35+ “Catfishes” on Social Media Reveal Their Real Faces

Female beauty standards have recently become so crazy that most of us are actually worried about leaving the house without any makeup on. Many choose a basic and quick cosmetics routine — mostly to hide our natural blemishes with some concealer, a hint of eyeliner, and a touch of blush.

This woman, though, could be a professional makeup artist. She has clearly figured out how to completely change her face with her expert use of bronzer, especially on her neck and collarbone.

While we believe everyone is beautiful in their own unique way, some cultures praise certain features more than others. In many Asian countries, for example, the China-doll look is considered the most beautiful, while more coarse features are seen as plain.

This lady clearly knows a few secret tricks in order to turn her naturally wider face into the narrow, smooth ideal. The only way we can tell it’s the same person is by her shirt, and the fact that she has the same hair color in both photos.

With the rise of LGBTQ+ culture in the mainstream, we’ve seen many drag queens become household names. While much of the point of a drag queen’s makeup look is to turn a masculine face into a more feminine one, we think this queen has gone above and beyond.

If we saw the lady on the right out in our neighborhood, we would have never guessed that she had started out as a shockingly handsome, mustachioed man! After all that hard work, this Queen is ready for her closeup!

You know what? Sometimes, we just want to go all out and change our entire look. Like Cinderella, when we go out to the clubs, we occasionally want to party as a completely different person. This master shapeshifter obviously has the same idea.

This transformation must have taken tons of skill and time for her to pull it off so perfectly. We cannot get over the difference between the sweet homebody to the left, and the captivating glamazon on the right.

Makeup has become an integral part of most ladies’ morning routines — so much so that some need to go through it to wake up, just like they would a cup of coffee. This woman looks half asleep in the left picture, with her eyes tired and her mouth missing a smile.

The second picture looks like her much perkier sister. Her eyes have come alive thanks to her wonderful use of false eyelashes and bronze eye shadow, which perfectly complement her dusty orange, full lips.

One of the best things about makeup is that, if done right, it has the power to make us feel so much more confident. This makeover definitely looks like it has raised this beautiful lady’s outlook on herself — from frumpy to fabulous.

While, yes, her brand new hair color and style help transform her into a new person, it’s absolutely the incredible makeup that makes her shine bright. You can see that that dramatic red lip and those sculpted eyebrows have really added a sparkle to her eyes.

It’s amazing how these transformations make us feel like we’re looking at two different people with completely different styles and aesthetics. This woman’s makeover takes us from memories of our childhood friend’s punkish sister to fangirling over a goth rockstar.

The dark green hair, the intricate choker, the baby pink lips, and those dramatic eyes are serving rock glam for days! And just look at the way she has managed to completely change the shape of her nose with just some prosthetics and makeup.

Blotchy skin and a large chin are perfectly normal body features, but sometimes, we get self-conscious about having other people see them on us. There are a few ways to deal with this insecurity.

Try to find a way to live with it, learn to take pictures from the angles that flatter you most, or do what this woman did — somehow completely change your face into this smokey blonde goddess. While we know they’re the same person at really different angles, it still completely fooled us.

The endless generational clash has recently been sparked again — this time by hair. While Millennials are firmly “team side part,” Gen Z have been raising their voices in protest to promote the middle part. This face-transformer-extraordinaire rocks both looks.

We’re just amazed at how differently her hair frames her face after she has sculpted her jaw and nose to perfection. And those brows have undergone such a change, they make her look unrecognizable. So, side or middle… what team are you on?

Say it with us — Never. Skip. Your. Primer. Look no further than our next example to see what the proper use of primer can do for you, as well as what foundation and contouring can do to transform your face completely.

This beautiful lady’s clever use of makeup has turned her into a completely different person. We love how, except for the amazing dramatic makeup highlighting her mesmerizing eyes, the rest of her face is only enhanced by her expert use of the basics.

While makeup is most commonly used to hide the things we dislike about our features or emphasize the features that we do like, it can also be used to completely alter other parts of our face to make us look different. This woman has perfected the techniques of contouring and highlighting to totally change the shape of her nose.

She’s also found a way to change the style of her eyebrows entirely. Plus, with the clever use of some dark brown lip pencil, she has made her lips pop even with her nude lipstick. Truly flawless.

