Nicki Minaj's Striking Face Transformation Through The Years

As someone who has been in the spotlight since the early 2010s, it's only natural that Nicki Minaj has changed. The rapper was in her late 20s when she had her breakthrough, and today she's confidently strutting through her early 40s. With that, her appearance has noticeably transformed. Her early looks involved a celebrity makeup transformation that completely missed the mark, but the "Super Bass" singer has toned her choice of lipstick down since then.

However, her facial changes might not all be due to makeup and natural aging. "She may have had injectable treatments like Botox or fillers," board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Raja Mohan, who hasn't treated the "Anaconda" rapper, tells Glam exclusively. "She has arched eyebrows and more volume in her cheeks." Expressing herself through her loud style, hair, and makeup has been such a significant part of Minaj's evolution that subtle facial enhancements might have gone under the radar. Nevertheless, looking back at photos of the rapper at her career beginnings shows just how much her face has actually changed.

When Nicki Minaj had her breakthrough in 2010 with her debut album "Pink Friday," the rapper became known instantly for her fun, colorful style. This often included a bright-pink lipstick and vibrant eyeshadows, and most notably, a fun wig. "Color, color, color. When in doubt, add color. Then, add some more," Minaj told Teen Vogue in 2012.

That year, the "Super Bass" singer collaborated with MAC Cosmetics on a lipstick. "The lipstick I created is my new signature — a fresh hot pink. I wanted a shade that would make girls stop to wonder, 'Would this look good on me?' before trying it on — and then fall in love with it," she shared. The bold colors always served to enhance Minaj's facial features, primarily her lips and her eyes. The colorful wigs were there to frame the look perfectly, creating an almost cartoonish aesthetic.

In the mid-2010s, a drastic change in Nicki Minaj's makeup was noticeable. The "Starships" singer said goodbye to her brightly colored makeup, opting for more muted, neutral colors. However, her looks were still bold, with dramatic winged eyeliner and fake eyelashes. Who knows, perhaps Minaj realized that overly bright pinks are a lipstick mistake that can make you look older?

Contouring also became more prominent in the star's makeup routine, enhancing her cheekbones and slightly changing the way her face appears. "I experiment a lot with my own hair and makeup when I'm on downtime," she told Glamour in 2014. "I'm inspired by anything and anyone I see." While the star was rocking more understated makeup looks, Minaj revealed that she doesn't plan on sticking to them forever. "Not sure if I'll continue with it. In fact, I'm sure I won't. I'll mix it up. It's just how I feel at the moment," she said. Minaj added that fake eyelashes are a crucial part of her makeup routine. "Lashes tend to make me feel prettier. In my downtime, I don't use them, but for shoots, when I put them on, they definitely add a boost of confidence," the rapper said. However, compared to her earlier makeup looks, Minaj was now fond of a slightly more natural-looking lash. 

In the late 2010s and early 2020s, Nicki Minaj was all about the bold eye makeup. In 2021, her hairstylist Dionte Gray shared a video of the rapper on Instagram in which she revealed that she actually did her own makeup. In the comments, Minaj added that this wasn't something new. "I actually always do my own eyeliner... So for the [people] saying it's not even, I've done my own liner for the last 10 years, chile," she explained (via Allure). In fact, over the years, Minaj's eyeliner became thicker and longer, as the rapper was now sporting very dramatic cat-eye makeup.

During the late 2010s, it became noticeable that Minaj's eyebrows were more lifted than usual. Whether this is thanks to Botox injections or simply a new brow routine is unknown, but the goal was clear: to create a lifted and snatched look. Minaj added to this with dramatic contouring and soft blush, enhancing her cheeks, which were often framed by wigs of lighter colors.

While Nicki Minaj stuck to her go-to lifted eyebrows and winged eyeliner, in the first half of the 2020s, the rapper showed just how much makeup can change her face. A great example of that is the 2025 Met Gala — the fashion event of the year. For the occasion, Minaj had her makeup done by artist Raoul Alejandre, and her face looked almost unrecognizable once she hit the red carpet. Along with a glamorous updo, the rapper sported softer eyebrows, a doe-eyed makeup look, and very subtle contouring, all of which resulted in a more youthful appearance compared to her usual snatched makeup looks.

What also made the "Super Freaky Girl" singer look different is the lightly-colored contact lenses she was rocking. While Minaj has been experimenting with changing her eye color for a couple of years now, this specific shade changed the way the star's entire face looked.

As 2026 has kicked off, Nicki Minaj has gone back to some of her previous makeup looks. In particular, the star revisited her love for dramatic fake eyelashes combined with thick eyeliner. Ditching colored lenses, Minaj has also embraced a more natural look. Similarly, the star hasn't brought back her signature pink lip yet, but we wouldn't put it past her to revisit the beloved and iconic look from her career beginnings.

However, the rapper's face does look very lifted and plump, and considering that she's approaching her mid-40s, some injectables might be at play. For Glam, Dr. Raja Mohan explains that Minaj can benefit from some subtle treatments in the future. "To age naturally, I recommend neuromodulators and fillers. She can do non-invasive treatments to maintain her youthfulness, like medical-grade skin care and radiofrequency treatments," he tells us exclusively, adding that she should "avoid too much neurotoxin or filler to prevent an unnatural appearance."