Lady Gaga's Most Iconic Beauty Looks
Lady Gaga was born this way — 30 years ago, in fact. The iconic star, dubbed “the fresh Donatella” by Donatella Versace herself, has taken some of the biggest beauty risks in pop history. Her personal creative production team, the Haus of Gaga, is behind her ensembles, stage props, makeup, and hairstyles — but even before she became an international sensation with an army of Little Monsters, she was rocking glitter makeup, hair bows made of hair, and no pants.
Related: Lady Gaga’s Beautifying Juice Shot
She’s not just a fashion and beauty icon either — the six-time Grammy Award-winning singer was enrolled at NYU Tisch School of the Arts before dropping out to get a head start on her career. She has set 13 Guinness World Records (in 2010, “Bad Romance” was the most viewed video on YouTube), and has appeared on the most prestigious magazine covers in the world. Recently, she scaled down her most provocative looks (remember the meat dress?) and shifted to retro, old Hollywood hair and makeup, but whether she’s wearing face prosthetics or no-makeup makeup, Gaga is always confident and proud of who she is and what she represents. Here are her most iconic beauty looks, from indie performer to international pop sensation.
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Lady Gaga arriving at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, 2016
Gaga is always glamorous, but for Oscars, the singer went for a look that was edgy without taking attention away from what was important: She wore an old Hollywood hairstyle, and warm, monochromatic makeup that played up her expressive eyes. Get her look.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Channeling Bowie at the 2016 Grammy Awards
For her tribute to David Bowie at the awards show, Gaga adopted a version of his over-the-top Ziggy Stardust look.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Super Bowl star, 2016
Leave it to Gaga to pair her show-stopping rendition of the national anthem with patriotic hair and makeup. Blue nails, a platinum-blond-nearing-white hairstyle, and amazing red-glitter eyeshadow make this one of her most iconic looks.
(Photo: Getty Images)
The Met Ball, 2015
The theme for the 2015 Costume Institute Benefit Gala was “China: Through The Looking Glass.” The singer accessorized her Balenciaga kimono-style gown with a black beaded headpiece and some seriously intense brows.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with a dark pixie cut, 2015
Photographed by Michael Avedon, Gaga sports a pixie cut, sharp eyeliner, and dark lips in this vintage-glamor look.
(Source: Instagram/ladygaga)
Lady Gaga at the Academy Awards, 2015
Ash-blonde hair was a huge trend, and Gaga glammed up the look with Merlot-red lips.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with silver hair at the Grammy Awards, 2015
Gaga resembled a high-fashion mermaid with her ethereal silver hair, metallic green-silver eyeshadow, and cat eyes.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with huge dark curls and Tony Bennett, 2014
While she performed jazz standards with Tony Bennett on their collaborative album, Cheek to Cheek, Gaga channeled Cher with her permed hair.
(Source: Steven Klein)
Lady Gaga on the cover of Porter, summer 2014
Lady Gaga appears on the luxury magazine’s cover with a toned-down look that featured soft makeup and hair. The result is very un-Gaga-like but so beautiful.
(Source: Porter)
Lady Gaga at artRAVE, 2014
“Only two more artRaves left I cry two tear studs,” she captioned this photo while getting her pop-art-inspired makeup done.
(Source: Instagram/ladygaga)
Lady Gaga performs with white hair, 2014
In the future, we’re all going to be wearing sharp shoulder pads and dyeing our hair white — Gaga was ahead of the times.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga performs in octopus costume, 2014
Gaga’s platinum hair is topped off with inflatable octopus arms as she performs onstage for her artPOP tour in Florida. You gotta love her dedication to marine creatures.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga performs as a mermaid, 2014
Your Coachella floral crown has nothing on Gaga’s seashell and flower crown. The giant (and probably heavy) headpiece topped off green-tinted blonde waves.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with white dreadlocks, 2013
We’re pretty sure this is a wig — bleaching your hair white and then turning it into locs might be too much effort, even for Gaga. As usual, her skin is flawless and her statement lips are red.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga on the cover of Grazia France, September 2013
As the cover text states, Gaga made her comeback with Grazia France. Her new beauty look was much more subdued, with long brunette hair and nude makeup — and almost a nude body.
(Source: Grazia France)
Lady Gaga on the cover of Vogue, March 2011
Gaga became a modern-day pop art Grecian goddess with her short pink bob, purple lips, and bleached eyebrows.
(Source: Vogue)
Lady Gaga on the cover of Visionaire, 2011
Gaga famously told Harper’s Bazaar: “They’re not prosthetics. They’re my bones.” On the cover of the 61st issue of Visionaire, Gaga bared her famous face prosthetics with rainbow-painted hair.
(Source: Visionaire)
Lady Gaga is ‘Born This Way,’ 2011
Gaga, photographed by Nick Knight, sports her famous alien prosthetics; wild, flowing hair, and the most intense cat eyes in history.
(Source: Nick Knight)
Lady Gaga on the cover of Vanity Fair, September 2010
Photographed by Nick Knight, Gaga sparkled and shined on the Vanity Fair cover (in both the U.K. and U.S.) with flowing silver hair, pale lips, and white eyeshadow.
(Source: Vanity Fair)
Lady Gaga in her meat dress at the VMAs, 2010
How do you accessorize a slab of red meat on your head? With talon nails, giant jewels, silver hair, scarlet lipstick, and long lashes.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards, 2010
Ombré hair was a huge trend in 2010 — but Gaga took it to the next level with platinum locks blending into cartoon yellow hair. The bubblegum pink lips added to the candy-sweet look.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with a pouf in Paris, 2010
Gaga gave some serious Marie Antoinette vibes with her platinum pouf when she was in Paris in 2010. The Haus of Gaga’s attention to detail is impeccable — even her tapered eyebrows are bleached blonde.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga with lace on her face, 2009
Gaga has worn lace-based ensembles on the red carpet several times. She didn’t just stop at the clothes, though — she often crafted masks made of lace. The gleaming halo headpiece makes it clear: Gaga is to be worshipped.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga rocks a platinum bob, 2009
Gaga was always ahead of the trends. In 2009, while all the pop stars were whipping their long tresses, Gaga made headlines with a giant wavy platinum bob. The soft pink lipstick and flushed cheeks rounded out this classic Hollywood look.
(Source: Getty Images)
The debut of the hair bow, 2008
Gaga’s iconic hair bow — made of real hair — was a trademark look. In the early years of her fame, it was on the side of her head; in later incarnations, it would sit right at the top.
(Source: Getty Images)
Lady Gaga performing at Lollapalooza, 2007
Back when she was just entering the scene as an indie artist only the cool kids knew about, Gaga performed at Chicago music festival Lollapalooza with scene-y “emo” hair. #neverforget
(Source: Getty Images)
