Russian Cosplayer Perfectly Transforms Herself Into Pop Culture’s Most Famous Ladies

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Daenerys Targaryen aka Khaleesi aka Mother of Dragons (Game of Thrones)

Cosplayer and makeup artist Ilona Bugaeva inhabits a myriad of different of female characters through her impressive costumes. While many cosplayers pick a limited number of people to emulate, Bugaeva casts a wide net and models herself after Disney characters, women in Game of Thrones, as well as the iconic Princess Leia. Each figure is so convincing—and Bugaeva is such a great chameleon—that you wouldn't know what she looks like outside of her fantasy attire.

Costumes are just part of how Bugaeva pulls off her cosplay characters. Aside from the perfectly-styled wigs and makeup, it’s also in how she acts. When posing, Bugaeva thinks about the personality of the women she’s emulating; dressing as Hermione from Harry Potter means she must look confident and self-assured, while Belle from Beauty and the Beast must look sweet and unassuming. This commitment to the characters is what takes her cosplay from being ordinary to extraordinary.

To see what Bugaeva is cosplaying as next, follow her popular Instagram account.

Ilona Bugaeva emulates an impressive amount of female characters through her cosplay costumes.

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Daenerys Targaryen aka Khaleesi aka Mother of Dragons (Game of Thrones)

While her wigs and makeup are spot on…

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Margaery Tyrell (Game of Thrones)

… it's her ability to become the personality of each character that makes her cosplay a work of perfection.

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Princess Leia (Star Wars)

Princess Leia Cosplay by Ilona Bugaeva

Princess Leia (Star Wars)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Audrey Horne (Twin Peaks)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Audrey Horne (Twin Peaks)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Harley Quinn (Batman, Suicide Squad)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Barbie

Elsa Cosplay by Ilona Begaeva

Elsa (Frozen)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Yolandi Visser (Die Antwoord)

Cosplay Costumes by Ilona Bugaeva

Wednesday Addams (The Addams Family)

Ilona Bugaeva: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Ilona Bugaeva.

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Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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