Optical Illusion

I've come to notice that small changes can alter appearances in major ways. This is a truisim in spy fiction and on TV, but I usually laugh at the notion that a little hair dye can help a major fugitive escape notice. But then this week, we have the Serbian war criminal caught hiding out as a new age guru with the help of a long beard. This is an interesting example of hiding in plain sight. Comparing photographs side by side makes it clear that this is the same person, but I'm sure that none of the people who met this "guru" ever thought to look at the features behind the beard. Why would you?



The Tour de France offers many entertaining examples of this phenomenon, where a helmet and reflective sunglasses entirely change the impression of a face. Behold the mighty Schleck brothers:

Marble statues come to life, with perfectly chiseled features and the promise of extraordinary beauty when the helmets are removed.
But what happened? The removal of the helmet reduces young Andy from utterly captivating to entirely ordinary, demolishing idle thoughts of jetting to Paris for the capture of this rare specimen. (Yes, yes, 9 months pregnant, happily married, no money for tickets- butt out, these are my idle thoughts.) Wouldn't look twice at this fellow with the thin neck and possible overbite, but the only difference is the hat.

I have found this transformation happening more than once, where some random hero of the race looks like an amazingly beautiful person, then finishes the ride, takes off the glasses and helmet, and turns back into a pumpkin. So my question is: are some changes more likely to make you look much better than normal? Is there something about obscuring the hairline and eyes that can convey a sheen of glamour? Does it only work with strangers, or is it effective with very familiar faces? I'm sure I could find the answers to these questions with some research, but I prefer to ponder them in ignorance. Keep an eye out for me this weekend, as I swan around town in hat and large sunglasses, posing in front of shop windows as I try to determine if I look glamorous.