Style April 20, 2017
5 times Alicia Keys proved women don't need makeup to look flawless!
Walking out of the house without wearing makeup might sound terrifying, especially if you have paparazzi photographing your every move. Alicia Keys, however, has been rocking no makeup since 2016. She also looks damn good while doing it!
Here are five times Alicia Keys stunned with no makeup.
According to Keys, her no makeup epiphany hit her during a photoshoot for her 2016 album, “Here.” In an essay for Lenny, Keys shared that she had just returned from the gym to take photos for her new album. When the photographer saw Keys, she said, “I have to shoot you right now, like this! The music is raw and real, and these photos have to be too!” Although Keys felt uncomfortable initially, she eventually realized:
“I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt.”
Although the singer had written an essay about going makeup free one month before, Alicia Keys’ no makeup movement really took off after her appearance at the 2016 BET Awards. At an event where most celebrities (especially women) are dolled up to the 9s, Alicia Keys rocked a bare face instead. And, of course, she still looked fabulous.
In a show all about natural talent, Alicia Keys let her natural beauty shine. She stunned fans by appearing make-up free in a season preview of the Voice, and she kept up this no-makeup routine throughout the season. Of course, this isn’t to say that Alicia Keys never wears makeup. When Adam Levine teased Keys after seeing her applying some makeup one day, Keys explained her mantra pretty clearly: “I do what the f-ck I want.”
When Alicia Keys kept up her no makeup movement and attended the VMAs bare-faced, not everyone was a fan. Some praised Keys for proving that women can be beautiful without a lick of makeup. Others, however, pointed out that Keys’ perfect skin means she can “afford” to go without makeup. Either way, it’s hard to deny that Alicia Keys looked fierce and flawless at the VMAs!
If you spend the day scrolling through Alicia Keys’ social media profiles, her dedication to embracing women’s natural beauty is obvious. Sure, she posts plenty of #nomakeup selfies on Instagram. However, she also shares body positive photos like that of Marilyn Monroe with the caption “Real bodies = gorgeous.” She also made a point on Twitter to say “me choosing to be makeup free doesn’t mean I’m anti-makeup. Do you!”
In her Lenny essay, Keys wrote:
I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.
So far, it seems like Alicia Keys is sticking to this goal – and inspiring other women to embrace their uncovered selves along the way.
