When Ariana Grande first entered the blonde era in October 2022, announced with a low-key Instagram post and a silly caption, fans assumed the brilliant, lively hair color wouldn’t last very long — surely only because Mean the filming process, right? Not so speedy. The movie may have ended months ago, but it seemed like the honey blonde was here to stay. That’s why it was so surprising when Grande’s shadowy brown hair reappeared in her recent Catwoman-themed music video for “The boy is mine”, styled in a long, upside-down bob that was once considered a signature style. For a while, her audience thought she was back to brunette for good. The pop star released a time-lapse clip of her behind-the-scenes preparations, proving that her “recent” hair is actually a wig, but the assembly process is nonetheless truly captivating.
In the music video, Grande sports shiny, shadowy brown hair that reaches just past her shoulders, styled in a playful, upside-down look reminiscent of her album cover Positions album. She wears long gloves with pointed, black claw-like nails, and her cat-eye makeup is bold and razor-sharp. Grande actually did her own makeup for the video shoot, using a full face of Rem Beauty – of course.
To order a flippy lob, Grande turned to celebrity hairstylist and her longtime friend and collaborator, Alix Liu. They’re behind many of Grande’s biggest aesthetic moments, including her 2020 wedding, Met Gala appearances, and album covers. In a behind-the-scenes video Grande shared on Rem lovely On Instagram, Liu can be seen unrolling the intricate space buns in Grande’s own blonde hair and carefully putting on a brown wig. All this happens while Grande applies false eyelashes and the rest of her makeup. It’s a truly mesmerizing watch, especially when the video speed accelerates to a timelapse.
While there’s no denying how much her fans love the honey blonde hair she’s had for two full years, comments have been expressing how much they’d like to see “Brunette Ari” return in the next few months. Maybe she’ll go back to that luxurious shade of deep brown, maybe she’ll keep it blonde, or maybe she’ll surprise everyone and take a whole recent direction together – who wouldn’t be excited to reveal a redhead?
