the eye. I can also assume that this is a meditation of the risks and rewards of eyebrow maintenance.
11. She also has designs for those of us who like our scares to have a turn-of-the-century vibe.
Her Phantom of the Opera style is so beautiful and intricate. I'm particularly in love with the winged eyeliner that turns into a swirl of sheet music!
12. And she knows what to do if you want your look to combine high culture—AND creepy-crawlies!
Just recreate The Persistence of Memory, Dali's most famous painting, no big deal. I especially love how hyper-realistic (and therefore super-creepy) that little swarm of ants looks.
13. Of course, she has plenty of more contemporary offerings available as well!
This sweet depiction of Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas is perfect! I half expect Jack Skellington to appear on the distant, spiraled horizon.
14. Most important of all? At the end of the day, she knows that bright colors can always be found in dark places!
In this illustration, she highlights the beauty of any dark and spooky times of the year. This gorgeous design is like an autumn evening made makeup, featuring a girl, her cat, the bright full moon!
Does this inspire you to try your own wild eye makeup? If so, please SHARE on Facebook, and show us how it turned out in the comments!
