Eczema sufferer transforms her sensitive skin into makeup masterpieces

Beauty is on the eye of the beholder.

A U.K. woman with eczema has turned her eyelids into canvases, and her impressive artwork has garnered thousands of followers.

Bronya Humphreys has suffered from eczema since she was a baby. “But it’s only recently flared up really badly since giving birth to my daughter Luna,” the 20-year-old tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

On her Instagram account, the self-taught artist shares makeup masterpieces that she creates on her eyelids. Humphreys can re-create everything from cityscapes and unicornesque rainbows to rose gardens on her lids, putting our measly smoky eyes to shame. Sometimes she posts before-and-after photos showing how irritated the area around her eyes can look naturally

One of her most recent side-by-side posts was particularly moving. “I am not my skin condition. I am me” was written above the before-and-after pics, her eyelids red and swollen in the first image but looking like a stunning sunrise in the second image. “‘You look like a zombie’ ‘Is everything okay at home’ ‘Are you dying’ ‘Is that contagious,'” she began her caption, recalling questions people ask about her skin. “I have eczema. I have a skin condition,” she continued. “I have had so many hateful comments recently regarding how I look. When I wear makeup they say I’m fake. When I don’t I’m a gross zombie.”

However, Humphreys does not let her skin condition define her. “I am not my skin condition. I am a lovely, caring, beautiful human, and you don’t deserve to even be on my page let alone be leaving awful comments on my pictures,” she said to haters. “All I want on my page is to promote self love…YOU ARE AMAZING…Basically what I’m trying to say is f*** anyone that s***s on you. You are so much better than that…There’s a lot of hate in this world but I’m there for you.”

She wasn’t always this positive about her skin. “I used to really hate it and was very self-conscious, but now I have embraced it, as I can’t help it,” she explains. “I’m not my condition.”

Of course, as it is for many women, for Humphreys makeup at first was a mask of sorts. “I initially started wearing makeup to cover up my eczema, but honestly, I just really enjoy creating art on my face,” Humphreys says. It was actually another struggle that led her to makeup. “I first discovered my love for eye makeup whilst stuck inside and heavily pregnant. I suffered badly with antenatal depression (also known as prenatal depression), and getting up to do makeup looks to share on Instagram kept me happy.”

You’re probably wondering how her sensitive skin handles such heavy eyeshadow and liner. It doesn’t. “When my eczema is bad on my face, I avoid makeup completely,” she says. “But to help my dry skin, I wear moisturizer and only a small amount of foundation so it doesn’t dry my skin out.”

While her artwork is impressive and entertaining, that’s not why she shares it with her 55,000 followers. “I want to use my platform to spread self love!” she says. “I want other people that suffer with eczema to know they aren’t alone and that you can still do makeup if you want to. You just have to make sure you take care of your skin.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• ‘Acne doesn’t make you ugly,’ blogger says in empowering post

• If you struggle with eczema, here are 15 beauty products that will soothe your skin

• Woman Who Scratches Her Eczema With Scissors Should Probably Do This Instead

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.