Ariana Grande Gets Emotional as She Admits to Getting Botox and Lip Injections, Says She “Used Makeup as a Disguise”

In a Vogue Beauty Secrets clip, singer Ariana Grande teared up as she admitted to getting a “ton” of lip injections: “I used makeup as a disguise,” she said. She also added that she no longer uses Botox or any cosmetic injectables, per People.

“Full transparency as a beauty person, as I do my lips,” she said before applying color to her lips. “[I’ve] had a ton of lip filler over the years and Botox. I stopped in 2018 because I just felt so—too much. I just felt like [I was] hiding, you know?”

The R.E.M. Beauty founder began tearing up, saying she “didn’t expect to get emotional”; she went on to say that for a long time, beauty was “about hiding for me.”

“I, over the years, used makeup as a disguise or as something to hide behind,” Grande said, adding that she also used big hairstyles in a similar manner. “More hair, more and more, [the] thicker the eyeliner…and that can be so beautiful at times, and I still do have love for it.”

Grande’s look has mellowed over the years, but she blames her career beginnings at such a young age—and having to deal with the opinions of others while still learning who she was—as a big reason behind the need to hide. “Being exposed to so many voices at a young age and especially when people have things to say about your appearance and stuff at a young age, it’s really hard to know what’s worth hearing or not, but when you’re 17, you don’t really know you don’t know that yet,” she said.

As she gained more confidence, Grande’s “intention” with cosmetics changed. “I don’t love [disguise] being the intention behind it anymore,” she said. “I think of it as self-expression now and accentuating what is here. Our relationships to beauty are so personal. Like, we’re here talking about beauty secrets. Isn’t the secret that we all just want to feel our best and be loved?”

Grande hasn’t ruled out having cosmetic work done in the future, and doesn’t judge those who use Botox and fillers, she said. “To each their own,” Grande said. “Whatever makes you feel beautiful, I do support, but I know for me I was just like ‘Oh, I want to see my well-earned cry lines and smile lines.’ I hope my smile lines get deeper and deeper. And I laugh more and more, and I just think aging can be such a beautiful thing.”

She continued “Now, might I get a facelift in 10 years? Might, yeah! But these are just thoughts that I feel like we should be able to discuss. If we’re sitting here talking about beauty secrets, f— it, let’s lay it all out there.”

Grande took to Instagram to share snippets of the video and wrote that it was the “most nervous i’ve been in so long and definitely not the best i’ve ever done my make up but had a very lovely time :) thank you for having me @voguemagazine and for making space for my very Cancerian humanness.”