Each Halloween [1], it seems like a new optical-illusion-inspired makeup trend takes over Instagram. From "sliced" faces [2] and unzipped makeup [3] to floating heads galore [4], they've all been pretty darn creepy, and in 2019, it looks like the "mask off" makeup craze will dominate social media yet again. Last year, tons of influencers and makeup-lovers caught onto the special-effects trend, painting a full of makeup on one side of their face in a mask-like shape while leaving the other side bare. The results are certainly worth 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 subscribers last year. In her video, Nikkie explained that she was inspired by both The Phantom of the Opera and Shawn Mendes's self-titled studio 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].