Winged liner + high ponies = pure Ari.
If Ariana Grande’s beauty evolution is synonymous with one thing, it’s the pint-sized singer’s XXL hair. Like her powerful vocals and formidable stage presence, the Grammy award-winning artist’s signature ponytail has remained consistent throughout her long-standing career. Even so, that doesn’t mean the 30-year-old’s hair has stayed stagnant. In fact, the opposite is true. Whether her hair is bright red, caramel-colored, or blond, Grande’s hairstyles are constantly switchin’ the positions for you.
It’s not just Grande’s hairstyles that have evolved over the years. Since making her Broadway debut in 2008, the Nickelodeon alum’s makeup has gone from matte and minimal to dewy and bronzed as she’s matured in style and sound. While the thank u, next singer’s signature *lewks* are set in stone, she’s not afraid to try new things. After all, if Ari sees it, likes it, and wants it, she’s got it. From experimenting with white graphic eyeliner to wearing winged liner on her wedding day, the “34+35” singer loves adding playful twists to her tried-and-true makeup looks. After launching her own seriously good — and occasionally Easter egg-infused — makeup and skin care brand, r.e.m beauty, in November 2021, Grande has only gotten more adventurous with her aesthetics.
From her cat ear era to her bewitching Glinda the Good Witch blond hair, here’s a look back at Ariana Grande’s beauty evolution over the past 16 years.
2024: Ariana Grande’s Glinda Glam
On March 10, two days after the release of her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, Grande made her Oscars debut in a head-to-toe ode to Glinda, her character in the upcoming Wicked film.
Not only did she wear a bubblegum pink bubble gown — quite reminiscent of the Good Witch’s dress — from Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, but she topped it off with all-pink everything: a pink pendant necklace and matching earrings (from Tiffany’s, of course), pink heels, and even blush-colored makeup. Let the Wicked press tour begin!
2023: Ariana Grande’s Natural Beauty
Throughout 2023, Grande kept her lightened-up locks (because who knows what is going on with Wicked post-strike), as well as a visibly lighter makeup look.
“Over the years, I used makeup as a disguise or as something to hide behind," Grande told Vogue in a September interview. “More and more hair. The thicker the eyeliner, the... whatever.”
While all those components can still be beautiful, they’re not Ari’s vibe at the moment: “I think as I get older, I don't love that being the intention behind it anymore.”
2022: Ariana Grande’s Wicked Blond Hair
Ari knows her way around a hair transformation and that was never more clear than when the Sweetener singer shared a cheekily captioned Instagram post of herself with blond hair on Oct. 26. Fans quickly pointed out that the bewitching dye job was likely done for Grande’s role as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked movie.
2020: Ariana Grande’s Blond Ombré Hair
Grande’s ruffled gray Grammy’s gown was the talk of the town in 2020 and her hair and makeup complemented the look perfectly. Paired with her ombré ponytail, the singer’s bronze skin and glossy lips were dewy and warm, marking a stark departure from her matte foundation and lipstick of the 2010s.
2018: Ariana Grande’s Met Gala Hair Bow
Headpieces stole the show at the 2018 Met Gala and Grande stood out. The then 24-year-old’s oversized tulle ribbon was an aesthetic upgrade from her small, flirty hair bows from the early ‘10s, and very on-brand for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme. The Sweetener artist also dialed her quintessential cat liner up a notch by adding powdery blue eye shadow to her inner corners.
2018: Ariana Grande With White Blond Hair
Throughout her career, Grande has experimented with countless hair colors. In the late 2010s, the “God Is A Woman” singer retired her chestnut shade for a platinum blond hue. She also swapped out her iconic high ponytail for a low pony with a deep side part.
2016: Ariana Grande With Bangs
The then 23-year-old added blunt, brow-skimming bangs to her signature ponytail look for the 2016 VMAs. Grande also took her signature cat eyeliner to the next level by wearing dramatic, wispy lashes to really make her makeup pop.
2015: Ariana Grande With Finger Waves
During her performance of “Focus” at the 2015 AMAs, Grande’s hair and makeup were the epitome of Old Hollywood glamour. The “Love Me Harder” singer’s glossy finger waves and striking cat eye makeup paired beautifully with her elegant white glove and sequin fringe dress.
2014: Ariana Grande’s Cat Ear Era
Grande really does love a statement hair accessory and nothing makes a statement quite like sparkly cat ears. Perhaps paying tribute to her character Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon’s Sam & Cat, Grande frequently paired these glittery feline headbands with her sleek high ponytails in 2014.
2013: Ariana Grande’s Half-Up Hair
The ponytail has always been Grande’s signature hairstyle and this half-up, half-down approach was one of its earliest iterations. At the 2013 Video Music Awards, Grande once again proved she was a hair chameleon with this new caramel-colored shade.
2012: Ariana Grande With Dark Brown Hair
Grande debuted a major beauty transformation at KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball in 2012. The then 19-year-old singer swapped her fiery red locks for a rich chocolate brown shade. With soft, pinned-back waves and shimmery bronze makeup, Grande’s hair and makeup were notably more sophisticated.
2011: Ariana Grande With Long Red Hair
It’s no secret that Ariana Grande loves her hair bows. At the Lollipop Theater Network’s 3rd Annual Game Day in 2011, the Victorious star flaunted the feminine, floral accessory in her long red hair. Wearing dark eyeliner and pink lipstick, Grande embodied Cat Valentine’s distinctive aesthetic.
2009: Ariana Grande With Short Red Hair
What a difference a year can make! In 2009, the actor traded her dark curls and minimal makeup for a rich red dye job and a smokey eye. Featuring choppy layers and a deep side part, the straight ‘do and cherry cola color defined Grande’s look surrounding the early 2010s.
2008: Ariana Grande With Natural Hair
15-year-old Grande had a very different aesthetic than the one her fans now know and love. In her pre-Nickelodeon era, the teen’s dark curly hair and understated makeup were a world away from the Victorious vibes to come.
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