Zendaya’s Beauty Evolution Is Proof She’s Always Been That Girl

She’s had baby bangs, she’s had side bangs, she’s had ‘em long and swept to the side — this time, Zendaya went a bit more blunt.

At the London photocall for Challengers, the Disney Channel alum put a twist on her fresh blond tresses. According to her stylist Ursula Stephen, she elevated Zendaya’s high ponytail with a set of clip-in bangs and a few face-framing pieces. “This step completely changes the look of the hair,” she said.

Zendaya was almost unrecognizable at the Paris premiere of her movie Challengers. Her typically dark tresses were lightened up to a blond reminiscent of Beyoncé’s signature shade, and styled in a deep side part with soft, elegant waves.

Ahead of an earlier premiere for her tennis-themed film, Z briefly spoked about the decision to brighten up her locks, saying she dyed her hair “just so it felt like a different press tour” hot on the heels of Dune: Part Two.

Zendaya’s look at the 2024 Oscars was a complete transformation from the Dune-core aesthetic she’s been spotted in while promoting the film’s sequel.

Unlike the futuristic desert queen vibe she was spotted rocking only days prior, the Emmy winner showed up to the Academy Awards in an antique, one-shouldered rose silk gown with an embroidered palm tree print by Giorgio Armani Privé, paired with pink gold Bulgari earrings.

Her hair and makeup were equally Oscar-worthy: Z’s new bob had a deep millennial side part (and side bang??) and was flipped out at the end, while her makeup was kept minimal yet chic, with focus on the semi-matte melon lip.

At the London premiere of Dune: Part Two, the newly minted co-chair of the 2024 Met Gala stole the show in a vintage 1995 Thierry Mugler robot suit that totally matched Dune’s otherworldly vibe. The most show-stopping components: the clear panels around her chest, stomach, legs, arms, and — most notably — her behind.

And her face card didn’t miss either. Zendaya’s makeup was glowy without being overpowering. To keep the focus on the fashion, her hair was slicked back into a bun. Honestly, 10/10, no notes.

At the SS2024 Louis Vuitton Menswear show at Paris Fashion Week in June 2023, Zendaya brought summer vibes to her makeup look with peachy-toned cheeks and eyes and a pink lip. She ditched her recent bob for this event and her hair was very reminiscent of her 2021 Oscars waves. This time her long tresses were giving volume and were a lot more full than her previous look.

This combination of the sleek slicked-back bun and black off-the-shoulder gown is, yet again, giving all the old Hollywood glamour vibes. In a more classic version of her London Dune premiere hair look, Zendaya wore a side-part slicked-back bun featuring an ever so slightly raised bang. Her eye makeup is ultra-sultry with dark outer corners, bronze lids, and a neutral glossy lip.

When Z’s hair is pulled out of her face, she often opts for a slicked-back look, but at the inauguration of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in April 2023, the actor went for a soft and relaxed low bun featuring some face-framing pieces. To match the sparkle of the dress, she added a glowy makeup look with silver shadow.

The multi-hyphenate leveled up her bob at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards and SAG Awards, opting for romantic vintage-inspired curls at the back-to-back events. Can you say “bombshell blowout”?

The bob is back, fam. Eight years after hitting the 2014 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards with a jet black, shoulder-length chop, the Emmy winner stood alongside her Euphoria costars at a December 2022 event with the same lewk in a caramel brown hue. She teased her fresh tresses using a meme of Pleakley from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch. “When b*tches get a lil bob,” read the meme. She captioned the snap, “Me...I am b*tches.”

Zendaya continued her journey into daring makeup *and* beauty looks at the Valentino womenswear show at Paris Fashion Week in March, 2022 with a thick, black cat-eye liner look that served major drama. Her sleek lob had the perfect amount of flip on the ends and her neutral, glossy lip was probably the only shade that wouldn’t have clashed with all that Barbiecore pink.

It’s rare for Zendaya to pull back her hair on a red carpet, but when she does it’s to show off a bomb beauty look. This futuristic reversed cat-eye moment in shades of holographic violet and soft, matte plum is exactly such a look. Even with her hair slicked back, Zendaya managed to bring a bit of hair drama to an Oct. 2021 special screening of Dune in London. Look closely and you’ll catch a glimpse of her futuristic finger waves.

