(Celebrity)

There Will Never Be Another Halle Berry & This Retrospective Proves It

One in a trillion.

by Amanda Ross
Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images

So synonymous is Halle Berry with empirical beauty that even her name is regularly referenced in songs, a universal stand-in to mean an impossibly stunning woman. Halle Berry’s beauty evolution doubles as the ultimate lookbook on chic, short hairstyles, sultry makeup, and timeless poise.

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Halle Berry’s distinctive, voluminous bowl cuts in one of her first-ever film roles is a defining ‘90s hairstyle. Though it’s yet to make a true resurgence in this millennium, Berry pulls the extreme cut off so well that it’s only a matter of time before a daring celebrity kicks the trend off again.Sunset Boulevard/Corbis Historical/Getty Images
Fresh-faced and luminous in a simple updo and frosty lipstick, young Halle Berry indulged her casually glamorous side at the second-ever MTV Movie Awards in 1993. Believe it or not, this was one of her longest hairstyles through the whole decade.Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
In 1996, the signature Halle Berry look would start to emerge. Her short, tousled pixie would be a recurring cut throughout her life, with her defined yet relatively minimal makeup — that classic ‘90s brick-red — aims to simply emphasize her features than make a bold statement.Mitchell Gerber/Corbis Entertainment/Getty Images
But while Halle Berry’s close-cropped haircuts are her calling card, it doesn’t mean she never experiments with length. Her natural curls routinely get a moment in the spotlight, never better than here in 1998. By pushing the face-framing pieces back, her tight curls look even more voluminous.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images
Look closely and you’ll notice Halle Berry’s itty-bitty Bantu knots peeking up over the back of her braids. A sleek, sultry look paired with her shimmery robe and silk dress, it’s one of her all-time greatest hair, makeup, and ensemble combinations.Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images
Many people consider this 2002 iteration of Halle Berry’s short pixie cut to be the Halle Berry red carpet moment — when she became the first-ever Black woman to win the Best Actress Academy Award, everything about her elegant look became instantly immortalized in Oscars history.Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage/Getty Images
Just three years later, Halle Berry’s hair flowed to mid-back, a sophisticated shade of chestnut that featured a center part. While her hair is a complete 180 from her usual pixie, Berry’s makeup is the same as ever: dewy complexion, enough liner to define the eyes, and a warm wash of peach blush.Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
The tail-end of the '00s would see Halle Berry experiment with short hairstyles again, but they’re a world apart from her signature look. On a 2009 red carpet, the length concentrated at Berry’s side-parted bangs for a dramatic swoop, streaked with warm caramel highlights to illuminate her face.Frank Trapper/Corbis Entertainment/Getty Images
At Whitney Houston’s Grammys tribute, Halle Berry showed off a longer version of her trademark pixie, carefully tousled and spiked for height and volume. The glossy jet-black color is a perfect match for her smudgy, sultry waterline liner. Jesse Grant/WireImage/Getty Images
Halle Berry’s only played around with bangs a few times over her long career, but you can just add it to the endless list of haircuts that suit her incredibly well. The brow-skimming bangs blend into soft, shoulder-length curls in a summery brunette ombré color blend.Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
All of Halle Berry’s most major hair moments seem to happen at the Oscars — just A-lister things, no big deal. In 2019, she surprised fans with her longest look yet: ultra-straight, side-parted, and interwoven with warm highlights. It’s essentially the complete opposite of her storied 2002 look.John Shearer/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
Though taking a beauty risk with an extreme haircut can feel scary, it clearly can pay off. Halle Berry’s asymmetrical pageboy haircut and razor-cut micro-bangs at the 2021 Oscars is her edgiest hairstyle ever, but she pulled it off beautifully — especially paired with her flowing purple gown.Pool/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
The 2022 Oscars saw another asymmetric short hairstyle from Halle Berry, but this one featured a distinctly retro twist not yet seen on the star. The vintage curls and their arrangement over her face feel so elegantly 1920s, never overpowered by her simple, dewy makeup.Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

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