It’s amazing what a bit of color coordination between your hair, makeup, and accessories can do for a person. From a drabby wallflower, this girl has transformed — with a few alterations and clever use of the color pink (clearly a favorite) — into an ethereal fairy-queen.

We love how her beautifully drawn, pink lips and eyeshadow are perfectly complemented by her choice of foundation. And with all that pink, it was a really smart choice to resist putting on some pink blush.

We love watching men flawlessly transform into beautiful women. Obviously, we’re all jealous of this man’s incredible talent at makeup and wig application; proudly flying that gender-fluid flag as he changes before our very eyes into this gorgeous girl.

We can’t get over the choice of accessories, with those glasses working perfectly with the yellow strips in her hair. With that sassy look and impeccable sense of style, this queen is giving us some serious Mean Girls vibes. Which clique do you think she’d be a part of?

Some makeup transformations are so crazy and different that they feel like magic must have been involved. This girl won the lottery when they were assigning fairy godmothers. From Cinderella to the belle of the ball, we just cannot believe these pictures feature the same person.

But, they really are (we checked)! The most incredible difference here has to be the eyes. Not only is she rocking those colored contacts but she also somehow added a crease to her eye that wasn’t there before.

Sometimes, the difference between meh and wow can be as simple as high-quality photography. This one looks like two girls with very different skin tones, but really, it’s just amazing to see what some good lighting and foundation can accomplish.

Plus, that peacock-inspired ombre eyeshadow really brings a glowing shine to her beautiful eyes, and that eyeliner completely changes the shape of her eyes making them look wider. We also love the way she countered her cheekbones to complete the look.

While skin blemishes are absolutely normal, we are often made to feel self-conscious and embarrassed by them. This is why makeup, when done right for our unique features, can give us such a boost in confidence. This lady’s makeover has been done to perfection.

Just look at the change in her expression from one photo to the other. In the right photo, she’s practically glowing with confidence! We hope that, as she gains more and more self-assurance, she’ll have this shine to her without the makeup.

As every DIYer would tell you in a heartbeat, cello tape is probably one of the most useful things in the world. It has a million and one uses but we had zero idea that it could be used to change the shape of our face.

Check out this crafty girl who has managed to transform the way she looks with clever use of the DIY staple, combined with some smartly applied makeup. We wonder what other DIY tricks this lady has hidden up her sleeve.

Many medical conditions affect our looks, which can change the way we feel about ourselves. This girl got an amazing, confidence-boosting makeover after beating a serious illness that left her feeling insecure about her appearance.

We love how the makeover was used to enhance her beautiful natural features, making her look happy and healthy. The makeup around her eyes just brings out the pure radiance of this fabulous fighter. We wish her years of beautiful health.

From actresses to fashionistas, many women have discovered the power of a fierce red lipstick. This girl has clearly mastered the art of bold lip, and she has used this skill to marvelously transform her face.

While the eye is drawn to that ombre lip shade, her eyes are also done up to perfection, with a thick eyeliner that creates the illusion of an eye fold. We would have never guessed such seemingly small changes could create such a big difference.

From creating the right background to choosing the perfect angle, it really is amazing to see how much thought and creativity are put into producing a flattering photo for social media. Thanks to all these manipulations, sometimes the end product looks nothing like what we started with.

It looks like this TikToker is just as surprised by the stark contrast between both photos, as we are. We will keep repeating it if we have to — it’s all about those flattering angles.

All we can really say is that this girl must be a witch. She has completely transformed her face — to the point that, if she wasn’t wearing the same shirt and circlet on her head, we would have never known it was her.

It’s amazing for us to see how much her entire look changes with the addition of false lashes and the contouring makeup around her face. We do love the ethereal vibe she has achieved with her makeover.

We love some fabulous cross-dressing efforts. Seeing before and after pictures featuring what looks like a brother and sister, well, it just brings a flutter of joy into our hearts. This poster has clearly won the good-looks lottery no matter what style they’re going for.

And check out the makeup on those beautiful smoky eyes. They’re bringing all the drama into this otherwise pretty but plain made-over look. And those brows are a perfect frame for this artistic creation. We love to see it.

