Cardi B’s Big Comeback Video Is A Smorgasbord Of Extreme Makeup Looks

A large piece of what makes Cardi B such a compelling artist — and a fun celebrity to watch in general — is her consistently playful approach to aesthetics. Everything from her red carpet appearances to her music videos are full-on visual feasts, borrowing elements from decades gone by, runway trends, and her own colorful imagination to create looks that are so completely, distinctly her. Rumors of the star’s long-awaited sophomore album have been swirling for months, and with the release of new single, “Like What”, it seems to be closer than ever. In the video, Cardi B’s pink mascara and matching eyebrows take the ongoing monochrome makeup trend to the next level — but that’s hardly the only extreme, exciting look she has going on through the nearly three-minute mini-movie.

If the “Like What” visuals are any indication, eyebrows are the spot for freewheeling cosmetic creativity for 2024. Cardi’s been messing around with different brow styles for months now — who could forget her ‘90s-style pencil-thin look from New Year’s? — but the music video features three separate, equally eye-popping looks. It starts with bleached brows, pasted against her skin for a snowy effect as she raps from her luxe Los Angeles mansion. And fun fact, the video is actually directed by her husband, Offset.

The video culminates with something of a Cardi alter ego, with a long, platinum wig falling all the way past her hips with an extreme side-part to show off the rhinestones studded along her arched brows. Not only does it reflect the shine in her all-crystal outfit and gem-encrusted nail extensions, but it even matches the gleaming stud placed in her Monroe piercing.

Considering this is presumably the first taste of an entirely new era for Cardi, she set the bar high with the expensive-looking, fashion- and beauty-driven video. Exact details about the upcoming album are still under wraps for now, but she did confirm in a radio interview that it is indeed arriving in 2024. If “Like What” and its accompanying video is any indication, expect it to be one of the biggest releases in recent memory.