With a name like Ariana Grande, the Thank U, Next singer was always destined for big things.
While Grande‘s killer vocals helped her survive the usual curse of child stars and break from the confines of Nickelodeon, her multifaceted personality, constantly changing sense of fashion and trend-setting approach to beauty have made her an icon for women the world over.
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Ariana Grande’s Before And After Beauty Evolution
Not only has Grande’s persona evolved over the years, her look has also changed dramatically, much like her fellow ‘It’-girls Kylie Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin.
From a curly-headed kid on Broadway, to her once-signature fluorescent red locks, all the way to her iconic winged eyeliner, the 30-year-old has truly transformed.
Here, we look back at her beauty journey.
Ariana Grande, 2008
October 2008
Age 15, a curly-haired Grande posed for a group photo, uncharacteristically showing off her right side. The singer reportedly only takes photos from her left side these days—we’re guessing because that’s the side with the dimple?
Ariana Grande, 2009
October 2009
A photo taken pre-wigs, extensions and her signature ponytail, Grande openly spoke about how her commitment to her Disney role caused her natural hair to fall out.
“I had to bleach my hair and dye it red every other week for the first 4 years of playing Cat… as one would assume, that completely destroyed my hair,” she later explained in a Facebook post in 2014..
“I now wear a wig on Sam & Cat. My real hair is back to brown and I wear extensions, but I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down.”
Ariana Grande, 2010
January 2010
A far cry from her signature beauty look nowadays, at the start of the 2010s, Grande favoured fiery red locks, black eyeliner (sans her go-to wing) and peachy lip gloss.
Ariana Grande, 2011
May 2011
Old school Grande had a penchant for bows in her hair and flats on her feet.
Ariana Grande, 2011
November 2011
She also enjoyed the odd clip-on fringe and coordinating her hair colour to her clothing, circa late 2011.
Ariana Grande, 2011
December 2011
As she matured, Grande got more experimental with her fashion choices.
Ariana Grande, 2012
April 2012
In the early days, her go-to colour palette revolved heavily around shades of candy pink.
Ariana Grande, 2012
September 2012
Although early in her career, this September 2012 getup looks more reminiscent of the Grande we know today, courtesy of the midriff-baring matching top and skirt set.
Ariana Grande, 2013
April 2013
Grande attended the 2013 Radio Disney Awards with soft makeup and a flower headband to frame her tumbling brown locks.
Ariana Grande, 2013
May 2013
May 2013 saw the earliest versions of the half-up-half-down hairdo that Grande has become known for.
Ariana Grande, 2014
March 2014
Pre-ponytail ear, Grande attended the Kid’s Choice Awards with free-flowing locks and a softer middle-parting look.
Ariana Grande, 2014
August 2014
Kissing the bows and red hair era goodbye for good, Grande attended the 2014 Teen Choice Awards with more exaggerated version of her now-signature hairstyle and subtly embellished white mini-dress.
Ariana Grande, 2014
August 2014
At the 2014 VMAs, she well and truly dumped her good girl Nickelodeon image by stepping out in a strapless leather mini dress with thigh-high boots.
Ariana Grande, 2014
September 2014
September 2014 marked what can be classified as Grande’s signature look: a pulled back ponytail with a midriff baring tee, miniskirt and knee-high socks (or in some cases, thigh-high boots).
Ariana Grande at the Grammy Awards, 2015
February 2015
While attending the 2015 Grammy Awards, Grande was seen sporting prominent winged eyeliner, which today is a part of her trademark look.
Ariana Grande at the Grammy Awards, 2016
February 2016
For the 2016 Grammy Awards, Grande maintained her high ponytail but went for a strong ombré colour, with dark roots and long, bronde-to-blonde lengths.
Ariana Grande at the American Music Awards, 2016
November 2016
In late 2016, the super-long, high volume ponytail made its debut at the American Music Awards.
Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman tour, 2017
February 2017
During her Dangerous Woman tour in Madison Square Garden, Grande elevated her look by adding hair jewellery to her high ponytail with sporting plenty of stage-ready highlighter.
Ariana Grande, 2018
March 2018
In 2018, Grande swapped her standard high ponytail for a low, side-parted version in ash blonde.
Ariana Grande, 2018
May 2018
Grande kept the blonde and brought back some of her early 2010’s style in a pastel pink baby doll dress for a May 2018 appearance on The Tonight Show.
Ariana Grande at the Met Gala, 2018
May 2018
For her first-ever Met Gala in May 2018, Grande opted for an exaggerated winged eyeliner and giant bow, complete with glossy, golden makeup.
