We never would have guessed these celebs started as beauty pros.
With stints as hairstylists, massage therapists, manicurists, make-up artists, and more, they have some pretty awesome beauty gigs on their résumés. Who knew?!
Nicole Kidman
With her flawless ivory skin, we would have guessed Nicole used to be a facialist – but it turns out she reportedly worked as a massage therapist before she made her acting debut. We’re feeling pretty jealous of Keith Urban right now!
Serena Williams
Serena is known for her love of all things beauty, so it makes sense she once enrolled to become a certified manicurist. Here’s why she couldn’t resist: “No one likes getting their nails done more than I do,” she wrote on her blog. “As a matter of fact, I go every four days to get a manicure and every seven days for a pedicure. So, I had a brilliant idea to get certified to be a nail tech.” Respect.
Mariah Carey
Before she became an iconic 90s pop singing sensation, Carey went to beauty school. She only lasted a year though, according to US Weekly… which makes her a real life beauty school dropout. *Cue Grease singalong*
Danny DeVito
A somewhat surprising addition to the list, Danny went to beauty school after working at his sister’s salon in New Jersey. But he wasn’t interested in the hair and make-up so much as erm, the clientele, saying “…there were like 40 girls, me, and two guys I didn’t get to know very well. I thank my sister to this day!”
Beyoncé
Another celeb who hails from a hair background, Queen B used to sweep the floors at her mum’s hair salon in Texas for extra cash. But that’s not all – apparently, she also sang for tips there, too! We can only imagine how #mindblown her clientele must have been.
Whoopi Goldberg
Brace yourselves: Whoopi Goldberg used to do hair and make-up – on the deceased. Speaking to Oprah, she confessed she’s also a licensed beautician, and that it was a rather “rough gig”. We can only imagine!
Kim Kardashian
According to Marie Claire, a teenage Kim K went to beauty school at Joe Blasco Cosmetics. Apparently, her dad bought the then 14-year-old make-up lessons at the school as a Christmas present – and she was very eager to learn! Kind of explains why she’s now the queen of contour!
John Corbett
You might know him better as Aidan (the rugged carpenter) from Sex and the City, but John wasn’t always such a manly man. Before his television debut, he studied theatre and hairdressing simultaneously – which makes us love him even more!
Michelle Pfeiffer
Michelle was a beauty pageant winner, taking out the Miss Orange County beauty contest and then, the title of Miss Los Angeles. She also studied to become a court reporter before getting into acting. Talk about a jack of all trades!
Cyndi Lauper
Before she became famous for her hit Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi worked a decidedly less fun job as an ear piercer at a department store. According to Lauper, this was where she “learnt how to work a crowd” – even though the job of piercing itself made her “really squeamish”.
Lucy Liu
Before she got her first acting role, Lucy earned extra money by working as an aerobics instructor on the weekends. She’s since described the experience as “grueling” – but we suspect it definitely helped her with getting fit to film Charlie’s Angels!