While makeup can make us feel more confident, it can also make us feel so much more fierce. It gives us the courage to feel like we can take on anything and everything in the world and slay every challenge in our paths.

‘Cause if a girl can go from being a ten to being a thousand like this poster can, then she can do anything! Especially when she’s armed with sparkly eyes, a blazing wig, and an epic accessory.

Who doesn’t love some chubby cheeks to smoosh,smooch, and pinch? While especially cute on babies, plump cheeks are still adorable on grown people too. But, they don’t often make us feel hot or alluring.

The power of transformative makeup is there for just that occasion. A light foundation with a strong contouring line — blended to perfection, of course — can make all the difference. This woman has transfigured herself from “wanting to cuddle” to “slaying at the club.”

Changing our hair, even just a little bit, can make a world of difference both in the way we feel about ourselves — but also in the way others see us. That’s why the difference between these two photos is so stark.

Getting her hair and eyebrows done in the same dazzling crimson shade was absolutely the right choice in order to bring out this lady’s mesmerizing, made-up eyes. And while we love her glasses, we definitely think she looks like a totally different person without them.

We’ve already said how much we love to see a masculine to feminine look transformation, but this poster’s sass just does it for us in a whole new way. This queen knows how to rock both his short hair and her long, luscious locks.

But, what truly takes the cake for us is that this queen knows exactly what her best colors are. That light lilac top instantly made us fall in love, and along with those dramatic earrings, this gal sure knows how to accessorize.

Can we say again how amazed we are? We mean, a smart application of makeup, a pretty hairstyle, and a flattering picture angle can completely change the way someone looks! This poster makes us want to shout it from the rooftops.

The lighter hair, expertly-drawn eyebrows, and the illusion of plumper lips created by that beautiful lipstick (we want the name of that shade) — it all comes together to make the sweet woman on the left look like an enchanting princess after her transformation on the right.

Growing up watching Disney movies, we all sometimes wished we looked like a fairy or princess. While most of us don’t have the skills to pull off such a transformation, this poster clearly does.

She has shared a behind-the-scenes candid look at how she applies the prosthetic silicone that morphs the shape of her nose from flat and wide to straight and narrow. This, along with the unique makeup she has applied to her eyes, makes her look like a creature out of a fairytale.

We’re so freaking amazed by how seemingly easily these people create all these incredible illusions. This social media manipulator is a perfect example of that. She has got us completely fooled with what looks like very little effort.

Her makeup look is really super simple, but with just a bit of play with her angles and that flawless eyeshadow and brow pencil execution, we would never have guessed she was the same girl as the one on the left.

Usually, when we talk about sculpting in the context of makeup looks, we’re referring to using contour and highlighter to create depth in the face where there’s usually very little or none at all of it. But, it seems this lady has other thoughts.

She has literally used a material that looks like sculpt-a-mold (a clay-like paste that hardens like plaster when dried) to literally create a pointed chin for herself and reshape her nose into a straight line.

It’s amazing what a change of clothes from a t-shirt to a pretty dress and some fluffy hair can do for your feeling of confidence. Really, half the fun in this transformation is the sassy way this drag queen is posing for the camera.

While we’re usually very against the dreaded duck face, we think we might have to make an exception for this look. She’s just way too cute and cool with that expression for us to make fun of her!

While we would like the world to believe we woke up looking like the flawless, impeccable women that we are, sadly it just isn’t true. When we wake up, we all really look like the sweet girl on the left — hair up, blotches showing.

But, what we would love to look like every morning is that fabulous woman on the right. She looks like she has got this life thing down. While we know it’s an illusion, we still can’t help but want to be just like her.

Did you know, in olden times, being pale was considered the most beautiful complexion because it meant you didn’t work outside in the hot sun? Today, though, with most of us being indoors constantly, tanned skin has become a sign of wealth, meaning you have the time and money to spend on vacation.

This woman has found a way to have the best of both worlds — naturally, she’s super pale, but when she wants to transform into a tanned glamazon, she picks up her magical makeup and blends to perfection.

We cannot say this enough — we love an ombre makeup look! And the one this queen has created on her eyes is especially beautiful, making us feel like we’re looking into a warm tropical sunset on the beach somewhere exotic.

