64 Of Lil’ Kim’s Most Iconic Beauty Moments Of All Time

Lil’ Kim has reigned as the eternal Queen Bee of rap since the 1990s. The Brooklyn-born artist was discovered by The Notorious B.I.G. before releasing her debut studio album Hard Core in 1996, which went double platinum.

Aside from selling over 15 million albums and 30 million singles since then, the rap legend doubles as a beauty queen, serving theatrical beats, decorated nails, and dramatic ‘dos on a silver platter. 

For one, Lil’ Kim’s MTV Music Awards appearances went down in history. In 1997, the blue-eyed, red-haired goddess accented her look with gold shimmer, a headdress, and defined contour. Two years later, she showed up in her famous purple wig and dramatic cat-eyelashes, all adhering to her signature beauty mark.

From there, she doubled-down on the melodrama. Throughout the 2000s, overdrawn brows (cue: her 2003 MOBO Awards and 2005 Olympus Fashion Week looks) ran next to a  pigmented, circular blush.

By 2010, her burlesque moment was more tamed. A dark, bombshell blowout at a Vodka “Purple” photo shoot replaced her punk wigs. Meanwhile, her makeup turned more matte with concealed under eyes like at The Blonds Fall 2014 show.

For Rihanna’s 3rd Annual Diamond Ball in 2017, Lil’ Kim continued the matte beauty beat trend, pairing it with finger wave-like curls, and her 2019 BET Awards look seconded this. While her experimentation solidified her icon status, Lil Kim’s more natural hair and makeup looks are just as fabulous, too. 

Now, as she celebrates her 50th birthday, let’s rewind through her most iconic beauty moments of all time.