Celebrities without makeup
In recent years, a growing number of famous faces have started to ditch the lipstick, eyeliner and full coverage foundation in favour of a pared back, minimal makeup look.
Some celebrities like Lady Gaga and Lorde are making a habit of sharing ‘no makeup selfies’ on Instagram and Twitter in a bid to promote self-acceptance and body positivity, while singer Alicia Keys went as far as starting her own No Makeup Movement in 2016.
Beyonce took full editorial control of her 2018 Vogue cover shoot and stripped back the styling to reveal her naturally radiant complexion, and even cosmetics-loving billionaire business mogul Kylie Jenner has started to share a steadily increasing number of makeup-free photographs on social media.
WHO collected a series of 21 makeup vs no makeup pictures from the world’s best-known celebs – and we think some actually look better au naturale!
Ariana Grande
Left: At the tender age of 15, Ariana Grande looks (comparatively) fresh faced during a photocall for her Broadway debut in the musical ‘13’ back in 2008.
The ‘No Tears Left to Cry’ hitmaker is not known for showcasing her natural beauty on social media as much as other stars, but a select number of makeup-free shots prove Ms Grande is just as stunning without cosmetics.
Right: Ariana walked the red carpet with a full face of makeup featuring dramatic cat eye flicks at the 2018 Met Gala, ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’ at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7 in New York City.
Alicia Keyes
Left: Alicia Keys is famous for embracing her natural beauty and rocking the no makeup look on the hottest red carpets around the world. Her ‘No Makeup Movement’ started accidentally when the photographer for her 2016 album ‘Here’ requested to shoot her ‘flaws and all’.
Here, she proudly rocks her blemish-free skin with no cosmetic enhancement at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City. Ms Keys is one of the best known celebrities who prefer to wear no makeup.
Right: Before the ‘No Makeup Movement’ took off, Alicia styled her black ensemble for the 2014 Angel Ball in New York City with a sultry smokey eye and a dash of blush.
Kim Kardashian
Left: Back in October 2017, Kim made international headlines for going practically makeup free while sitting front row at the Balenciaga womenswear show during Paris Fashion Week. Mrs West showcased her perfect complexion with the help of a little sheer gloss and gentle flecks of mascara.
Kim previously posed without makeup for the cover of Spanish Vogue in 2015, and continues to share occasional no makeup selfies to her Instagram account.
Right: KKW turned up the drama with shimmered cranberry eyeshadow, lashings of liner and deep bronze contouring for the opening night of ‘The Cher Show’ on Broadway at The Neil Simon Theatre in December 2018. We think she looks equally beautiful with and without makeup!
Nicki Minaj
Left: Always careful to maintain her public persona, this is one of the only glimpses the internet has ever received of Ms Minaj without makeup. Even without her trademark full coverage foundation, dramatic winged eyeliner and bubblegum lips, Nicki still looks stunning.
Right: Nicki looked flawless and every inch the princess of rap arriving at the 2017 MTV Music Awards in Inglewood, California.
Cardi B
Left: Nicki’s arch rival Cardi B (real name Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar) proved she can still ‘keep it real’ by speaking to her legion of followers in a series of makeup-free Instagram videos about her then upcoming studio album, Invasion of Privacy.
In this day and age, we think it’s refreshing to see stars feeling comfortable without makeup on social media.
Right: The 26-year-old ‘I Like It’ songstress ramped up the glamour for Rihanna’s third annual Diamond Ball at Cipriani Wall Street in September 2017, opting for a peach hued iridescent eye and a soft, nude lip.
Sofia Vergara
Left: The Colombian-born actress shared this no makeup selfie in 2017 while sick in bed with a raging fever, which she claimed gave her the ‘perfect shade of pink’ on her cheeks.
Sofia, 45, is not known for releasing images of herself without heavy makeup, but fans clearly lapped this one up with the post quickly racking up over 200,000 likes. One user was baffled at her age-defying beauty, writing: ‘You look 15 years old!’
Ms Vergara is usually snapped without makeup by persistent paparazzi while running daily errands.
Right: In more recent times, the Modern Family star went for a heavy burgundy lip and smokey brown eye for the charity event ‘Brooks Brothers Hosts Annual Holiday Celebration’ in Los Angeles, December 2018.
