The highly anticipated Wicked movie, which hit theaters on November 22, has enchanted fans and dominated the box office. But, although the magical world of Oz swept audiences away, some couldn’t help but fixate on a less whimsical detail—Ariana Grande’s lashes.
The Side to Side singer, who plays Glinda Upland in the much-awaited movie, has found herself at the center of social media discussions for what some thought was a makeup malfunction.
Highlights
- 'Wicked' fans had plenty to say about Ariana Grande's lashes in the film.
- Fans and makeup artists alike voiced their concerns, with some saying the lashes were quite “distracting.”
- Makeup artist Janita Helova called them "too harsh and too long for this character."
- Ariana said her transformation into Glinda changed her “entire relationship to makeup” while making the film.
Many viewers called her lash game a total misstep.
The highly anticipated Wicked movie, released on November 22, has enchanted audiences and dominated the box office
Image credits: Wicked Movie
The issue was her apparent untrimmed strip lash that some felt didn’t suit the Oz-era of the film.
Janita Helova, an award-winning luxury hair and makeup artist, agreed that the lashes were a distraction from Glinda's overall vibe.
"I think the lashes wear too harsh and too long for this character and distract from her character’s ethereal vibe," she told Bored Panda via email.
"Otherwise her makeup was super soft and cute so I would have opted for more like brown color lashes and eyeliner and more natural looking lashes. That would have been more softer, warmer and made her more cute-looking and would have blended better with her skin, eyebrow and hair color," she continued.
The makeup artist also pointed out that Ariana is known for her signature cat-eye look, with dramatic black liner and winged lashes. However, the Rome-based artist suggested a shift in her typical style for her portrayal of Glinda.
"Ariana normally always wears cat eye shape lashes with black liner but for this character, in my opinion, it would have been better to have a more round shape strip, or individual lashes what would have given her eyes a more round shape rather than cat eye," she said.
While fans were swept away by the magical world of Oz, Ariana Grande’s lashes sparked a social media frenzy
Image credits: wickedmovie/universalpictures
The hair and makeup artist believed that the lash choice was more of a misstep than a creative decision. She also speculated whether Ariana may have insisted on including her signature style.
"I think it's a misstep rather than makeup artist creative decision or maybe Ariana [may] have insisted to have her signature look," she said.
"Every talented makeup artist understands client vision but would also find some kind of compromise for the makeup," she concluded.
Sarah Peart, a makeup artist based in Australia, agreed that the lashes "were distracting as they were long, black and in some shots appeared to be lifting in the inner corner of the eye."
"I feel this distracted from her character's ethereal aesthetic. What could have been done instead is for her character to have individual lashes that softly blend to her natural lashes or for her character to have had a brown lash as the black strip lashes contrast massively to her level 10 blonde hair," added the industry professional, who specializes in events, red carpets and photoshoot makeup.
"I think the lashes wear too harsh and too long for this character and distract from her character’s ethereal vibe," luxury hair and makeup artist, Janita Helova, told Bored Panda
Image credits: Wicked Movie
"The bold lash could have potentially been viewed as a creative decision to emphasis Glinda's cool-girl status at Shitz University, just like how she wore a pink version of the University's uniform, however, I feel this wasn't done effectively as there are other ways this could have been done more effectively without distracting the viewer, for example half lashes cut correctly to her eye shape," she added.
When asked what she might have done differently, Sarah said: "I would have curled the lashes profusely to get a really strong lift of the lash, coated with mascara and added in wispy individual lashes in varying lengths of 8mm - 12mm. For context, it appears as though Ariana Grande's longest lash length in the film would have been 14/15/16 mm."
Fans, beauty experts, and even the hosts of the Shameless Podcast—known for their tagline “for smart people who love dumb stuff”—seemed to agree with Janita's thoughts about the makeup choice.
Eilish Gilligan, musician and senior producer of the podcast, weighed in during the Wicked review. She called out the stark contrast between Ariana’s ethereal look and the lashes.
Janita said she believes a "more round shape strip" would have better suited the character in the much-awaited film
Image credits: Wicked Movie
“Why is she in a strip lash that has not been cut to her eye shape?” she asked, highlighting how the bold lashes clashed with her otherwise fair, delicate makeup.
“She's got blonde eyebrows, she's so fair,” she added.
The hosts speculated that Ariana’s signature dramatic lashes—an iconic element of her personal style—might have been a non-negotiable for the star.
Some viewers on social media echoed the sentiments, with one saying: “Makeup artist here!! Loved the film but the lashes were more distracting than that toddlers running up and down in the cinema aisles!”
“As a makeup artist i completely agree! my best friend and i are both MUAs and we went together; i kept leaning over to rant to her because they were so bad,” another wrote.
Makeup artists and fans alike voiced their concerns, with some saying the lashes were quite "distracting"
Image credits: wickedmovie/universalpictures
“The lashes were so distracting but the colour was perfect. Didn’t look like that for me,” said a third comment.
One netizen bluntly said, “Whoever did Ariana Grande's eyelashes in Wicked needs to be fired.”
Others didn’t feel as strongly about the eyelashes, with one defending them, saying: “The movie was good. I did not even notice the lashes so it was no problem for me.”
“So it’s a make-believe world that has a town of porcelain citizens and mice royalty but you draw the line at black uncut strip lashes? If those things exist why can’t glinda’s lashes just be like that naturally?” another asked.
“Why is she in a strip lash that has not been cut to her eye shape?” Eilish Gilligan asked on the podcast
Some compared the film’s “too-modern” aesthetic to Bridgerton season three’s controversial use of lash and nail extensions.
“It’s giving Bridgerton season 3 H&MU,” one said.
Ariana previously spoke about what it was like transforming into Glinda for the film. The process included wearing a wig, covering some of her tattoos, and putting on what she described as “cat shape” lashes.
"Glinda’s makeup kinda made me transform my entire look and my entire relationship to makeup. I just love it so much. Love, love, love," the 31-year-old singer and actress said in an Instagram video.
She said her makeup would take the least amount of time among all the characters in the movie.
"There’s no, like, thick eyeliner. There’s no, like, heavy crease,” she continued.
Ariana said her transformation into Glinda changed her "entire relationship to makeup" while making the film
Image credits: Wicked Movie
“It’s just, like, really warm and open and pretty and, you know, the lashes are in, like, a cat shape, which still gives you the, like, cat eye lift that I usually love, but it’s also just a more honest representation of what you look like. It’s just like, oh this is an eye.”
Frances Hannon, the lead hair and makeup artist, broke down Ariana’s look in the film and said her makeup was “more about looking for the princess in the character.”
“We wanted to [find] a timeless look, so that in 20 years, when people are still watching this, it will look as beautiful as when [the film] comes out next week,” she told Elle ahead of the movie’s release.
“We kept Ari’s look iridescent and opalescent, and it was in tone with her costumes most of the time,” she told the outlet. “For her body, face, and hair, we wanted that feathery, light, princess-like quality. It was never a heavy, dark lipstick or a dark eyeshadow. Once we did that with Ari, combined with the reflective base on Elphaba, it gave an amazing balance.”
While some fans found the lashes distracting, others defended the makeup choice
