Blake Lively, Before and After

In case you didn't know, celebrities aren't all born with perfect skin, hair and bodies—they just have the ability to hire help.

That includes their facial features. They don't usually talk about it, but many (if not most!) celebs will spring for plastic surgery at some point in their rise to fame. 

It's all part of the journey to becoming a Hollywood mega-star. We're distracted by changes in hair, makeup, weight and wardrobe... but there's usually something you can't quite put your finger on, and I'm telling you, it's often surgical.

Knowing this can do excellent things for your self-esteem. Rather than idolizing these people as "born perfect," you realize that they're normal, flawed human beings just like you and I. 

(And not that I'm judging what anyone chooses to do with themselves, but I don't even know that surgery improves matters in lots of cases!)

So allow me to introduce a new regular feature, Before & Afters, where we'll explore these evolutions in celebrity beauty.

We're going to kick things off with Blake Lively, who you'll be surprised to discover looked VERY different in her early days...

Blake in 2004

Blake was 17 here. You've got to love the early '00s style! Pastel outfits, piecey mermaid waves and over-tweezed eyebrows. Anyway, I want you to take a good, long look at Blake's nose and eyelids.

Blake in 2005

Here's another shot of an au naturel Blake (well, except for the bleached hair). As you can see, her lids were heavier and her nose was larger back in the day. 

Blake in 2006

In this one, you can REALLY see a difference with Blake's nose. Also, we'd never spot her looking anything less than 100 percent polished today.

Blake in 2007

Blake looks really cute here; you can see the little styling improvements as time goes on. I don't think anything changed on her face... yet. She did start to grow out her eyebrows a bit!

Blake in 2008

Oh look, Blake's legendary blonde mane is now emerging! Her hair colour situation is also improved; it's the standard celeb transition from highlights to double process colour. I still think this is her old nose; she's compensating for her hooded eyelids with lots of shadow. 

This is also from 2008, when Blake was 21. Gosh, I wish she would've stopped here! With her glowing skin, cute smile, soft brows and perfect blonde, I think it's the best she ever looked!

Blake in 2009

Now we're starting to see the glam come out! Blake was 22 here, with big hair and more polished makeup. It's hard to tell if her nose was altered by this point, but I would say her eyelids are still the same.

Blake in 2010

So, repeat rhinoplasties are pretty common, and I'm wondering if Blake had her first procedure by this point. Her nose definitely looks more chiseled! Her eyes still look the same, though. This is when she started generating headlines for her long, beach-textured blonde hair.

Blake in 2011

See how her nose is a little more sculpted? Back in 2011, Boho braids were on trend, along with bedhead hair. Blake wears both well! Her brows are growing in nicely.

Blake in 2012

Now, Blake is all grown up. But it's not just the styling—although the retro waves, false lashes, matte lipstick and strapless dress do change her appearance. I think it's clear that the tip of her nose has been carved to look more angular, and the bridge has been narrowed down.

Blake in 2013

Now, this is the pic that really made me do a double take. I feel like I'm looking at a different person! I suppose it's more apparent because she's not wearing so much makeup here. It's not just the nose that I noticed, but the eyelids as well. See how they look less heavy and her eyes are more open? 

Surprise, Blake briefly went red in 2013! I guess we also need to keep in mind that mustard yellow eyeshadow flatters no one. Now again, look at her face. The nose IS more angular, but I like that they didn't try to make it small—that wouldn't have suited her. 

Update: Blake in 2014

This photo is from when Blake was pregnant with her first child in 2014. So if her face seems more filled out, that is why. Looking at her roots, I actually didn't realize that her natural hair colour was this dark! As for her nose, it looks like they tried to create a "ski jump" tip.

Update: Blake in 2015

It was back to old Hollywood glam in 2015. I feel like Blake looks different again... her face AND nose seem narrower. Perhaps it's just post-baby weight loss combined with the loss of baby fat that every woman experiences as she heads into her late 20s.

Update: Blake in 2016

Blake has amazing hair, but I also love her in updos. This shows off her oval face shape and puts the emphasis on her eyes (framed by a heavy fringe of lashes). With respect to her nose, I wouldn't know it was surgically refined if I hadn't seen the previous pics, so that's a good thing!

Update: Blake in 2017

Now 30, Blake has obviously found her signature style. The soft makeup and relaxed hair are so perfect for her. So far, I don't think she's dabbled in injections at all, and her features—whether altered or not—do seem to fit her face.

Conclusion

So, I think it's VERY obvious from comparing the photos that, at minimum, Blake did change her nose.

"Before, she had a wider and flatter nose, but now there’s a slimmed, pointed, and elegant nose that could only have been achieved through a nose job (rhinoplasty)," says Dr. Hugh McLean. "Because the nose job was nicely done, it perfectly matches her flat face and compliments her already striking looks."

Dr. Jeffrey Rawnsley agrees: "In her rhinoplasty, she had some tip cartilage removed, the tip defining points narrowed, and her tip rotated up. In addition, her bridge was slightly lowered and substantially narrowed."

She's a gorgeous woman no matter what, but I can't help but feel like Blake has become more generic-looking, and lost some of that uniqueness that made her so relatable in the first place.

Chalk it up to the pressures of Hollywood. "She was a successful actress before her rhinoplasty, and a beautiful woman," adds Rawnsley. "In fact, with my actor/model patients they are making a good living with the face they have. They just want to fix a few flaws or refine what they have, in order to get to the next level in their career. She is still Blake Lively, just a better Blake." Do you agree? 

How do you feel about Blake's beauty evolution?
Which of these looks is your favourite?
What "beauty work" do you think she's had done?