Kat Dennings, Before and After
” I hate to be predictable, but I think Marilyn Monroe put that seed in my head that red lipstick equals glamour and confidence,” says Kat Dennings. “Honestly now, if I’m not wearing a colourful lip or at least like a deep lip, I feel like my face looks weird.”1
The 36-year-old star of 2 Broke Girls and Dollface is so devoted to bold lipstick, she hasn’t walked the red carpet without it for a least a decade. (And she actually started wearing it as young as 14.)
But those of us who pay close attention to celebrity makeup looks noticed something else over the years—something underneath the lipstick. Kat’s upper lip has always been distinctly fuller than the lower one, which is not the norm.
That got me thinking. Was Kat the original Kylie Jenner? Or does she just know how to wield a lip pencil, and was overdrawing her lip line (long before that was a thing)?
Let’s take a closer look at her beauty evolution, and see how her lips—or any other features!—may have changed.
From 2001 to 2002: Kat as a Teen
At the 2001 WB Television Upfront
Our first pic dates back to 2001, when Kat was just 14. At this point, she’d already been acting for five years, and was graduating high school early in order to move to Los Angeles as a full-time actress. Here, she was wearing her beloved red lip colour. (“I’ve been wearing red lipstick since I was, like, 14 years old.”1) Also note how her nose was more prominent.
At the 2002 Starlight Children’s Foundation Fundraiser
Our first pic dates back to 2001, when Kat was just 14. At this point, she’d already been acting for five years, and was graduating high school early in order to move to Los Angeles as a full-time actress. Here, she was wearing her beloved red lip colour. (“I’ve been wearing red lipstick since I was, like, 14 years old.”1) Also note how her nose was more prominent.
At the 2002 Starlight Children’s Foundation Fundraiser
The next year, she went even bolder with her makeup, and it’s actually pretty similar to some of the looks she’s worn more recently! “One holiday, my mom got me a book called Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin. He was this unbelievable makeup artist, and this is an instructional book about how to put on makeup and to do different looks. I would go to my mirror, sit down, and just spend hours trying to re-create the photos.” Again, you can see that her nose bears little resemblance to the nose she has today.
From 2005 to 2011: Supporting Roles
At the 2005 Los Angeles Premiere of ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’
Kat Dennings The 40-Year-Old Virgin Los Angeles premiere 2005
By age 19, her full-time acting career was taking off, thanks to supporting roles in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Even still, my guess is that she did this makeup herself, since it’s her favourite combination of a dark lip with a wash of smoky eyeshadow. I don’t think her features have changed… yet. Her top lip seems about equal in size to the lower one.
At the 2006 Los Angeles Premiere of ‘Big Momma’s House 2’
Kat Dennings Big Momma’s House 2 Los Angeles premiere 2006
S. Bukley/ImageCollect
The makeup intensified in 2006, and sure, it’s a little overdone. On most people, it would look ridiculous, but there’s just something about Kat—she can pull off these deep and cool tones like nobody else. This is also a rare photo where we get to see her teeth, which weren’t Hollywood perfect (she has a couple little gaps).
At the 2007 World Premiere of ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry’
Kat Dennings I Now Pronounce You Chuck Larry world premiere 2007
The next year, she stepped out with a new look, but this time, I don’t think it was just the makeup. Sure, the application seems more polished (probably because she started working with a professional makeup artist, as celebs always do once they achieve career success). But it also seems like her nose is narrower, and her upper lip has suddenly inflated in size. Notice how her Cupid’s bow has disappeared.
At the 2008 Los Angeles Premiere of ‘The House Bunny’
Kat Dennings The House Bunny Los Angeles premiere 2008
Here, Kat finally ventured out of her red lip comfort zone and wore a bold pop of pink. Anything cool-toned just works so well with her colouring. The lipstick also matches the step and repeat banner that she’s posing in front of, which adds to the effect. With her nose less prominent now, her lips and eyes stand out much more. (I just don’t get the need for over-lining that top lip, when it’s already twice the size of the lower one!)
At the 2009 Nylon Young Hollywood Issue Party
The next year, Kat didn’t hold back on the dramatic makeup for this event. She later recalled: “I was a hot mess for a long time because I loved trying everything and I thought I was kind of a genius with my look, which I was, kind of, looking back.”2 It’s giving Goth vibes, but I actually don’t hate it!
At the 2010 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
