Is This MUA Taking Lip Art Way Too Far For The 'Gram?

Whether it’s inventing brow trends or recreating iconic artwork on your eyelids, as one of the millions of makeup artists on Instagram, sometimes you have to carve out your own niche to differentiate yourself from the pack. We get it. But there’s a fine line between originality and complete madness, and that is a line we believe makeup artist Jasmine (one name, like Madonna) may have crossed.

The self-taught artist, who goes by butterflyjasmine49 on social media, has gained a robust following for her well-executed avant-garde creations. Mashed potatoes and gravy, complete with parsley freckles? Cute! A legitimately terrifying transformation into a Scooby Doo-inspired ghoul? Spooky. A festive tableau of Jesus for Easter? Sure, why not. Jasmine’s new nature series, however, is not for everyone — mainly because it involves such elements as live wasps and snails. (Not to mention the occasional cameo by alarmingly realistic-looking fake blood.)

Voluntarily putting bees or gastropods on your face probably isn’t on most people’s to-do lists, but it seems like there are no limits to what Jasmine is willing to do to capture the attention of her audience.

As you can imagine, Jasmine has received plenty of backlash, but as she writes in a caption, “This is a form of my artistic expression, I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm not asking you to get it or like it but if we can refrain from being mean about it, that'd be nice.” She also makes sure to clarify that the living creatures used in her looks were found in her own garden, and that she returns them to their natural habitat once she’s gotten the perfect ‘gram.

It’s entirely up to you what you choose to put on your own body, but it’s also fair to say that once live insects become part of your beauty routine, you may be taking things a little too far. There are much better ways to get bee-stung lips that don’t involve an actual bee.