Priscilla Presley's Drastic Beauty Transformation Through The Years Is Wild To See

Priscilla Presley's (nee Beaulieu) life changed forever when she met and fell in love with the one and only Elvis Presley. Though her marriage and relationship to the King of Rock 'n' Roll only lasted for a short time, it quickly made her a star. It also resulted in her becoming a mother to her late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in 2023. While she was introduced as Elvis's girlfriend and later wife, Presley stood out for her looks early into her career, and many are still fascinated by how much she's contributed to beauty and fashion over the years. 

Her younger years put her on the map as one of the most beautiful celebrity wives during her era. Presley's hair and makeup looks made her a beauty icon, with several of her memorable looks being recreated nearly every Halloween. But her beauty transformation hasn't always been linear, as she has publicly struggled with her appearance in the past and has been open about how her appearance has changed through plastic surgery. However, her journey is stunning and is worth a trip down memory lane and a look at her beauty now.

The world came to know who Presley was during the late 1950s. During that time, she started making her first public appearances with Elvis. After meeting in Germany for the first time when she was 14 and he was 24, photographers began taking photos of the singer's new flame. In their earlier photos, Presley didn't wear much makeup, as one of their first notable ones shows her with a bare face and a simple, short hairdo. 

Presley's early years weren't filled with makeup for a good reason. She embraced her natural beauty in her teen years thanks to her mother, Anna Lillian Iversen. While promoting her skincare line, Cilla, in 2023, Presley shared in an Instagram post that her mother taught her "at an early age" to take care of her skin and how she applied those lessons as she grew older. Though she went on to wear more makeup publicly, Presley's skin has remained flawless.

By 1967, Elvis and Priscilla Presley were ready to become one. On May 1, 1967, the longtime couple married in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Brides, the wedding took place soon after Elvis gifted Priscilla a three-carat diamond ring after a seven-year courtship. While the "Hound Dog" rocker was an established star by his wedding day, Priscilla's elegant wedding look made her a fashion and beauty icon. Today, fans still recreate her aesthetic, including her long, teased dark hair, winged eyeliner, and a simple white wedding dress.

While Presley didn't think she needed to alter her beauty as much when she was younger, becoming a celebrity's wife can understandably make someone pay more attention to their looks. As her relationship with Elvis grew from her being his live-in girlfriend to his wife, she began adding more makeup to her routine. Presley soon became known for her highly teased, bouffant hairstyles. By the early 1960s, she had also embraced winged eyeliner and was often photographed wearing it with a touch of lipstick or gloss.

Presley seamlessly took on the role of a rock star's wife soon after she married Elvis at age 21. She was often photographed with glowing skin that was only enhanced through her makeup. Photographers often captured Presley with her signature eyeliner and eyeshadow that brightened her naturally blue eyes. She also rocked thick, made-up eyebrows in many of her photos from her marriage. Additionally, Presley was often spotted wearing bold, false eyelashes.

Presley's rise as a fashion it-girl continued into her and Elvis's marriage. However, for some, motherhood can shift priorities. While that likely happened to Presley when she and Elvis welcomed their only child together, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968, her beauty routine only deepened as she navigated motherhood. When Lisa Marie was born, Presley appeared in photos with her and Elvis, proving she kept her makeup routine intact. Gotta love a consistent queen!

During her new-mom era, Presley seemed to spend less time in front of the mirror and more time with her daughter. In photos from Lisa Marie's early years, Presley was often seen wearing almost no makeup alongside her family. She also grew her hair out and, by the time her daughter was born, apparently decided teasing it out was too much work. Any young mom can definitely relate!

Presley experimented with her looks in the mid-1960s. In several photos shared on the Instagram fan account @priscillapresleyelvisfan, Presley was spotted with teased, strawberry blonde hair. The switch-up looked similar to Elvis's mistress and "Viva Las Vegas" co-star, Ann-Margret. According to Margret's 1994 memoir, "Ann-Margret: My Story," she and the King were "soulmates" and had an affair during filming, while he was still married to Presley. However, it's unclear if she dyed her hair to compete with the movie star.

On Oct. 9, 1973, the King of Rock 'n' Roll officially went on the market. During that time, Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley divorced after 10 years of marriage. The divorce came over a year after Priscilla separated from Elvis in February 1972. Fortunately, the newly divorced star's split from Elvis allowed her to once again reinvent herself. In the late 1970s, Presley became a lighter brunette and styled her hair with big, loose curls. She also embraced the subtle makeup many women adopted at the time.

After the divorce, Presley began dating Robert Kardashian in 1975. Their two-year courtship, which happened before his and Kris Jenner's marriage, marked a new beginning for her, which could explain why she decided to cut her hair. Presley often styled her light brown hair in a feathered short bob. Her lack of hair allowed her to experiment with her makeup, as she was often photographed wearing smoky eyeshadow with light brown eyebrows.

Presley's single lady days were clearly a period of growth from the inside out. After she and Kardashian ended their romance in 1977, she focused on her own goals, which included her landing professional acting roles. Presley's most notable role came in 1983 when she was cast as Jenna Wade in "Dallas." While channeling a Southern Belle, she styled her hair in big, feathered curls. Presley, who once wore no makeup, was also often seen wearing tons of foundation and blush while out.

