Ariana Grande Wears Loose Blonde Hairstyle for Elle

When you think about Ariana Grande, it's impossible to not think about her hair that has defined her for so much of her career. However, she's recently reinvented her look in a major way for the upcoming release of Sweetener, and for her latest magazine cover, Ariana is letting her hair down — literally — for the second time this summer.

The "Bed" singer appears on the cover of the August issue of Elle with a super-long platinum 'do created by hairstylist Josh Liu. In the Alexi Lubomirski-lensed image, she's captured in the midst of what appears to be the most epic hair flip in history, however, the cover story reveals that the dramatic effect was achieved thanks to Josh tossing her strands out of the frame "for hours." (#commitment.)

As for her makeup, Patrick Ta traded Ariana's usual black cat-eye in favor of a neutral eyeshadow, mile-long lashes, and high-shine nude gloss. (Try Lipstick Queen Reign & Shine Lip Gloss in Baroness of Bare to get a similar look.)

In the interview, Ari revealed that her favorite way to wear her signature high ponytail is “high, sleek, [and] dark," adding that, "she takes many forms," referring to the style. "The pony has also gone through an evolution, and I'm proud of that," Ariana said in an interview with The Fader back in May. "Old pony? I don't know if she's that girl. But new pony? I like her. I mean, it's like a Victoria's Secret angel without angel wings. It's still her without them, but when she's with them it's like, 'Ohh, I get it, she's an angel.'"

When asked in her Elle interview whether or not she uses her hair to send a message to fans, Ariana admits that she "never thought about it that way...but maybe there is a telepathic connection there.” And while her latest cover is unquestionably one for the books, it'll be a long time before we forget about her July 2018 British Vogue cover, where she rocked cascading buttery blonde waves that sent Arianators in a full-blown frenzy — in the best way, of course.

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