She has also paired it perfectly with that wig and the unique design of her dress. We would have never known just moments before she was a cute dude in a nerdy t-shirt. Their styles just couldn’t be any more different.

These kinds of transformations can often draw out negative comments from followers on social media. This next one had the comment on her post calling her a liar, saying this poster was lying and there was no way these two pictures were of the same girl.

While, yes, they look like complete opposites — like people from different worlds — we can assure you that these photos are indeed of the same person. Crazy, we know, but you wouldn’t believe how much good lighting and a flattering angle can change your look.

Part of the fun of makeup is that it lets us try a bunch of different styles, so that we can find the aesthetic that suits us best and makes us feel the most comfortable and confident people that we can be. Some styles can make us look like a totally different person.

This woman’s transformation from a tired housewife to an edgy punk certainly manages to do that. That fierce eyeliner, next to the cool drawn brow partition, just makes this change all the more surprising.

We can all agree that the most alluring cartoon character ever drawn is, without a doubt, Jessica Rabbit from Disney’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit (great movie, by the way, go watch it).

The woman on the right — with her hair parted and draped in beautiful curls on her shoulder, plus her cherry red lips — reminds us of the animated character. The woman on the left looks… less like a movie star. She’s still absolutely pretty, she just looks like she isn’t part of the same movie.

Anime, the Japanese animation style, is known to have its characters drawn with very small features — except for their eyes, which are made extra big so that their expressions are easier to understand.

It looks like this TikToker tried to capture that aesthetic style in her transformation. We think she absolutely managed to do that. She has completely changed her look from a human girl, into an anime main character. We would have never guessed it was her in all three photos.

We all love watching a makeover scene in movies, but it’s so much cooler seeing it happen to someone in real life. This pretty, plain jane — with the clever use of bronzer and blush — has been transformed into a mesmerizing supermodel.

We’re in awe of this unbelievable change. It really is amazing what a few minor (and slightly more major) non-permanent tweaks can do to change a person so completely that we can barely recognize her.

Cleopatra had the reputation of being one of the most beautiful and shrewd rulers and women of the old world. But look out, Cleo! This fierce woman on the right — with her fierce “Cleopatra hairstyle,” is definitely bringing you some competition.

This woman knows exactly how to perfectly enhance her natural sharp features to the point where she is unrecognizable. Check out that exquisite use of blush and contour to create those dramatic cheekbones. Cleo’s got nothing on you, Lady!

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They also say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. So why not combine them and make sure your eyelashes are unforgettable. This is exactly how this woman achieved her manipulation.

Naturally, she clearly has very light-colored, short lashes, but with the help of some good mascara, and maybe some false lashes, she has created a dramatic presentation that makes her look nothing like she normally would.

Women are constantly told to smile more. Well, this lady loves to smile. While she has a condition that has left her without a toothy grin, it allows her to transform into a completely different person when she chooses to put in her dentures and flaunt that radiating smile.

We also love the care she took with her eyeshadow and the great job she did drawing her eyebrows beautifully. She is truly a master of the illusion and loves to show off her transformation skills. Keep smiling, rockstar!

Once more, for those in the back rows, bronzer and a good blending brush are your best tools when it comes to transformative illusions. This girl clearly gets what we are saying, and she is giving us a masterclass in how to do it right.

Along with the uniquely spiky lashes, those super plum dusty pink lips, the chunky chain, and the dramatic brows, this lady is slaying her transformed look. But we gotta say, we just love her natural toothy smile. XOXO

By now, can you all tell that some of these people are freaking magic? Well, in case you need one more reminder, check out this crazy transformation. This woman has somehow managed to change every single aspect of her face.

If we didn’t see the nose morph in front of our very eyes from its original wide shape to a straight one, we would have never believed it. Honestly, we still kind of don’t. But, that’s the beauty of these makeovers, you never know what you’re going to get.

While beauty standards and the restrictions that society puts on our outer appearance are a very serious matter, we love adding a bit of honesty and humor into the equation. This Instagram beauty expert clearly agrees.

She uploaded a reel of her before and after transformative makeup looks with the very truthful caption of “I love catfishing!” We love her confident smile and light take on the issue, showing us how much fun these changes can be.