Whitney Houston’s 17 Most Iconic Beauty Moments – Essence

Sixty-one years ago, Whitney Houston was born. She grew up in New Jersey in a star-studded family — her mother, a two-time Grammy winner, sang backup for Aretha Franklin and her cousin Diona Warwick was a ’60s pop star — reaching for Chaka Khan records to pump up her angelic grooves. Taking a cue from her vocals and sweetness, Houston earned a short lived modeling profession under Wilhelmina after being spotted acting at Carnegie Hall. As beautiful as she was, “Too picky for me,” she told ESSENCE in its 1990 cover story. “You stand there in front of the camera and just smile.”

Now, looking back, the Scout had an actual eye. In 1984 (the 12 months before she released her debut album of the identical name), Houston performed with Jermaine Jackson in New York City wearing a cropped Afro and a sculpted fuchsia blush that matched her matte lipstick. At the 1988 Grammy Awards, her full brows sat above gold eyeshadow and her signature smoky lash line. In the ’90s, her shorter version of Diana Ross’s “Twiggy” lashes were paired with smoky purple makeup, turning the look into her signature take a look at the United Negro College Fund Dinner.

As her afro grew more puffy, she began experimenting with wigs: an asymmetrical bob for the 1999 EMAs on MTV, and a historic blonde updo for the inaugural BET Awards in 2001. In the run-as much as her final years, she attended Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party like a Golden Girl—together with her hair in a shade of brunette and makeup to kick off the evening. Despite her premature death in 2012, Houston’s angelic beauty will remain etched in history (and our hearts) until the tip of time.

In honor of her divine birthday, let’s have a look back at Whitney Houston’s most iconic beauty moments.

Introducing fuchsia makeup

Whitney Houston performed with Jermaine Jackson in New York City wearing her trademark fuchsia makeup and heavily smoky eyes.

Iconic white headband

The then 21-12 months-old previewed the white headband she wore during her performance on the 1991 Super Bowl.

Manicure without hands

Now that bare nails are all the trend, Houston was years ahead of the curve by pairing her no-mani manicure with a hairstyle harking back to Jheri curls.

The image of perfect beauty

She posed with gold eye shadow and deep lipstick on the thirtieth Annual Grammy Awards, where she won awards for Best Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Short, glued eyelashes

She added short, tufted lashes within the Diana Ross “Twiggy” style to her signature combination of fuchsia, pink and smoky eyeliner.

Lipstick Hall of Fame Moment

At the twenty first annual Songwriters Hall of Fame, she traded in her usual purple lipstick for red to be inducted into the hall.

Bang! Bob-ish pixie

Houston paired her short haircut with an asymmetrical bob and a pixie cut, and in addition painted her lips red, added muted purple eye shadow and chocolate blush.

Pigments, pigments, pigments

At a non-public party after her performance at Madison Square Garden, she had the chance to do her hair in an enormous way, wear lipstick and add eye shadow.

Beauty Pageant Queen Coded by Chaka Khan

The beauty queen’s look recalled her idol Chaka Khan’s curly locks on the thirteenth Annual American Music Awards.

Purple under the attention

Instead of eye shadow on her lid, she opted for purple eyeliner on her lower waterline and left the upper line a smoky black.

Whitney Houston Classic

Among Houston’s most historic moments (except for her Super Bowl performance), essentially the most recognizable thing about her performance at the primary annual BET Awards was her dirty-blonde wig and outsized personality.

Deep Tones MTV

At the eighth Annual MTV Movie Awards, she wore her usual makeup look of shades of purple and red, but a darker shade than usual.

Short cut and red lips

Houston sat next to Janet Jackson on the 71st Annual Academy Awards, wearing a red lip and muted makeup.

Golden Girl Hair and Makeup

She showed as much as Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy party looking just like the Golden Girl she is, with brown hair (and eyebrows) and makeup.

Touched by an angel

Her vocals soared to heavenly heights during her performance at Madison Square Garden, which she attended in her classic make-up.

Brown Mullet Charm

She attended the tenth annual United Negro College Fund Telethon wearing a Czech soccer-style haircut, which is currently very trendy.

Inspiration for black girls

Houston hugs her young fans at a concert within the UK, weaving their beaded pigtails and butterfly clips into her asymmetrical bob.