Each Halloween [1], it seems like there's a new optical-illusion-inspired makeup trend all over Instagram. From "sliced" faces [2] and unzipped makeup [3] to floating heads galore [4], they've all been pretty darn creepy, but this year, there's a new special-effects craze taking over social media. Tons of influencers and makeup-lovers are wearing a plastic-looking mask, full of makeup on one side of their face while the other side is bare. The results are certainly worth of a double — nay, triple — take.
This crazy-cool idea seems to have originated from widely followed beauty YouTuber Nikkie de Jager [5], who shared a step-by-step tutorial with her 11 million subscribers. In her video, Nikkie explained that she was inspired by both The Phantom of the Opera and Shawn Mendes's latest album cover [6], which features flowers jutting out of a mask-like portion of his face. Watch her handy tutorial ahead to see exactly how to mimic this trippy makeup idea, and keep reading to see real-life imitations from Instagram users everywhere. Hellooo, last-minute Halloween costume inspiration [7].