After Monaya received a makeover from Christopher Hopkins, her husband couldn’t control his tears.

Monaya’s graying locks had left her feeling far from enthusiastic about her looks. She had, after all, dyed her hair dark brown for the best part of three decades. So that’s why Monaya enlisted the help of the Makeover Guy, Christopher Hopkins, to transform her appearance. If anyone could change her outlook, Monaya felt, Hopkins had to be the man. Yet when Monaya revealed her dramatic new style to her doting husband, the tears began to stream from his eyes.

Minneapolis native Hopkins has been interested in the power of makeovers from a young age, of course. He actually started transforming people’s looks back in junior high. Then, during his time studying at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, the stylist offered his services as a makeover artist in order to earn some cash.

At that point, though, makeovers were just a hobby of Hopkins’. His main focus was in fact theater and music. He would even become a singer as part of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Erie Philharmonic in the United States as well as Germany’s Hannover Radio Philharmonic.

But after two or three years of performing around the world, Hopkins decided to explore his other big passion: makeovers. The multi-talented stylist therefore enrolled in beauty school and eventually opened his eponymous salon in 1990. Unsurprisingly, though, the Christopher Hopkins Salon was no ordinary beauty business.

Situated inside of the Hubbard Broadcasting building in St. Paul, MN, the Christopher Hopkins Salon took care of the appearances of the stars of KSTP-TV. The channel broadcasts to Minnesota’s Twin Cities region. And it was during his time here that Hopkins had his first taste of life in front of the camera.

While working from the Hubbard Broadcasting building, you see, Hopkins started to appear as a frequent feature on Good Company. The popular regional chat show was fronted by Sharon Anderson and Steve Edelman. And it no doubt gave Hopkins an invaluable platform from which he could establish himself as “The Makeover Guy.”

After four years at the Hubbard Broadcasting building, though, Hopkins moved to new premises in central Minneapolis. He also gave his company a new name: Christopher Hopkins Image Center. And during this time Hopkins enjoyed recurring stints on The Oprah Winfrey Show as a makeover specialist.

As the years passed, too, Hopkins enjoyed appearances on the Today show and acquired celebrity clients including Hillary Clinton. Then, in the year 2000, Hopkins company became known as reVamp! Salonspa by Christopher Hopkins and moved to Uptown Minneapolis.

In 2008 Hopkins released his book Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women over 45. It would go on to become a bestseller, in fact, apparently shifting more than 100,000 copies. Hopkins has since cited the book as being among the biggest achievements of his career, too.

In addition, Hopkins has said Staging Your Comeback has improved thousands of women’s lives. And it also brought the author further national attention through a subsequent book tour. This would then lead Hopkins to establish himself as a makeover expert – particularly for more mature women.

Describing his passion for physical transformations on his “Makeover Guy” Facebook page, Hopkins writes, “Creation of human physical beauty is what I do. I love the process. It borders on obsession. A friend put it into perspective. She said, ‘Christopher doesn’t see women for what they should be, he sees women for who they can be.’ I think that says it all.”

In 2009 Hopkins actually launched a web series called “Whadja Do Today?” It ran for 100 episodes and displayed Hopkins’ personality and enthusiasm to his work. What’s more, “Whadja Do Today?” seemingly proved to be a hit with audiences – so Hopkins followed the show with another series in 2010.

Initially known as “The Makeover Guy Reveals,” the show has gone under a number of guises over the years. And in recent times, Hopkins has become known simply as “The Makeover Guy” thanks in part to his presence on YouTube. This is perhaps unsurprising considering that the stylist has clocked up more than 78 million video views so far.

His reputation as the Makeover Guy is well earned, too, as Hopkins has carried out a vast number of transformations over the years. His clients – who are mostly female but do include men – have traveled from far and wide to take a seat in his famous salon chair, too. Some have even come from across the U.S. and even further afield. And many of their transformations have been documented on his YouTube channel.

Alongside Hopkins’ online empire, though, the hard-working hairdresser has continued to run a business in the real world. In 2017, for instance, Hopkins and his husband, Robert Lindquist, opened his Makeover Guy Appearance Studios on Minneapolis’ Mississippi Riverfront. According to its website, the facility is “the first and only appearance studio of its kind in the world.” The salon offers a range of beauty-related services.

And in tandem with running the appearance studio, Hopkins continues to post inspiring makeover videos to his Makeover Guy YouTube Channel. In June 2019, for example, the beauty expert shared one of his most amazing transformations to date. It focused on a lady called Monaya who had grown tired of dying her hair.

For three long decades, in fact, Monaya had been disguising her natural color with a dark brown dye. By the time she arrived at the Makeover Guy Appearance Studios, though, her real hair was a silvery hue. And while Monaya had spent years trying to disguise her graying locks, it seemed that she was finally prepared to embrace them.

Yet while the transformation was bound to be a big change for Monaya, she was lucky to have a supportive husband at her side. The pair had first met back in high school, in fact. And from the video posted to the Makeover Guy YouTube channel, it is clear to see that the couple are still besotted with each other.

The video actually opens with Monaya sat against a dark-colored backdrop wearing a black hairdressing gown. Her hair falls way below her shoulders and is mainly brown – apart from a couple of inches near her roots that appear to be pure white. Introducing herself directly to the camera, she says, “My name is Monaya, and I’m from Moorhead.”

Further on in the clip, Monaya explains her motivation for visiting the Makeover Guy. She says that she wants “to feel fun” and “look different.” Monaya also hints that her appearance has left her feeling deflated in recent times. “I just felt kinda ‘blah’ in the last couple of years,” she admits.

