The Makeup Switch-Up That Transformed Anna Nicole Smith

Today, you might know Taylor Swift as the go-to celeb who made red her signature lip color. But Taylor won’t be the first, and she won’t be the last. Long before her time, late model and reality star Anna Nicole Smith. The two women couldn’t be more different; Anna Nicole used her shades of red to give off Playboy blond bombshell vibes, while Taylor Swift opted for a more sophisticated and demure image.

Off-camera, Smith’s life was filled with tragedy, and her life ended as such. But whenever the paparazzi shouted her name, or she was being filmed and photographed, red lipstick was central to her persona. It helped her embody that playful, outrageous, and bold persona that made her a legend long after she died.

Shockingly, there is photo evidence from the early 2000s (the height of Anna Nicole’s fame) showing that she did occasionally experiment with different lip colors. And when she did, the transformation was so startling, it made many do a double-take. In one photo, Smith was photographed posing at the Shrine Auditorium in LA. She wore a beaming smile and a blue, embellished tank top. While we wouldn’t call her makeup natural, it was certainly more subtle than her usual pop of bright red. A pink lip softened up the Guess model’s face, and paired with pink blush, allowed her natural beauty to shine through.

Anna Nicole Smith’s idol was Marilyn Monroe, also known for a red lip

Before Anna Nicole, there was Marilyn. The two shared many similarities, including Anna Nicole Smith’s idolization of Marilyn Monroe and her deliberate efforts to emulate the iconic movie star’s appearance. While nude and pink makeup notably softened the former Playboy centerfold’s look, she intentionally opted for red because she wanted that Marilyn-adjacent look.

There were also more similarities between the two; they both died tragically young and alone, and like Monroe, Smith fought rumors and was sensationalized by the public. From a young age, Smith connected to Monroe and said she wanted to “carry on her work” and used to “wish she was my mom.”

A drawn parallel between her and Monroe’s similarities: their struggles with depression, similar romantic histories, and yet another similarity she didn’t realize: that both of them would have their careers cut short in the same sudden way after both dying from overdoses in their 30s. Smith died when she was 39 years old in 2007, while Monroe died when she was 36 in 1962.