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Kylie Jenner's beauty evolution
Kylie Jenner’s Beauty Evolution Is Full Of Luxe *Lewks*

The life of Kylie is a life of high glam.

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Kylie Jenner’s beauty evolution is one for the history books. At just 26 years old, she has experienced more distinct beauty eras and glow-ups than most folks twice her age. It’s probably par for the course when you grow up as a Kardashian-Jenner, but the young entrepreneur’s beauty transformations also stand out from those of her sisters. At an early age, this Jenner carved her own path in the world. It was a path lined with lip kits, pastel wigs, and coloring outside of the lines. From starting the overdrawn lip craze that launched a thousand lip kits to her edgy, street style-inspired King Kylie era, Jenner has proven that she’s got her family’s knack for reinvention and then some.

Since launching Kylie Cosmetics in 2015, the youngest KarJenner has become a major makeup mogul and fans flip over every new limited-edition drop, collab with friends or family, and product launch. The dedication Jenner shows to Kylie Cosmetics can also be seen in her beauty evolution. When Kylie Cosmetics launches a new product, it sells, and when Jenner herself commits to a new beauty look, she really commits.

It’s not surprising that this young mom and business mogul has nailed the machinations of the glow-up. After all, she spent her most awkward years — that preteen phase when your body starts growing your adult features at drastically different rates — on camera. Ahead, I’ve gathered up the most iconic stages in Jenner’s beauty evolution. Strap in, folks. It’s a wild ride.

Kylie Jenner In 2024: Pink Hair, Don’t Care

Kylie Jenner / Instagram

The *king* has returned! Days after her minimalist beauty showing at the Golden Globes, Jenner made a bold transformation from her signature brunette roots to more cotton candy-like tresses.

“Hiiiii remember me,” she captioned a series of photos of her new look on Jan. 16, in reference to her iconic rainbow hair-colored, King Kylie era days.

Kylie Jenner In 2024: Maintaining Minimalism

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For the third year in a row, Jenner appears to be leaning into the low-key look. At the 2024 Golden Globes, she appeared alongside boyfriend Timothée Chalamet in a stunning lace see-through dress and barely there makeup. Her natural beat, which seemingly included a bit of lip color and some cheek tint, was paired with an equally simple yet elegant loose chignon.

Kylie Jenner In 2023: Understated Beauty

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Ky usually goes over the top with her Met Gala looks. (Remember when she wore a wedding gown with a backward baseball cap in 2022?) But for the 2023 event, she kept things simple yet sophisticated, opting for minimalistic makeup, a messy #Pamcore updo reminiscent of ‘90s supermodels, and muted jewelry to pair with her fire-asymmetric red Jean Paul Gaultier dress. Pretty ironic considering the Kylie Cosmetics Glow Balm she used was called “Doin The Most.”

Kylie Jenner In 2022: Bare-Faced And Beautiful

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In 2022, Jenner became a mom for a second time and started posting more of her bare face than we’ve ever seen before. In this relaxed selfie with a friend posted on Instagram in June, you can almost even see Jenner’s freckles on her bare, sun-kissed face. It’s definitely a departure from previous looks and another distinctive chapter in Jenner’s wild beauty evolution journey.

Kylie Jenner In 2021: Filter-Free Vibes

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In 2021, Jenner didn’t exactly retire her full-beat aesthetic, but she did begin to tone down her coverage. While she still looks airbrushed in this selfie she posted on Instagram on March 29, 2021, you can see more of her skin’s texture than ever before. For Jenner, it was a step in a natural direction.

Kylie Jenner In 2020: Auburn Waves

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Like many people during lockdown, Jenner switched up her hair. The bronze shade seen in this selfie from September 2020 falls somewhere between a warm blonde and a light red-toned brown, and was so different from any shade Jenner had tried previously. Overall, the look was much better than giving yourself bangs like one unnamed beauty editor who will not be taking questions at this time.

Kylie Jenner In 2020: A New Classic

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2020 saw Jenner return to her classic beauty look: long dark hair, sharp-as-glass contour, and lots of highlighter. The dark smokey eye and light brown lip that defined the earlier years of Jenner’s beauty evolution were back in full force at the star-studded Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Kylie Jenner In 2019: Luscious Lavender

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In 2019, Jenner paired luxe glam in natural tones with a bold hair moment. This gorgeous lavender wig became an instantly iconic Met Gala moment in and of itself.

Kylie Jenner In 2018: A Slightly Less Plump Pout

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In 2018, fans noticed that Jenner’s lips were notably less pronounced than in previous years. The new mom and makeup mogul eventually opened up and shared, via a comment on Instagram, that she’d had her lip fillers dissolved, a choice some speculated had to do with the birth of her daughter, Stormi. Although her lips were less plump, Jenner’s glam otherwise stayed consistent — neutral tones, a full beat, and filled-in brows — throughout 2018.

