He’s not scheduled to perform in Dubai until this October, so shoppers at the Mall of the Emirates were understandably shocked to see Zayn Malik doing a bit of window shopping this week.

The bearded and tattooed pop star was spotted wandering around the Al Barsha 1 mall on Tuesday night, but he didn’t go incognito for long.

Fans soon swarmed around for selfies and signatures… but little did they realise they’d been hoodwinked by one seriously talented makeup artist.

Here we go guys ! FEMALE MAKE-UP ARTIST TRANSFORMS INTO ZAYN MALIK @zayn AND THEN GOES OUT INTO A MALL TO PRANK PEOPLE !??? you won’t believe the number of people that actually fell for it.. Enjoy the video ❤️ Thank you to the amazing videographer and editor @stephaniegoveas @fakeupfix @makeuptutorialsx0x @styleartists @universodamaquiagem_oficial @amazingmakeupart @thepeachyqueenblog @style.video #dubaimakeupartist #bodypaint #bodypainting #bodyart #facepainting #facepaint #facepainter #makeup #makeupartist #makeuptransformation #funny #prank #amazingmakeupart #thepeachyqueenblog #universodamaquiagem_oficial #brian_champagne #hudabeauty #illusionmakeup #art #artist #makeupartistsworldwide #onedirection #1dfans

A video posted by Alicia Goveas (@dubai_faceandbodyartist) on

Alicia Goveas, a professional face and body painter based in Dubai, teamed up with 7Days to trick shoppers into believing they’d met the Pillowtalk crooner.

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The 23-year-old pulled off her impressive disguise by etching on a facial hair, wearing a fake nose ring, and painting on false tattoos.

Walking around the mall flanked by security impersonators, it’s no wonder shoppers fell for the doppelganger’s prank.

“I can’t believe the reaction I got. I got to be a celebrity for a day and it felt amazing,” Goveas told 7Days. “I would do this all over again if I could.”

Goveas, who is originally from India, has a knack for transforming herself into various celebrities using makeup.

Here are some of our favourites:

If you want to see the real Zayn, he’s performing at the new Autism Rocks Arena on October 7. Click here for more information.

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Images: Alicia Goveas/Instagram