At a Dune photocall in Sept. 2021, Zendaya brought out her natural hair texture and my heart grew three sizes. I wanted bangs for my entire childhood and was always told that curly hair and bangs don’t go together. I have since added that lie to my very official list of myths about textured hair Zendaya has disproved on the red carpet.

This is one of my all-time favorite Zendaya looks and my absolute favorite since she became to mix up her signature, natural glam. At the LA premiere of Spiderman: No Way Home, Zendaya’s makeup was as bold as her spiderweb gown. Her liner look features three colors — black, white, and blue — and paired the now viral Siren eye look with a slash of graphic, floating liner that somehow forced you to notice how perfectly shaped her brows are. Bravo.

I’m blown away. For the 2021 Oscars, Zendaya’s signature glam was warmed up for a sun-kissed look in shades of peach and soft orange, but the obvious showstopper here are those mermaid waves. The center part brought a bit of ‘70s energy to the look and the wind tousling the ends of her hair was pure magic.

At the Critic’s Choice Awards in 2020, Zendaya gave us Barbiecore before we even knew we wanted it, tossed her gorgeous copper, waist-length braids, and sashayed away.

Hello, bombshell! Zendaya’s softly waved hair at the 2019 Emmys is exactly how one pays homage to the leading ladies of Old Hollywood without falling into costumery or camp. It’s also notable that she was able to full channel a vintage vibe without changing her signature glam: full (but not overly filled-in) brows, soft contour, a smokey, neutral eye, and a pink lip.

Zendaya can’t come to the phone right now, she’s ascended to Heaven as patron saint of France, Joan of Arc. Honestly, I don’t know what fits the 2018 Met Gala’s theme, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” more: her Versace suit of armor, her perfectly sculpted brows, or those incredible micro-bangs.

Proving once again that Black hair textures belong in the highest echelons of fashion and beauty, Zendaya’s brushed-out curls at the 2017 Met Gala actually convinced me to stop my lifelong battle with frizz. She turned frizz into a graceful, high fashion moment, and her red-haired halo paired with that matte flame lip made Zendaya look like a literal angel, which, of course, she is.

Zendaya’s whole look at the 2016 Met Gala cemented her spot as Hollywood’s most glamorous style chameleon. That bowl cut wig and blended out smokey eye? Excuse me while I collapse on a divan and gently fan myself back to the land of the living.

Not only was Zendaya’s 2015 Oscars look dripping in goddess-level glamour, but it was also important for women and girls of color. Pairing long locs with pearl earrings, a rosy pink lip, and glowing eye makeup proved to the world that locs are beautiful and luxurious. Yes, some fashion critics had mean things to say, but Zendaya remained unbothered by the ignorant and mortal.

2014 was the year Zendaya started being known as a red carpet icon, and her makeup began to reflect her more daring fashion choices. Just look at her vampy dark lip, bob, and super blushy cheeks at the 2014 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. It’s giving queen in the making.

Are you kidding me with this hair? I’m obsessed. Zendaya’s intense side bang is everything a middle schooler wanted in 2013. This was one of the first out-of-the-box looks Zendaya tried with her hair. It’s playful, unexpected, creative, and just a hint of who Zendaya will become on red carpets.

The year was 2012, and no one, not even Zendaya, could escape the power that colorful lipstick had on the culture. In July 2012, the Spiderman: No Way Home actor went super bold with a fuchsia lip. Compared to the lip drama, the rest of her makeup was subdued — just some mascara and a light, shimmery eyeshadow.

At 15, Zendaya upped her red carpet makeup, ever so slightly, and brought out the blush for a Teen Vogue party in Sept. 2011. It’s not an overwhelming makeup look, but it definitely shows a growing affinity for trying new makeup looks and playing with color.

Look at baby Z! Leading up to the launch of her first Disney show Shake It Up, the actor began making her red carpet appearances featuring fresh-faced looks like this one from Aug. 2010. At just 13, Zendaya rocked sparkly lipgloss, a touch of mascara, and some cute barettes. It reminds me of my first foray into the cosmetic side of Claire’s at the same age.