Cosplay is something we here at Cinema Blend typically only pay notice to during Comic Con or Halloween, but the incredible transformations of 18-year-old Emma Pickles are so accurate and striking they pulled us right out of our winter doldrums! Once a shy teen, Pickles is now a Youtube sensation thanks to her talent for morphing makeup and detailed how-to tutorials. Check out a few of her movie-inspired looks below:
The Daily Mail interviewed Pickles after her vids received more than 1.5 million views, and revealed that the Yorkshire teen used to suffer from crippling social anxiety. But Pickles found comfort in makeup, saying, "I wouldn't leave the house without putting on a full face of makeup." She was enchanted early on by the power makeup had to transform someone's face, and as she grew, realized she had a special talent for manipulating makeup, using it to alter aspects of her own features she was less than happy with. By 13, Pickles began exploring more monstrous looks, inspired by a how-to vid on Edward Scissorhands' look. It was the beginning of her passion for monster makeup:
"While friends were going out to parties at the weekend, I was at home making myself into vampires and werewolves. My favourite looks are the creepy ones - but because of my social anxiety I've never even been to a Halloween party."
Urged by her boyfriend, Pickles decided to make a tutorial vid of her own, and her channel quickly gained in popularity, giving her a newfound self-assurance. "Thankfully, most of the comments were really positive. People were saying how talented I was and it felt so nice. It gave my confidence a boost."
Considering some of the deeply vile things I've seen in Youtube comments, I'm relieved that someone as talented and sensitive as Pickles has found it a safe space to explore her creativity and find a community. She is not only a source of entertainment to more than a million people, she's also a source of inspiration for others fascinated by transformative power of makeup. Plus, Pickles has reached the rare achievement of making a living off her popular Youtube vids, and now has aspirations of doing monster makeup professionally. But whatever comes, she promises not to abandon her fans, "I'll never give up my YouTube channel - it's turned my life around. It’s opened up a whole new world for me and given me lots of opportunities. I’ve achieved so much - all because YouTube."
Check out more of Pickles' tutorials on her channel.
