Lil' Kim Looks So Different Without Makeup

Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Denise Jones, is not only one of the most popular female lyricists to emerge from New York, she's also one of the most stylish. But while she's been endlessly praised for her sultry, skin-baring getups, including the daring, purple asymmetrical number she wore on stage at the VMAs during that moment with the legendary Diana Ross, she hasn't always gotten enough recognition for being a makeup maven, as well. But between her head-turning red carpet looks to her music video looks, Lil Kim has always expertly used her makeup to underline her powerful, feminine anthems.

Back in the '90s and early '00s, the Grammy Award-winning rapper worked heavily with Nzingha, a popular celeb makeup artist with a Rolodex of celebrity clientele, including some of her competition. During an interview with The Cut, Nzingha dished on some of the elements that went into crafting the star's colorful makeup looks. "For Kim, I pulled from pop culture," she said. "I was always a fan of comic books and Marvel characters. Kim reminded me of Storm from X-Men, Marilyn Monroe, and Betty Page." Nzingha also praised Kim for her take on glamour within the world of hip hop. "Kim was the blueprint."

Despite Lil' Kim's glamourous image, she's gone without makeup a few times.

There have only been a few times that fans have seen Lil' Kim in her most natural state, without all of her extra glam. One of those times occurred back in the late '90s, years before TikTok filters and other means of digitally beautifying one's features were a thing. Not that she needed it! In a 

video

of her on the "No Way Out" Tour, the rapper took a little breather between sets to chat with the cameraman. As you can see, Lil' Kim looked

very different without her daring makeup

, but still just as gorgeous as ever. The lesson here? A winning smile is all a girl really needs!

Now, onto the mastermind behind the tour that gifted us with these images. Well, that would be the since-disgraced Diddy, known back then as Sean "Puffy" Combs. According to an October 1997 article by The Los Angeles Times, Combs spearheaded this particular tour to support his first ever album, titled, "No Way Out." Lil' Kim was one of several supporting acts from within the R&B and hip hop sphere, which also included the likes of Usher, Foxy Brown, Mase, a young Jay-Z, and several more. "I've never been at a show where the family just sticks together for the whole show, and we just rip through the whole show," said Lil' Kim about the experience. "When Bad Boy comes out, we does our thing."

Although it took quite a while, Lil' Kim showed off her natural face again a few years later. In 2020, taking to her official Facebook page, the rapper posted a video of herself holding a young child and singing along to music. In the video, she wore absolutely zero makeup and looked just as stunning as her younger self. However, there were a few differences, including her hair color, which she'd switched from blonde to black. She'd also ditched her mid-length curls for a much tighter, wavier pattern. "Family day calls for no make up day ... How are you spending your Labor Day weekend?" she captioned the post.

For those days that she does wear makeup, she still has a routine down pack. During an interview with The Cut, the rapper revealed her everyday beauty routine while she was pregnant. "The one thing I do like is lotion and moisture on my hands and face," she revealed. "I love to have my face moisturized. I like different ones. I like Natura Bissé." That said, she actually doesn't enjoy getting all glammed up. "It takes too long! Hours. Two hours, three hours," she continued. Her disdain towards the process dates all the way back to her teenage years. "The glam team wants to do a really good job and wants to be perfect, so it's 45 minutes for hair, 45 minutes for makeup — it ends up being [a long time] sometimes." 

As they say, beauty requires sacrifice!