\n<\/p>\n
Photo: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Everything Is Everything<\/em> album cover, 1970<\/p>\n<\/figcaption> Diana Ross<\/a> once said, \u201cIt takes a long time to get to be a diva. I mean, you gotta work at it.\u201d True to her mantra, the \u201cQueen of Motown,\u201d who turns 82 today, has been doing just that since she was a child growing up in Detroit, going to the five-and-dime for Maybelline New York\u2019s black eyebrow pencil<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ross attended cosmetology school while she was in high school, practicing hairstyles on herself and taking neighbors as clients, but becoming the lead singer of The Supremes is what took her look (her coif and thick lashes<\/a>, especially) and her skills to new heights. \u201cWhen The Supremes went on the road, I did everyone\u2019s hair\u2014you know, the hot iron and rollers,\u201d Ross said<\/a> in a past interview. \u201cI wanted to learn everything about beauty to make people more attractive.\u201d<\/p>\n In the \u201860s, the charismatic frontwoman whipped through a mesmerizing lineup of looks, from a curvy, chin-grazing bob<\/a> accented by kittenish flicks and heavy fringe<\/a> to a towering, teased-to-there bouffant with cut-crease smoky eyes<\/a> and pale lips. By 1970, with her first solo album, Reach Out and Touch (Somebody\u2019s Hand)<\/em> and number one single, \u201cAin\u2019t No Mountain High Enough,\u201d Ross began flexing her cloud of natural curls<\/a>. With her the-bigger-the-better hair, either let down or tied back and topped with accessories, iridescent eyes, and glossy lips<\/a>, she perpetually brought drama to the stage, helping usher in the disco era.<\/p>\n 1975\u2019s Mahogany<\/em><\/a>, in which she starred as rising fashion designer Tracy Chambers, was one standout, featuring her silky soprano vocals, theatrical costumes she designed herself, and that<\/em> teal blue Afro. Releasing perennial dance floor favorite \u201cI\u2019m Coming Out\u201d in 1980, Ross continued to not only up the ante on the volume of her mane, but also embraced the decade\u2019s trendy saturated lids and draped blush<\/a> to dramatic effect.<\/p>\n Since then, the icon hasn\u2019t stopped unleashing her inner diva, continuing to grace the stage with her signature curls and bold eyes. \u201cMy \u2018quick makeups\u2019 are jumbo eye pencils, really black black<\/em> pencils, and mascara<\/a>, maybe blusher and a light lip gloss,\u201d Ross previously told Vogue.<\/em> She\u2019s left plenty of room for fun and experimentation over the years, too, like her blonde pixie at the World Music Awards in 1996 and her royal purple \u2018do at the 1997 BAFTAs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n