Ariana Grande, 2018
June 2018
Getting on board with ’90s nostalgia vibes, Grande crimped her ponytail in mid-2018.
Ariana Grande, 2018
August 2018
Grande stepped out In August 2018 without her signature ponytail, instead opting for long, flowing tresses with a subtle ombré effect.
Ariana Grande with short hair in 2018
November 2018
Taking to social media in November 2018, the singer removed her lengthy extensions to show case a chic, polished lob.
Ariana Grande in the ‘Thank U, Next’ Music Video, 2018
November 2018
In 2018, Grande strayed from her usual music styling to channel Jennifer Garner in the ‘Thank U, Next’ music video.
Ariana Grande as Regina George, 2018
November 2018
Grande also paid homage to Regina George in her ‘Thank U, Next’ video, donning an iconic bleached blonde wig, smokey winged eyeliner and glossy lips.
Ariana Grande in the ‘7 Rings’ Video, 2019
January 2019
In January 2019, Grande was seen with significantly darker skin in the video for her single ‘7 Rings’. Her appearance went on to draw controversy internationally over accusations of blackfishing.
Ariana Grande’s natural hair, 2019
February 2019
In February 2019, Grande shared a video to her Twitter page revealing her naturally curly hair sans extensions.
Ariana Grande, 2019
March 2019
In March 2019, Grande returns to her mainstay look—a pulled-back ponytail and winged liner
Ariana Grande, 2019
June 2019
In June 2019, the star showcased tumbling, Rapunzel-esque locks in a photo shared to her Instagram page.
Ariana Grande’s 26th Birthday, 2019
June 2019
For her 26th birthday, Grande reverted back to an old favourite look—her Dangerous Woman-era bunny ears. A slicked-back ponytail was involved, of course.
Ariana Grande, 2019
September 2019
The ‘7 Rings’ singer was seen a more experimental version of her favourite winged eyeliner in a behind-the-scenes shot from her Givenchy campaign.
Ariana Grande, 2019
September 2019
In the video for ‘Don’t Call Me Angel’, Grande combined soft makeup with long lashes, ’90s front strands and, of course, her trademark ponytail.
Ariana Grande at the Grammy Awards, 2020
January 2020
Grande made a grand comeback (pardon the pun) to the 2020 Grammys red carpet, stepping out in Cinderella-esque tulle and a towering ‘bronde’ ponytail.
Ariana Grande, 2020
August 2020
Grande kept it Covid-safe in 2020 when she matched her eye-shadow shades to her glittery face mask.
Ariana Grande, 2021
July 2021
Swapping her iconic high ponytails for long, side-parted locks, Grande sported a softer, lilac look for an episode of The Voice in 2021.
Ariana Grande, 2021
November 2021
Grande kept it simple with a natural makeup look and medium length dark hair in November 2021.
Ariana Grande, 2021
September 2021
Grande opted for shades of pink in September 2021, when she posted a photo of herself to Instagram with rose coloured eye shadow and glossy pink lips.
Ariana Grande goes blonde, 2022
October 2022
Grande debuted a new piercing and glossy blonde locks on Instagram ahead of her role as Glinda in Wicked.
Ariana Grande, 2023
March 2023
Grande celebrates Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win in March with honey blonde hair, glossy pink lips and a subtle tan.
Ariana Grande on injectables, 2023
Ariana Grande opened up about her cosmetic enhancements in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video. On September 12, 2023, the star opened up about her skincare and make-up regimes—while also talking about her history with injectables.
“Full transparency, I’ve had a tonne of lip filler over the years and Botox. I stopped in 2018 ’cause I just felt so . . . too much. I just felt like hiding, you know?” she begins. Ariana then holds back tears as she continues: “For a long time, beauty was about hiding for me, and now I feel like maybe it’s not.”
She said, for now, she wants to take a break from cosmetic procedures, adding, “I was like, ‘Oh, I want to see my well-earned cry lines and smile lines. I hope my smile lines get deeper and deeper and I laugh more and more. I just think aging can be such a beautiful thing. Now, might I get a facelift in 10 years? I might, yeah. But these are just thoughts that I feel like we should be able to discuss. If we’re sitting here talking about beauty secrets, f*ck it. Let’s lay it all out there.”
Ariana Grande at the 2024 Academy Awards
Ariana Grande is returning to the spotlight along with the upcoming release of her album Eternal Sunshine and feature film Wicked.
She presented at the 2024 Academy Awards alongside her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo. She donned a curly, blonde up-do for the event, and wore pink Giambattista Valli Haute Couture.
ELLE
This article was published by the team at ELLE Australia.
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