Beyonce
Left: Beyonce’s natural beauty is world famous thanks to her flawless complexion, captivating almond eyes and pearly white teeth.
Here she looks relaxed and regal without any makeup and her natural hair billowing like a lioness’ mane in the ocean breeze.
Queen B recently took full editorial control of her 2018 cover shoot with Vogue magazine, opting for a stripped back makeup look and natural hair in a bid to promote self love, body positivity and confidence in young women.
Right: But of course, Bey is a celeb who can do both – here she looks drop dead gorgeous at the 2015 Vanity Fair Oscar Party with a cropped bob, glossy lip and understated feline flicks. We think she looks Sasha Fierce either way.
Emma Stone
Above:
Emma Stone has proven time and again that she looks perfect with and without makeup, as evidenced here on a casual trip to the grocery store in March 2015.
Emma’s porcelain skin is the stuff of dreams, complemented beautifully by her fiery auburn hair.
Above: The La La Land actress oozed old Hollywood glamour on the red carpet of the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Expo Hall in January 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Madonna
Left: Madonna looked tired but pretty while leaving an airport in a casual slogan T-shirt with her hair in loose, natural waves.
With a career spanning decades, Lady Madge has been snapped with no makeup on many times, and recently put her years of experience in the makeup artists’ chair to good use by launching an eponymous beauty line, MDNA SKIN.
Right: The Queen of Pop exuded utter elegance with a statement rep lip and Hollywood waves at the ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ Costume Institute Gala in May 2011 in New York City.
Cher
Left: The ‘Goddess of Pop’ showed off her natural side by posting a ‘no makeup’ selfie.
The ‘Believe’ songstress has weathered numerous reports of botched cosmetic surgeries over the past decade, but we think she looks naturally stunning in this shot!
Right: Cher demonstrated her enduring star quality well into her seventies at the premier of ‘The Promise’ in Los Angeles in April 2017 with a matching pink eye and lip combo and a flawless full coverage foundation.
Kylie Jenner
Left: The youngest of the (first generation) Kardashian-Jenner dynasty is best known for her billion dollar cosmetics empire, but Kylie Jenner isn’t afraid of ditching beauty products in favour of a more natural look from time to time.
She is one of few famous faces who regularly posts no makeup selfies (like this one) on social media, and personally WHO can’t get enough of Stormi’s mom’s adorable freckles.
Right: King Kylie knows how to rock a killer look, and with the help of her long-time ‘glam squad’ the reality starlet turned business mogul slayed the red carpet at Marie Claire’s Image Maker Awards in January 2017.
Lorde
Left: New Zealand-born Lorde (aka Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor) is no stranger to a no makeup selfie, and took to Instagram last year to show her followers the life of an award-winning songstress isn’t all glitz and glamour.
We love how Lorde is willing to share her whole personality with her fans – especially the time she posted a photo slathered in acne cream!
Right: The ‘Green Light’ singer looked incredible on the red carpet of the Pre-GRAMMY Gala in February 2017 – her skin looked radiant making this the perfect ‘no makeup, makeup’ look!
Lady Gaga
Left: Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) is known for her fervent devotion to her fans, and has readily stripped off the slap many times to promote self-love and acceptance among Little Monsters. She often snaps herself in various dressed down scenarios, from her bed and car to the swimming pool an hanging out with her dogs.
Most recently, Gaga went makeup free for much of her box office smash A Star is Born at the request of co-star and director Bradley Cooper who saw her natural beauty as something truly authentic and special. She is one of our favourite celebs without makeup!
Right: The multi-platinum selling artist turned screen siren looks surreally beautiful at the premiere of ‘A Star is Born’ during the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Gaga pulls off this quirky blue graphic eyeliner as only she can.
Christina Aguilera
Left: The artist formerly known as Xtina has undergone an unusual transformation in recent years – a make under! The ‘Stripped’ hitmaker literally stripped herself back for this 2018 cover of Paper Magazine as part of her new image which embraces natural beauty.
In the interview, Aguilera said she has reached a place where ‘it’s a liberating feeling to be able to strip it all back and appreciate who you are and your raw beauty’.
