Makeup Artist Anastasiya Shpagina, Master of Transformation

What can we say about Anastasiya Shpagina? To label her as simply a “human doll” would be a vast understatement. At age 19, this Ukrainian teenager is a master of transformation, shapeshifting into virtually anyone with the help of only her makeup kit, a few good wigs, and some spot-on acting skills.

Anastasiya has gained worldwide attention for manipulating her features into anime characters on a daily basis—overdrawing her eyes, contouring her nose, and donning candy-colored wigs and drawing from an ultra-cute wardrobe. But even more astonishing than the anime-inspired looks are Anastasiya’s video tutorials in which she transforms herself into countless real-life and fictional characters with shocking accuracy. It’s something that few YouTube makeup tutorialists have done so successfully. So far, Anastasiya has made herself into Lana Del Rey, Sailor Moon, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Johnny Depp, Lady Gaga … we ran out of breath. Is there anything this girl can’t do?

We were honored to ask Anastasiya some questions about her approach to beauty, her opinions on plastic surgery, and what motivates her to create such jaw-dropping looks.

How did you get started with makeup?

Since my childhood I was very interested in makeup, and it began the way it always does—experimenting with mom’s cosmetics.

How do people in your hometown (Odessa, Ukraine) react to the way you style yourself?

Odessa is a funny town and the reaction is always different. But no matter how people respond, I always take it as absolutely normal.

Do you do makeup to earn a living?

Yes; right now I work at home, but I used to work at a salon.

What are some of your favorite products?

I like Korean cosmetics because they’re very cute and creatively designed, but actually, it’s not that important to me, which products I use. The only thing that matters when choosing the right makeup is your desire and aspiration.

What is the secret to transforming one’s eyes into that of an anime character?

Secrets are not to be unlocked. But you can see many “clues” in my YouTube videos.

You’ve transformed into many different celebs. How do you choose those personalities?

Generally, I pick the celebrities from those my followers request in comments, under my videos.

What are the most important steps in transforming your face?

Contouring is very important, but capturing the body language and subject’s gestures is also the key to successful transformation.

What’s your preferred brand of contact lenses? Do they play an important role in your looks?

I have a huge collection of contact lenses, so I can’t remember all the brands. I just like them—that’s why I wear them.

How do you feel about the media calling you a “living anime doll”?

It was really surprising for me because it happened so fast—after I created my very first tutorial about my own everyday makeup at that time, which is called “Flower Fairy” (Note: the number of views on that first video at press time? More than 6.3 million!)

What do you think of more drastic eye enhancements, like plastic surgery?

I’m not planning to get any plastic surgery, as I realized that it’s not an important thing in life. You can choose anything you want in your face with the help of cosmetics, and that is the point I want to show to my followers!