We’re sure we don’t need to tell you that Jennifer Lopez is a beauty icon – and has been for decades. Breaking onto the scene in the ‘90s, she soon made herself a mainstay of both the music and film industries – and has served up plenty of iconic hair and makeup looks since then.
Being a regular feature of awards season, the Met Gala and, of course, the stage means that JLo regularly steps out with eye-catching hairstyles and intricate makeup looks. Feel like you need some hair and makeup inspiration? After scouring the archives, we’ve collated a selection of our favourite beauty moments from the icon that is Jennifer Lopez…
Jennifer Lopez's best hair and makeup looks from over the years
The modern vintage wave
Vintage Hollywood hair and red carpet hairstyles have long gone hand in hand, and this is a great example of a modern take on the look, which JLo wore to the 2019 Oscars. With the signature side parting and gelled roots, there's just the subtlest soft bend to her sleek hair alongside a healthy bronzed glow.
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The wet look bob
Jennifer Lopez is an example of somebody who suits both ultra-long hair and shorter styles, like a bob, in equal measure. One of our favourite examples of the latter is this tousled longer bob—complete with a glossy beige lip and sparkly eyes—which she wore with a wet look finish to the 2020 American Music Awards.
Co-ordinating pastel eyeshadow
One of our favourite Oscars beauty looks of all time was when JLo matched her eyeshadow to the pastel mint green of her gown back in 2003. With wispy lashes and a glossy nude lip, she kept the rest of her makeup fresh and simple with her hair swept into a sleek side bun.
Metallic eyes and lips
Paired with a great power hairstyle, the simple ponytail, we love the way that Jennifer Lopez's warm eyeshadow and frosted lipstick are a great tonal match, a look she wore to the Fox All-Star Party in 2015.
Graphic winged eyeshadow
The beauty of makeup is that you can use it to subtly enhance your features or create next-level creations using graphic eyeshadow and liquid liner. We love this example of the latter, complete with glitter, which JLo wore to the premiere of Amazon's This is Me... Now: A Love Story in 2024.
Crystals and lilac
Now, this may not be a beauty ensemble you'd instinctively throw on to do your weekly food shop, but it is one of the coolest Met Gala beauty looks of the century so far. We love the way JLo's frosted purple eyeshadow matches her necklace and complements the sparkly tones of her fringed jewelled hair, which she wore for 2019's "Camp: Notes on Fashion" theme.
The plaited updo and red lip
Serving classic 2000s ballroom glamour, Jennifer Lopez's plaited updo was the perfect match for her flawless-looking skin and bold red lip. It's another Met Gala classic, this time from 2004's "Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century" festivities.
The '70s flicks
Feeling like a call back to one of the biggest 70s hairstyles for women, made popular by Farrah Fawcett and co, we love this flicked and feathered style on Jennifer Lopez. She paired it with bronzed skin and a terracotta lip for her appearance here at the 2001 Teen Choice Awards.
Extra long hair and blush tones
Just as she can work a blunt bob hairstyle, Jennifer Lopez knows how to work the "anti-bob" trend – AKA super long hair. We love this softly waved smooth blow dry, paired with her signature beige lip, defined eyes and a flush of blusher for the LA screening of Marry Me in 2022.
Vintage undone curls
A timeless and classic look that calls back to 1940s and 50s hairstyles, Jennifer Lopez looks like a vintage pin-up with this slicked and curled 'do. She stepped out with this look for a launch event in New York back in 2007.
The loose updo
A loose updo might be a go-to for most of us when cleaning or running errands, but this undone style can also lend itself well to special occasions and evening events, as JLo demonstrates here. Worn with a generous flush of the best blusher and a peachy pink shade of lipstick, the star stepped out with this look for an Atlas fan event in 2024.
Voluminous curls
Much as she suits a smooth blowout, we also love JLo's naturally curly hair, which she has also showcased on the red carpet over the years. She stepped out with this naturally voluminous style for the premiere of Anaconda back in 1997 – look at that gorgeous brown lipstick, too.
The '60s-inspired updo
With a flicked 60s hairstyle silhouette, we love the detailing in this bow-accessorised ponytail hairstyle. Complete with a slick of liquid eyeliner, bronzed cheeks and a creamy beige lip, Jennifer stepped out with this look for the Valentino Haute Couture show during Paris Fashion Week in 2024.
The fringed ponytail
Another great example of the power of a polished ponytail for an evening event, we love the low positioning and full fringe on JLo here. Paired with her signature soft glam makeup look, she stepped out with this particular hairstyle on the red carpet of the 2003 Oscars.