Right: Christina exuded her trademark blonde bombshell vibe at the NBC Upfront event at the New York Hilton Hotel in 2011.
Rihanna
Left: Barbados-born Rihanna (aka Robyn Fenty) is a superstar in many industries – music, film and most recently, beauty thanks to her self-titled makeup line, Fenty.
Here the Bajan babe looks genuinely stunning in a baby-faced snap showcasing her glowing skin and hypnotising hazel eyes.
Rihanna often gets back to her island roots by sharing carefree, no makeup snaps with her natural hair flowing on social media.
Right: The multi-talented stunner dropped jaws with a full face of makeup featuring sparkling emerald eyeshadow while attending the launch of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna at Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, September 2017.
Adele
Left: London-born Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (or simply Adele) is a straight-talking woman with a wicked humour and a penchant for winged eyeliner. Britain’s golden girl with the golden voice has been unashamedly herself since exploding onto the music scene in 2008, and is not one to shy away from stepping out without makeup.
And why would she be – with her Alabaster skin and enchanting eyes, we think the ‘Someone Like You’ singer looks just as good, makeup or no makeup.
Right: Adele looked every inch the global superstar, drawing inspiration from the 1960s era with this retro makeup look at the 59th GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles, February 2017.
Meghan Markle
Left: Meghan Markle has had somewhat of a beauty reversal since becoming a newly minted royal.
0Ditching the trademark smokey eye and heavy lip of her Rachel Zane days, the Duchess of Sussex now opts for an immaculately painted ‘no makeup, makeup’ look as demonstrated here during the official press call for her engagement to Prince Harry.
Meghan loves to embrace her natural beauty and proudly lets her freckles shine through with light coverage foundation and subtle blush.
Right: A snapshot from her not so distant past, Meghan rocked the vivacious vixen look on the red carpet of ELLE’s 6th Annual Women in Television Dinner in West Hollywood, January 2016.
Mila Kunis
Left: Ukrainian-born Mila has Eastern European beauty to burn and is regularly voted one of the world’s most beautiful women. The mother-of-two is no stranger to going without makeup, and is one of the rare celebs to be seen embracing her natural looks more often than wearing a full face.
In a 2016 interview with Glamour magazine, Mila admitted she doesn’t wear makeup or wash her hair everyday, saying: ‘It’s just not a necessity to me.’
Right: But when duty (aka the film industry) calls, Mila answers with a winning makeup look every single time. Here, the wife of Ashton Kutcher accentuated her deep brown eyes with false eyelashes and a warm, smokey shadow for the premiere of her latest film ‘The Spy Who Dumped Me’ on July 25, 2018 in Los Angeles.
Sophie Monk
Left: Model turned TV presenter Sophie Monk is certainly a glamorous woman, but she is also known for her self-deprecation and willingness to show herself sans makeup on social media.
The Australian reality star poked fun at herself in this January 2017 shot taken while holidaying in Canada. Monk captioned the image: ‘Might wear sunscreen tomorrow’ accompanied by a laughing emoji.
Right: Sophie went all out for the 2018 ARIA Awards in Sydney, November 2018 where she styled her blonde locks straight with winged eyeliner, full coverage foundation and a nude lip.
Taylor Swift
Left: T-Swift is an all-around American girl next door, and often prefers a low maintenance look when she’s not touring the world. In this paparazzi shot, Taylor looks fresh-faced and relaxed as she lets her blemish-free skin do all the talking.
Right: The Reputation hitmaker is giving the same serious side-eye in this image from the red carpet of the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, where she opted for a metallic gold shadow with a matte foundation and deep rose lip.
Katy Perry
Left: Katy Perry has little reason to cover her skin with heavy makeup, as shown in this stunning shot where she goes entirely cosmetics free. Her hair is casually styled in a chopped bob and her electric blue eyes are her most stunning feature.
2Perry is happy to be photographed without makeup and is often papped on the beach and at festivals showing off her natural beauty.
Right: The ‘Alien’ singer went for an equally gorgeous but very different look for the Finale of American Idol in May 2018, where she accentuated her sapphire eyes with a pink and purple combination shadow and heavy strokes of bronzer.
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