Transformation

"Some people think all country singers wear cowboy hats and rhinestones," 26-year-old Carrie Underwood has told InStyle. "I'm changing that image." From taking home the top prize on American Idol, to scoring three number-one albums, to collecting four Grammys, Underwood has proven herself as a major star. And with her favorite smoky eyes ("me and black eyeliner go way back") and pumped-up locks ("I wish that big hair would come back in style") Underwood shows that she can turn on the glitz—even without rhinestones. "You want people to see you and think, 'Wow! She looks awesome,'" Underwood has said. "'Wow! She's a star.'"

2001: As a high school senior in Checotah, Oklahoma, Underwood showed her familiarity with the curling iron.