Bronze tones
A slicked back bun not only makes for a chic hairstyle, it can also draw attention to your makeup look – as JLo perfectly demonstrates here. We love this warm metallic palette and liquid liner combination, which the star wore to the Grammy Awards in 2025.
The smooth half up
With a classic smokey eye, bronze glowing skin and a muted pink-beige lip, this smooth-yet-voluminous half updo feels like such a signature Jennifer Lopez look. Here she's pictured at the LA premiere of Amazon's The Tender Bar in 2021.
The middy cut
Mid length haircuts and styles seem to transcend the decades in terms of popularity; though both the brown-toned makeup and this blunt cut have a kind of '90s feel to it, JLo is actually pictured here in 2019 attending a photo call for her movie Hustlers.
Ombre red lips and sparkly eyes
A perfect example of bold red ombré lipstick look done right, JLo matched the ruby red tones of her outfit to her makeup for the 2011 Met Gala, whose theme was "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty". Opt for a lip liner that's one or two shades deeper than your lipstick to recreate the look.
The face framing updo
Another 90s-esque updo complete with face-framing sections, JLo paired this elegant hairdo with very light beige lipstick and voluminous lashes for the Screen Actors Guild Awards back in 2020. If you want to follow suit, try a thick pair of the best false eyelashes.
The chopped long bob
A great example of how much of a style statement a sleek bob can be, we love the slight asymmetry to JLo's chopped bob here. Worn alongside a flick of liquid liner and super pale pink lips, the star was pictured with this particular beauty look at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2020.
Frosted eyeshadow and accessorised curls
There's so much to love about this particular JLo beauty look – from the big curls and hair accessories to the frosted eyes and peachy glossy lips. It's a real throwback to one of our favourite ever Met Gala beauty looks from the 2007 event, whose theme was "Poiret: King of Fashion".
The sculpted updo
Completely slicked, this back-twisted updo looks 10/10 on Jennifer Lopez; we love it. With sheeny and soft-focused skin, lengthy lashes and glossy lips, she looked seriously glam on the red carpet of the 2006 Oscars.
The slicked-back bob
A major throwback to the early days of her career, JLo is in her early 20s in this portrait from 1992 – and showcasing major 90s makeup and hair trends in the process, from her slicked-back bob to the matte skin and brown lip liner. We love it.
The bouncy blow dry
Now that is what we call a bouncy blow dry! We love these voluminous undone curls on Ms Lopez, paired with pretty metallic pink eyeshadow and a complementary pink lipstick for the Golden Globe Awards in 2024.
The wet look bob and copper liner
Wet look hair is a really chic statement and works brilliantly with Jennifer Lopez's blunt, chin-length bob, which she stepped out with for the Schiaparelli Haute Couture show during Paris Fashion Week in 2024. Not only that, we also love the coppery metallic liner that makes her eyes pop.
The plaited updo
There are so many options when it comes to plaited updos that it's easy to see why they're a popular choice for red carpet appearances – something that JLo knows well. She sported this particularly intricate updo when she attended the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences' 11th Annual Governors Awards in 2019.
Blue shadow
Now, this particular look might be most famous because of the Versace gown that sparked the invention of Google Images, as the famous tale goes. But look closer and you'll see that JLo's soft focused makeup is also worthy of your attention – from the pretty pink lipstick to the wash of pastel blue eyeshadow – worn to the 2000 Grammy Awards.
Gleaming skin and soft smokey eyes
We love the side-swept undone curls here, but it's the makeup that really caught our attention when it came to JLo's beauty look for the 2013 Golden Globes. With glowy skin that practically gleamed, she combined this with defined eyes and soft grey eyeshadow that was smoked out to perfection.
.The timeless sleek bun
As if we needed more proof, this sleek bun perfectly demonstrates the timeless appeal of this hairstyle – and it's simultaneously why it's one of Jennifer Lopez's go-to looks. She paired it with glowy skin, a subtle metallic eye and a sheeny nude lip for the Marc Anthony Pilots Jaguar's Tribute To Style event back in 2001.
The high ponytail
Proof, if ever we needed it, that a tight high ponytail is always a good idea, Jennifer changed up her signature glam makeup look with the addition of glittery yellow gold eyeshadow for her appearance at the Halftime premiere during the Tribeca Festival in 2022.
The braided crown
A classic hairstyle for evening events – not to mention one that we've seen time and time again during award season – this slicked-back updo also made way for JLo's eye-catching, glamorous makeup on the red carpet of the 2020 Golden Globes.
The slicked-down half up
Paired with perfectly curled lengthy lashes and pink glossy lips, this scraped back half-up hairstyle feels super noughties – which JLo was pictured with during Olympus Fashion Week back in 2005.
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