“There are good days and there are bad days, but when you're happy, you glow. And that's really it—it's about how you feel—your state of mind plays a major role,” shared Kareena Kapoor Khan about her inside-out beauty philosophy. Through the years, the actor's fitness regimens, beauty tips and hairstyle experimentation have been much-talked about.
After bagging the Filmfare Award for Best Debut in Refugee (2000), Kareena Kapoor Khan's star power only increased. When she appeared in Kabhi Khushie Kabhi Gham in December of 2001, she already had five films under her belt and her portrayal of the cult-favourite character, Poo cemented her status as a beauty and fashion icon. Over the next few years, she became the queen of the rom-com genre with Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) and Jab We Met (2007). In the decade since, she has tied the knot with Saif Ali Khan, welcomed their first born son Taimur Ali Khan and found the time to deliver some more blockbusters, including 3 Idiots (2009), Ra.One (2011), Udta Punjab (2016), Veere Di Wedding (2018) and Angrezi Medium (2020). Much like her career graph, she's grown from a baby-faced girl-next-door to the enviable queen of Bollywood, matching her royal status with sharp, polished looks.
Wonder years
In her debut film, Kapoor Khan wore her long black strands in a single braid and added kohl-rimmed eyes to her repertoire for the first time. By the time Kabhi Khushie Kabhi Gham rolled around, the glam factor was dialled all the way up. She wore her hair in a side-parted blowout, rocked pink lipstick (complete with brown lip liner) and sported a sparkly manicure. She continued this look even offscreen for the next few years, making it her signature in the early '00s. When her sister Karisma Kapoor got married in 2003, the brown and pink lipstick combination was still present, but she loaded lip gloss on it too. For an award show that year, she chose a taupe shade, making that her new favourite.
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In Chameli, Kapoor Khan's look was like nothing she'd tried before: waist-length waves with a bright red pout. But offscreen, she stuck to her go-tos: a chic blowout, silver eyeshadow and tons of lip gloss. In 2008, she attended an awards show with a bronze tan, adding on more bronzer and contour products to highlight her cheekbones and collarbones. Kapoor Khan's tresses were lighter, and she chose a golden eyeshadow to tie the whole look together. As she was working on Tashan, Kapoor Khan was working towards reaching a size-zero figure, a much-discussed idea at the time. “I don’t know how the size-zero thing started—but I was only 27 and I wanted to do it for a role. It looked amazing, but that was then,” she said years later about her fitness journey.
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When she promoted 3 Idiots in 2009, her beauty look was unlike anything she'd done before. At the premiere of the film, she wore a nose ring and an ultra-shiny lipgloss, but kept her base very simple, save for a little blush and illuminator. “I also love highlighting my cheekbones, so I always carry a highlighter with me,” she said. In 2011 and 2012 she was big on high-shine lips—think glossy pinks and peaches—that she paired with equally slick, lustrous hair, mostly worn loose. In 2012, apart from being in and promoting five movies, she also got married to Saif Ali Khan. For the Nikaah, the actor wore a rose coloured lipstick, with a cat eye and bolder brows than ever before.
Then there was that phase of sleek ponytails and the year she made the kohl-rimmed eyes her signature—2013. Through it all, intense eyes and nude lips remained her favourite. “I love my eyes, which I tend to focus on. For me, they do all the talking and are my sexiest feature,” she shared in an interview with Vogue India. Kapoor Khan also wore a lot of bright lipsticks, switching out her lip glosses for matte reds, purples and pinks. “I think a woman's lips are her most powerful and attractive feature. My advice-just go all out, experiment and choose the shades that make you feel bright and happy,” she confirmed.
Second act
Just when you thought she couldn't raise the bar any further, 2016 had her opting for blonde highlights for the promotions of Ki & Ka. She went on to style her newly-streaked mane in an array of textured updos, no-nonsense buns and primped curls. Even through her pregnancy, Kapoor Khan continued to promote her films and attend red carpet commitments. Her radiant maternal glow was only accented by a little blush and lipstick. “Never sleep with makeup on, drink at least three litres of water every day and no matter what part of the world you're in, keep your moisturiser handy,” is what she chalked up her luminescence to.
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In 2018 and 2019, Kapoor Khan tried out every trending hairstyle look at the time. Think slicked-back strands at the Mowgli premiere, textured hair extensions while promoting Veere Di Wedding, a rope braid for a TV show appearance, an '80s swingy blowout for Good Newwz promotions, as well as buns, ponytails and a haircut somewhere in the middle. When she began filming Angrezi Medium, Kapoor Khan chopped off her strands into a piecey lob that was the shortest she’d ever gone. “Kareena is never afraid to experiment, especially if she trusts you, and as long as she’ll look good,” said her hairstylist Yianni Tsatapori.
While her glammed-up looks are a favourite, she likes to stick to the basics too, as she shares no-makeup selfies and face mask photos on her newly minted Instagram page—hair turban, zits and all.
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It's clear that Kareena Kapoor Khan isn't afraid to make a splash when it comes to her beauty choices, which makes for an interesting repertoire of looks to come. Scroll through to see her complete beauty evolution now.
