We—along with her 460k Instagram followers—learn so much from watching Saint-Petersburg, Russia-based Tonya Pushkareva (@tonyastylist)work with hair. She excels at shaping soft styles that seem to be held in place by magic and if they were to be deconstructed, they would tumble apart, effortlessly.  And isn’t that the genius behind a great hairdresser?  She makes it look easy and elegant, at the same time.

Tonya recently brought her brand of effortless excellence to a session at the Henkel Academy of Hair in Culver City, CA where she shared her techniques and tips, talking through the steps she takes. We asked her to share a bit about her journey—as a stylist and a social media influencer.

You are inspiring so many stylists with your work--who has been your inspiration? To be honest, I am inspired by the following: my students, models, nature, my own success and music. 

When did you start to specialize in upstyling, bridal and special occasion hair? 10 years ago in my hometown of Saint-Petersburg and I started posting my work on Instagram in 2014.

How has your work changed over time (for instance, have you gone from more intricate, sculptural designs to more loose and romantic shapes?)? When I started to work with hair I wanted the styles to be described as “messy” and undone but about two years ago, I changed my attitude to hairstyles, being inspired by nature. Now, I ‘d like my hairstyles to be described as “natural.” This is a whole concept being changed, not only the styles. 

Your Instagram feed is so lovely—do you shoot your pictures with a camera or on your phone? Nowadays, I prefer to post pictures from professional camera only. And thank you so much for the compliment! 

One of your best tips for posting on Instagram: My point of posting pictures on Instagram is to show beautiful, healthy, shiny hair-- the volume, the texture, the nice shape, and a nice background. I use daylight only for my pictures. My advice is not to apply a lot of filters on a picture.

What are two of your favorite products to use in your styling? Two of my favorite products are from Schwarzkopf Professional: Osis+ Tame Wild Smoothing Anti-Frizz Cream and Osis+ Session Extreme Hold Hairspray.  And can I say a third?! I also love Osis + Session Label Powder Cloud.