Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Photo: Courtesy of KPP / @kyarykyary0129

There is a foundation that remains the same, however—namely, the idol’s now-iconic look. Beneath the rotating lineup of off-kilter wigs—curling red ringlets and blunt blue lengths that she flits through each day (“I get bored sticking with just one”)—you’ll find a faded pink bob with her trademark fringe pushed to the side. “I’ve had bangs all my life, maybe since I was two,” she says, laughing. The thick, rounded chop references Japanese kokeshi dolls and anime characters, according to Kyary, but, she adds, “in Japan, it’s said that men don’t like them, and yesterday, an aesthetician told me I look like I’m 15 years old!” Perhaps, I suggest, it was her perpetually dewy skin (which, apparently, requires little upkeep) that prompted the comment. “I don’t even wash my face in the morning, but I do take care of it at night,” she says, listing a lineup of cleansers and absorbent sheet masks from Fujifilm that rank among her favorites.

Above the bangs, Kyary counts her incredible, doll-like eyes as her true beauty signature, one that dates back to her high school days, when the American-influenced gyaru subculture was truly in vogue. “I learned from my gyaru friends how to make my eyes look bigger, and eventually, after many attempts, came up with my own techniques,” she says. That means eschewing black liner for a slick of shimmering brown along the top, and pearly white shadow dotted in the inner corners and beneath the brow to define the lid. A single thick, false lash and cosmetic lenses complete the look—and yes, she wears it nearly 24/7.

Last, but not least, there’s an outré gel manicure, changed once a month by Japanese nail artist Chieko Nakayama and designed specifically to flash beneath the stage lights as she lifts up her microphone. Right now, it’s an array of glitter and cow-hide, with an eye ball appliqué that, she calls “a little random”—but still, equally important to her self-expression. “I consider myself to be like sentai Sailor Moon,” she says. “It’s only when I’m on the stage with my makeup, my mic, and my fashion that I can become Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.” Watching her perform that night—in a soft, golden wig, amid a shower of Murakami-style blooms—it was clear that, for Kyary, the beauty lies in the art.