Kylie Jenner In 2017: Platinum Barbie

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Before her older sister went full Marilyn on the Met Gala red carpet, Jenner brought the glossiest blonde bob I’ve ever seen to the 2019 Met Gala. This look was also a great example of what was fast becoming Jenner’s signature beauty aesthetic: ultra-luxe glam with a bit of a surprise element.

Kylie Jenner In 2016: Cotton Candy Queen

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During 2016, Kylie’s wig game was on point and she tried a range of styles, but returned again and again to pastel shades like the multicolor pastel dreaminess that is the one she wore to Coachella in 2016. She’s also rocking a head scarf as she often did during her King Kylie era.

Kylie Jenner In 2016: King Kylie

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Jenner’s King Kylie era started in 2016. This stage in her beauty evolution was characterized by a full beat including thick, filled-brows, full coverage foundation, and, usually, a matte neutral lip. This period in Jenner’s beauty journey was also full of aesthetic and style cues from Black culture including the durag look seen above.

Kylie Jenner In 2015: Wigging Out

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While Jenner’s natural hair was at the sweet spot between bob and lob, 2015 was the year she wore wigs including this caramel blonde number she was spotted in during New York Fashion Week. Since 2015 was her big wig year, she kept her makeup relatively low-key with a smokey eye and a matte, skin-toned lip.

Kylie Jenner In 2015: Pastel Princess

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Jenner became the founder of Kylie Cosmetics in 2015 at just 18 years old. Kylie Cosmetics launched its now infamous lip kits in November 2015, just a month after Jenner was photographed in this long, mint green wig. 2015 was the year Jenner’s beauty signature became the exciting, unexpected wig.

Kylie Jenner In 2014: Ombre Mermaid Era

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Jenner continued to play with bright hair colors throughout 2014 including adding custom-dyed extensions to her own shoulder-length lob to create this dramatic mermaid beachy waves look. This was also around the time that Jenner switched up her overall approach to glam from statement-making makeup to statement-making hair. Over the next few years, she would opt for more neutral makeup and bright, bold wigs.

Kylie Jenner In 2014: The Beginning Of The Edge

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In 2014, Jenner chopped her long hair into an edgy bob with an equally edgy aqua ombre. This was the first, but definitely not the last, time that the youngest KarJenner deviated from her family’s more mainstream beauty aesthetic into her own, more experimental territory.

Kylie Jenner In 2013: Vampy Diaries

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At the LA premiere of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Jenner debuted a new style of glam with the vamp level turned up to 11. At the premiere, Jenner wore a full face of glam, including contouring that you could cut glass with, and deep merlot matte lipstick.

Kylie Jenner In 2013: Pretty In Pink

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2013 was also the year that Jenner started experimenting with vibrant lip colors. At the New York City premiere of then-rumored boyfriend Jaden Smith’s movie After Earth, she was photographed wearing bright matte fuchsia lipstick.

Kylie Jenner In 2012: Bronzed And Unbothered

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In 2012, Jenner began showing up to events with the hair and makeup styling the Kardashians were known for at the time. In this photo, Jenner was signing copies of the September issue of Seventeen (the Jenner sisters shared the title of cover star). Her long, beachy waves, golden tan, and bronzer-centric makeup were 100% pure, unfiltered Kardashian glam.

Kylie Jenner In 2011: The Signature Smirk

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While Jenner kept the same style of makeup throughout her early teenage years, you can see a glimpse of the half-smile that would become something of her signature expression in her adult life in this photo from 2011. There are subtle hints that Jenner was gaining more makeup mastery at this time: Her brows were filled in, both her top and bottom lashes were on point, and you can see a bit of highlight and contouring on her nose and cheeks.

Kylie Jenner In 2010: A Lil’ Luxe

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Still a young teen in 2010, Jenner was already leveling up her glam game. Her nearly waist-length hair marked the beginnings of her experimentation with hair extensions and her eyeliner was also upgraded with a slightly winged effect on her lower lash line. Look closely and you can even catch a bit of contour on the then-14-year-old’s cheeks.

Kylie Jenner In 2009: Tween-Age Dream

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Baby Kylie! In 2009, Jenner was 13 and doing what tweens at the time did: sweeping her long bangs to the side and applying dark, smokey liner to her waterline. Jenner was definitely in the public eye before 2009, but this look — lightly glossed lips with finely lined eyes — was the first *lewk* she ever served.

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