Everything but trout pouts: Gobsmacking animal designs good enough to kiss

Artist Paige Thompson had a foxy idea when she puckered up in front of the mirror and started to paint these amazing animal designs - on her own lips.

Now her unique take on face-painting has become an Internet sensation, attracting thousands of followers to her website and sparking demand for new creations.

The 21-year-old was feeling bored when she stumbled across some Halloween make-up she had as a child and began to paint colourful and cute animals on her mouth before photographing them.


A red crab: Paige takes half an hour in front of a mirror to paint each creation

A bumble bee: The first of Paige's 'Animal-ipstick' creations

She started with a bumblebee, then a fox, and as her menagerie grew she christened them 'Animal-ipsticks'.
Paige takes half an hour in front of a mirror to paint each creation, starting with a base colour and adding details such as stripes, eyes and ears.
So far Paige has created a bumblebee, black cat, fox, crab, caterpillar, hippo, chameleon and panda, sticking to a basic pallette of red, blue, yellow, green, black and white.
Her childhood set of water-based paints came with a small brush but she has since bought other brushes to allow her to get better detail. But she refuses to spend money on expensive branded make-up.

A caterpillar and a hippo: Paige starts with a base colour and adds details such as stripes, eyes and ears