Whether on the red carpet or social media, Tulisa is known for her striking style. However, on Thursday, she appeared intent on concealing her recent cosmetic procedure while out shopping in Cheshire, covering her face with a black surgical mask.
The 36-year-old N-Dubz singer kept her look casual, wearing a white padded coat paired with black sports leggings for the outing.
Tulisa completed her casual look with a simple black top and white sports trainers. She styled her brunette hair in a slick ponytail and carried her phone and keys as she headed to pay for parking at a ticket machine.
On Monday, she shared with fans the surprising aftermath of her latest cosmetic procedure ahead of her appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! later this month. Posting on her Instagram stories, Tulisa revealed she had recently tattooed the outline of her lips, showing them still swollen. “I tatted the lips to match the brows, couldn’t help myself,” she wrote, adding that the swelling would subside, and the color would soften with time.
She tagged the Cheshire-based clinic, @cosmetic_tattoo_clinic, expressing her satisfaction with the results, and noted that her tattooed eyebrows have held up “sooooo well.”
In a video for her 637,000 followers, Tulisa flaunted her already-tattooed brows and long eyelash extensions, hinting she’ll bring a touch of glamour to the jungle. Earlier that day, she was spotted preparing for her upcoming adventure, getting her nails done for the last time at Skylar Nails in Alderley Edge.
As part of the show’s rules, celebrities cannot bring makeup or cosmetic products into the jungle, with such items considered contraband.
Tulisa is following in the footsteps of past I’m A Celebrity contestants who prepped their appearance before entering the jungle. In 2004, Katie Price famously opted for cornrows, ensuring her hair would be low-maintenance during the show. More recently, in 2022, Charlene White admitted to having beauty treatments, including hair, brow, and lash enhancements, before going makeup-free in the camp. “I have done what young people do when it comes to wandering around with no makeup,” she shared.
In 2017, Georgia “Toff” Toffolo made headlines when she was allowed an exception to the show’s no-makeup rule. Observant viewers speculated she wore foundation, which Toff later confirmed. Producers permitted her to apply a thin layer each morning to manage her acne-prone skin—a condition that had impacted her confidence for years. Toff, who was also on medication for her skin, recalled being emotional when she learned she couldn’t bring her makeup bag, revealing just how significant the small exception was for her self-esteem.
Tulisa has been open about her cosmetic enhancements, notably raising eyebrows in 2014 when she revealed an extremely plump pout. In a 2019 appearance on Lorraine, she discussed her journey with lip fillers, saying, “I went through stages, I had an allergic reaction to something, and then it took me a while to get rid of it. I still get fillers in my lips, so it’s all about maintaining. I’m happy with it now. That’s where you’re giving yourself a spruce.”
Tulisa also addressed her lip filler experiences on Celebrity Juice in 2016, expressing satisfaction with her more natural look. When host Keith Lemon asked if getting her lips done was a “good experience,” she admitted, “Well, I’ve had my bad experiences with it, but now I like to think I’m alright. We’re in a good place.”
As team captain Fearne Cotton praised her for being “honest” about the procedure, Tulisa humorously responded, “Well, it’s a bit obvious, isn’t it…?”
Tulisa has referred to her earlier reaction to lip fillers as “not fun,” admitting that at one point, she “looked like Finding Nemo” and thought, “Eurgh, what have I done?” She explained on Good Morning Britain that the results were temporary and eventually dissolved, adding, “I did actually dissolve some [of the work I had done].” Despite this, she emphasized that it didn’t discourage her from continuing with cosmetic work. “My lips, I still have to maintain because I like them,” she shared.
In addition to her cosmetic journey, Tulisa revealed last month that she had finally discovered the cause of her ongoing 12-year health battle, which had left her in “horrific” pain and concerned about her appearance. Diagnosed with Bell’s palsy in 2020, she explained that she had been asking herself, “What the hell is going on with my face?” until a crucial ultrasound revealed the underlying issue.
On Olivia Attwood’s podcast So Wrong It’s Right, Tulisa shared her struggles with facial inflammation, revealing that the cause of the swelling was not filler but self-occurring issues. She explained that after undergoing an operation, she noticed immediate improvement, with her face swelling reduced, though some inflammation remains. She added that in the next couple of months, further procedures would address the remaining swelling.
Reflecting on her experience with Bell’s palsy, Tulisa disclosed that after her first attack at 24, she used fillers in an attempt to “balance out” her face, which led her into a “vicious cycle.” Doctors eventually discovered three chronically infected cysts around her cheek that were swelling with infection, one of which even popped. She explained that the underlying health issues, including sarcoidosis and immune disorders, might have contributed to Bell’s palsy, with the cysts possibly growing over time and triggering the condition.
After years of experimentation with cosmetic procedures, Tulisa made the decision to remove the filler from her face, now only using it in her lips. “Right now, I only have filler in my lips. There’s no filler anywhere else in my face,” she revealed. “I’ve never spoken about this publicly as I only discovered what was really going on this year.”
