Ever since Kelly Clarkson charmed the hearts of America as the winner of the first season of American Idol in 2002, the silhouette of her hair has largely stayed the same—long, layered, and usually in a middle part. Not anymore.
On November 13, the pop star-turned-daytime talk show host was joined on her hit TV show by The Vampire Diaries’ Ian Somerhalder and former Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones. It was here we got a glimpse of her brand-new chop.
Her hair was similar length to her usual look with a highlighted blonde shade, but Clarkson also debuted a new pair of fringy bangs. Wispy and layered, her bangs traveled to just under her eyelashes with a slight curl inwards toward her face. Unlike a sharp, blunt bang, hers were spaced out and airy with a few different shades of blonde flowing through the strands—still allowing us to peek through at her brows and forehead, with a few different lengths across the chop.
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This is the biggest hair change she’s made in recent years, though she’s switched it up in the past. When she won American Idol, she had the archetypical Y2K look of chunky bleached blonde highlights in her dark brown hair, which she usually styled pin straight or in curls. Since then she’s just updated her style to fit current trends, switching between blonde balayage highlights and a full head of blonde. No matter the shade, she tends to keep it chest-length and slightly wavy.
On The Kelly Clarkson Show, the star paired her new bangs with a simple chic look. She wore a tight-fitting, off-the-shoulder black top with a gold pleated skirt. She keept the gold vibe going with herjewelry, adding a gold choker, gold hoop earrings, and a gold ring to accessorize.
As for makeup, the look was classic and timeless. Her skin was matte with a touch of pink blush on her cheeks. She wore slightly dark eye makeup that wasn’t quite a smoky eye, but still added some depth and edge to the look. Her lips were pink and glossy, and her “nearly naked” nails finished off the glam.