So, being the transformation expert that he is, Hopkins seemingly took Monaya’s brief and ran with it. Sharing his thoughts on the makeover on YouTube, Hopkins wrote, “Monaya had grown out her white hair that she has colored to dark brown for over 30 years. I loved her natural color, so this is what happened.”

Before viewers get to see Monaya’s transformation for themselves, though, the YouTube video first shows how her husband reacts to her makeover. And he’s seen staring at his wife, who is at this point off camera, in apparent disbelief. “Oh my God,” he utters before lifting his glasses onto his head in order to wipe away his tears.

As Monaya’s husband wells up, an unidentified woman asks her, “How do you feel?” And her response is one of approval for Hopkins’ handiwork. “I love it!” she confesses. To which the lady replies, “It’s really cute.” And as her husband nods in apparent agreement, the newly transformed Monaya concludes, “It’s a nice change.”

When Monaya’s new look is finally revealed on camera, her transformation is indeed impressive. Gone are her lackluster brown locks, and in their place is a youthful, icy-gray pixie cut that frames Monaya’s enviable bone structure and glowing complexion. All at once, it becomes clear why her husband is so bowled over.

Mocking her former hairstyle, Monaya jokes, “I got rid of that witch hair.” And as he gazes lovingly at her, Monaya’s husband tells her, “You look beautiful!” She thanks him for the compliment and giggles as her other half struggles to take his eyes off her. Composing herself, Monaya adds, “I knew he’d like it.”

Monaya’s husband confirms his wife prediction when he says, “I kind of had this in mind to be honest!” Struggling to find the words, he continues, “I was hope… yes. I think she’s going to be so much more comfortable.” And as her husband looks on at her adoringly, it appears that Monaya only has one question for her beau.

“Do I look sexy?” Monaya asks her clearly smitten husband. “Come on, say it!” Ever the dutiful spouse, he then replies, “You look very sexy and sophisticated.” Continuing to praise his wife, he adds, “Yeah, it does. I know she’s beautiful. I’m very fortunate. I’m an overachiever.”

Later on in the video, Monaya reveals that her new look actually stirs up memories of happy times for her and her husband. “When we first dated in high school…” Monaya begins. And knowing exactly what his wife is going to say, Monaya’s partner interjects, “This is how short her hair was.”

Recalling Monaya’s style in the formative years of their relationship, her husband then jokes, “So now we need a Ramones T-shirt and a short black miniskirt.” Smiling in agreement, Monaya starts to laugh. And as she giggles, she looks as happy as can be – not “blah” at all, as she’d described herself prior to the makeover.

It’s on this merry note that the video of Monaya’s transformation comes to an end. Yet that wasn’t actually the end of the story. That’s because, after appearing on the Makeover Guy YouTube channel in June 2019, the heartwarming clip amassed close to 250,000 views in a matter of weeks.

A description beneath the video – presumably written by Hopkins himself – reads, “This is love… Of course, there was much more to this process, but here’s one minute of the wonderful day with her.” And after watching Monaya’s transformation on the channel, some viewers also felt compelled to leave their own thoughts in the video’s comment section.

One complimentary comment read, “Oh my gosh! Her hair is beautiful! She looks like a supermodel! Such beautiful bone structure, the cut and color perfectly complement it! Fabulous!” And another user agreed, adding, “She is gorgeous and sexy with the new short cut. Her husband’s reaction is so touching. Another home run by Christopher and company.”

And there was plenty more praise for Hopkins’ work. “You know this lady is really beautiful. You did a really fabulously natural look for her, and it brought out all her attributes. Congratulations, Christopher,” read one such comment. Another stated, “Magnificent! And she should model. Seriously. Christopher, your work is amazing!”

There were also a number of comments that praised Hopkins and Monaya for embracing her natural hair color. “So glad they did not cover over her gray like they normally do,” wrote one user. “What amazing hair she has naturally.” Meanwhile, another viewer added, “Even though she has gray hair, she looks so youthful and beautiful! Great job, everybody.”

Elsewhere in the comments section, there was a lot of appreciation for the relationship Monaya appeared to share with her husband. “Awww that couple is in love, and it’s beautiful to see,” wrote an enthusiastic viewer. “Oh, and great job, Christopher! You are a genius at bringing out a woman’s innate sexy. Bravo!”

“So sweet! I love that they’ve been together since high school!” an appreciative user wrote. “Another beautiful makeover, Christopher.” A follow-up comment read, “How sweet. He is still in love with his wife. They’re so cute together. Makes me smile.” “Wow! You are such a lovely lady!” another fan stated. “And I love the way you and your man love each other! Wishing you all the very best.”

The video of Monaya’s transformation also gained traction over on the Makeover Guy Facebook page. Alongside the clip, Hopkins made a call to arms for other people who might have been trapped in the cycle of dying their naturally silver locks. “Have you ever just wanted to cut off all your hair and let it be naturally gray? Watch,” he wrote.

And judging from the comments on the Facebook post, people couldn’t get enough of Monaya’s gray crop. “Love it. Rockin the gray the right way!” one user wrote. And relating to Monaya’s transformation, another viewer stated, “I did the same thing when I decided to go gray. She looks gorgeous. Love it.”

Given the popularity of Monaya’s makeover video, then, Hopkins subsequently shared the clip on Facebook a second time – just one day after he’d originally posted it. “For those who missed this one yesterday. Please share and make it viral as much as you can, because it’s already at 70,000 views,” Hopkins wrote.

Revealing why he believed Monaya’s makeover had captured his audience’s imagination so much, Hopkins wrote, “It’s likely because it takes all the elements that make people react. A dramatic change. All the gray hair advocates (burn your bra) revolutionaries, and a woman others would aspire to emulate. And of course, a person who loves her, and it shows.”