As more major celebrities embrace the natural look on red carpets and in interviews, it provokes the question: is no-makeup becoming a new trend in the beauty sphere?
From Lorde to Addison Rae, it appears the summer’s biggest stars are promoting a more natural look. Now it begs the question: are we in for a makeup-free movement?
Leading the charge is Pamela Anderson, former Baywatch bombshell, who has been making headlines for her revolutionary new look, donning a completely natural face. The 58-year-old was once known for her bouncy hair and intense smoky eyes. However, now she’s sporting a much more pared-back look to major events, including the 2025 BAFTAs.
In a recent interview with How To Fail podcast, she told host Elizabeth Day: “[I’m] not trying to chase youth. That’s just been fed to us, to look as young as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can.”
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She continued: “I have my own insecurities… But that’s the challenge, to embrace those parts of yourself. Even the ones that you don’t necessarily like a lot.”
However, other, younger stars have also been embracing their natural looks too. Addison Rae has recently made waves for wearing what appears to be very little or no makeup on her Addison press run.
In an interview with Amelia Dimoldenberg for Chicken Shop Date, the TikTok star surprised and delighted fans by wearing a barely-there makeup look. “Yes that’s so nice and refreshing to see,” one TikTok user wrote.
“It’s so big for the no makeup girls,” another said. “She’s inspired me so much lately to shed the layers and start over!” a third added. “This is the influence we need too cause the glitz and glam is nice but this is refreshing.”
Lorde is another major singer who has long been known for her makeup-free looks. The 28-year-old New Zealander has made many major bare-faced appearances in the past, including her 2021 interview on The Late Show with Seth Meyers. Most recently, she has been sporting very natural looks for the promotion of her new album Virgin.
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Of course, it’s not a completely new concept. In 2016, British singer Alicia Keys stopped wearing makeup for a period of time as a reclamation of her natural beauty. She went makeup free while shooting for the cover of her single In Common and, at the time, she wrote in a Lenny Letter essay that she felt “the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt”, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily.
At the time, Alicia’s decision was enough to cause a major media stir. Now, with more big stars pushing the boundaries of beauty and Hollywood’s rigid standards, it may start seeming far more normal. After all, we’ve become far more used to seeing celebrities posting unfiltered TikTok’s in bed and sharing their makeup routines.
Of course, there is also the argument that the no makeup may also serve as a clever marketing strategy. In an age when plastic surgery and filters are at an all-time high-time, authenticity – including authenticity in appearance – is gold. As seen with Addison’s press run, no makeup (or even just appearing to wear no makeup), can make stars seem far more real .
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