While makeup has vastly expanded our abilities to express ourselves, be creative and, of course, take some adorable selfies, it can take a heavy toll on self-esteem. The filtered celebrity looks seem unbelievable and certainly unattainable—and it’s because they’re not real. From fashion icon Tyra Banks to Marvel Eternals star Salma Hayek, celebs are ditching the makeup and showing some natural skin on social media.
Here are 15 makeup-free celeb looks we love.
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1. Lady Gaga
Iconic singer song-writer and House of Gucci star Lady Gaga is known for serving up some juicy looks. Her knack for theatrical and edgy makeup styles have had fans flocking to recreate them. However, she decided to take a break from her usual glitz to show off her natural skin on Instagram, and fans are in love. One fan wrote, “You’re more beautiful without makeup.”
2. Amandla Stenberg
At only 23, Stenberg has already made an impactful name for herself in Hollywood, but that wasn’t always easy. Her role as Rue in The Hunger Games struck cords with fans dissatisfied by the film adaptation of the books casting a 13-year-old Black girl for the role. This resulted in personal attacks against the young star that homed in on her physical features. However, she fought against Eurocentric beauty standards and has delivered some fierce makeup looks over the years. Yet, beyond the glam, she keeps it real—-and her fans love it.
3. Shakira
While most people know that Shakira’s hips don’t lie, they may not know that behind her dote-worthy makeup looks lies a gorgeous natural beauty. We look how she kept it casual on her special day with an adorable “Birthday bun.”
4. Zooey Deschanel
Deschanel greeted the morning, and the entirety of Twitter, with a no makeup selfie—and we’re loving the New Girl actor’s unfiltered I woke up like this face.
5. Tyra Banks
The America’s Top Model creator and modeling expert has been the queen of make-up forever, and yet, she’s not afraid to shed her regular full-coverage looks. Here she is showing herself what she calls “raw” just in case the world forgot that she’s royalty with or without makeup.
6. Gwyneth Paltrow
When Oscar Wilde said “with age comes wisdom,” we’re pretty sure he was referring to Gwyneth Paltrow and her no-filter Instagram selfie on her 44th birthday. Paltrow smiled for the camera and wrote “embracing my past and future” in the caption. If that’s no wisdom and beauty, we don’t know what is.
7. Tracee Ellis Ross
Whether it’s opening her pores with a nice streamy bath or putting on a face mask to get rid of blemished, the Black-ish star knows how to care for her skin —and it shows. Ross’s makeup free look and limitless natural hair are seriously giving us life.
8. Jennifer Lopez
Leave it to J.Lo to remind everyone to love themselves as they are and stop solely relying on superficial appearance with this natural skin pic. She dubs it #NoFilterFriday, which we’re pretty sure should be a law enforced tradition.
9. Sofia Vergara
We’re pretty sure it takes someone pretty strong to share their reality with others when they’re not feeling or looking as “glamorous” as others may imagine them always being. Yet, Vergara went for it, and is basically our hero for showing her blushed cheeks as she fights a 102 fever. As the Modern Family actor points out, she’s definitely got her own natural blush going.
10. Salma Hayek
For anyone looking for a breathtaking face that’s possible without makeup, look no more. Hayek decided to take a selfie while steering clear of filters and allowing herself to be bare faced for one relaxing Sunday afternoon.
11. Gal Gadot
While many think of Superwoman being a really tall Amazonian lady with high powered accessories, sometimes the real-life heroes are moms after sleepless nights. Gadot decided to show her bare face on Instagram after a being up all night with her three-year-old and five-year-old children. Despite exhaustion, she writes about how she and her husband are made most happy by the simple things in life, which seems to occasionally include no makeup.
12. Keke Palmer
Over the years, Palmer has opened up about her struggles with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and acne, including the makeup routine she uses to cover up blemishes. People think of many celebrities as perfect, but Palmer reminds people that she’s a person that’s tried “EVERYTHING” to clear her skin. She’s spoken out against shaming people for their skin and is sure to kick any haters to the curb. Here she is showing her natural skin with a long caption ending with, “I’m not afraid to show myself to the world and you shouldn’t be either.”
13. Halle Berry
We must say, Berry knows how to do #SelfCareSunday the right way—-with a hair mask and no makeup. With her face still wet from rinsing her hair, the X-men actor posed for a selfie to commemorate the importance of taking time for ourselves and great hair products.
14. Jessica Alba
Alba knows how to workout, and work a make-up free fitness selfie on Instagram. During the pandemic, she’s been encouraging people to stay healthy and active even if they have to isolate. The actor is known for her very effective exercise and diet routines, and not being afraid to get a little dirty. While she looks stunning in makeup, she’s not afraid to take it off and get down to business to defeat the Huns.
15. Olivia Wilde
Traveling in style is so last season, while traveling comfortably is all the rage—at least it was for Wilde when she traveled her toddler for 13 hours. The actor joked about the unique struggle it is to commute with a little one and having to bring plenty of “bribes” to keep the peace. When it comes to trying to calm a screaming toddler versus making time for makeup, we’re pretty sure we’re on Wilde’s side.