The 1980s proved to be a renaissance for Presley. By then, Elvis had died on August 16, 1977, of cardiac arrhythmia at the age of 42. As Presley grieved the loss of her ex-husband and raised their child, she stepped into the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and it showed in her appearance. Around the success of one of her most notable films, "The Naked Gun" as the lead character Jane Spencer, Presley dyed her hair blonde and styled it in a bob with bangs.

Following the hairy times of the '70s, it seems as if Presley wanted to shed some in the '80s. The decade marked the first time she was seen with thinner eyebrows than usual. While Presley had previously been known for thicker, drawn on eyebrows, in several photos, the eyebrows were nearly unnoticeable. Though it wasn't her previous style, the change showed how much she pays attention to what's trending.

A thriving acting career wasn't the only positive aspect of Presley's life in the 1980s. In 1984, she began dating Brazilian screenwriter and producer Marco Garibaldi. Some of their early photos from their relationship show Presley trying on new hairstyles and makeup looks. In one of their first photos of them out together, Presley styled her light brown hair in a ponytail and wore bold blush and lipstick.

In 1987, Presley became a mother for the second time with her longtime partner. She and Garibaldi welcomed their son, Navarone Garibaldi that March. Presley's new baby seemingly inspired her to switch up her look once again for her new life as a mother of two. In photos around her son's birth, she began being seen with lighter makeup and styling her hair in ponytails with large hats and sunglasses.

For Presley, the 1990s was another chance to transform her beauty looks and preferences. After decades of changing her hair color, she introduced a darker, "The Little Mermaid"-esque red color to her look. One of the first times Presley debuted her dark red hair was during the launch of her perfume, Moments by Priscilla Presley. The updated look gave her a more mature look, especially when she added a red lip while out and about.

Once Presley entered her 40s in the late '80s and early '90s, she leaned into a softer, more sophisticated style. The mother of two continued experimenting with red hair, but by this era, her hair was a ginger red. Presley also opted for softer curls, feathered layers, and understated glam that fit her newfound maturity. Her looks at the time showed her embracing contemporary beauty standards rather than her previous bold makeup looks. 

Many are nostalgic about the '90s for a reason. It was the era where you could try just about anything regarding beauty and fashion trends. It appears that Presley took advantage of the exploration period by playing with her own style. In photos from the late '90s, she could be seen wearing butterfly clips in her hair and, at one point, cut it short again and wore darker lipstick. 

The Y2K era was another time where anything edgy and exciting was accepted. In Presley's case, the early 2000s gave her a chance to fully embrace an existing trend: chunky highlights. She was spotted multiple times with bold, blonde highlights in brunette or auburn hair. On many occasions, she looked like her daughter, Lisa Marie's twin rather than her mother. Presley also added dramatic makeup to her face once again, often being seen on the red carpet with a bold lip and highlighted cheeks. 

Presley's beauty transformation, as well as her facial changes, became noticeable in the early 2000s. In a time where plastic surgery-centered TV shows and paparazzi photos were on the rise, she started to make changes to her face. Several photos showed Presley with higher, more pronounced cheekbones. Still, the shift in her looks was subtle and made her look as if she was aging gracefully in her 40s and 50s.

Presley decided to officially change her looks with plastic surgery in 2003. Unfortunately, she received a botched surgery from Dr. Daniel Serrano, an Argentine doctor. According to The Daily Mail, Serrano injected an industrial low-grade silicone into her face, which was similar to what mechanics use to grease car parts. Presley's rep confirmed in 2008 that she was "one of many documented victims of Dr. Daniel Serrano." She also claimed the issue was handled by the time it was reported that Serrano was not licensed to practice medicine in the U.S.

While she faced a plastic surgery nightmare in the early 2000s, Presley made another somewhat permanent change to her looks. After years of trying on new hairstyles, she returned to her bold red look. Red hair seemingly became Presley's preferred hairstyle, as she has kept the dyed color today. In 2023, she was spotted with her signature red hair at the premiere of her biopic, "Priscilla," starring Caelie Spaeny as her and Jacob Elordi as Elvis. 

As Presley's looks changed throughout the years, her skin has remained its youthful glow. And while plastic surgery could've contributed to her seemingly flawless skin, her decades of skincare also did the trick. In 2023, Presley decided to share her beauty routine with the world through her skincare line, Cilla Beauty. According to the brand's Instagram account, the products were "always cruelty-free and vegan / made clean and responsible" and included a signature serum for fans to enjoy. 

While some fear aging, Presley isn't bothered by it. After losing her daughter, Lisa Marie in 2023, she has maintained hers and Elvis's legacy on social media. Throughout the years, Presley continued promoting her ex-husband's brand as the co-executor of his estate and the co-founder of Elvis Presley Enterprises. As such, she has appeared on behalf of Elvis in little to no makeup, something many women of her generation wouldn't be as bold to do. 

Many people often reminisce about their lives, whether they're famous or not. In Presley's case, she has plenty to look back on, from her younger days to the glamorous trends that are recreated today. On her Instagram account, Presley often shares "Throwback Thursday" posts of herself in different periods of her life, many of which include her with Elvis. One post even included her looks "through the years" from her early years of fame until now.