Kelly Clarkson is a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll and 100 percent American Idol. The singer has got a smile as wide as an Osmond’s and a talent as big as, well, her home state of Texas. This year alone, she has become the face of NASCAR, sung with Reba McEntire and scored two Grammys for her multi-platinum album Breakaway. And her rocker-chick style is adamantly down-home. She pairs loose locks (of ever-changing hue) with her signature smudgy liner. "Dark, smoky makeup accentuates how light her hazel eyes are," her makeup artist, Maital Sabban has said. And what’s behind those hazel eyes? We’ll soon find out—she releases her third album, My December, later this month.

—Betony Toht

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