Celebs Who Dared To Wear No Makeup On The Red Carpet & Looked Good Doing It

There was a time when walking a red carpet meant getting done up to the nines in full makeup. But things have changed. Though it's still not as common for celebs to attend events au naturel as it is to see them makeup-free on social media, multiple famous faces have proudly stepped in front of the shutterbugs sans cosmetics — and some had important reasons for doing so.

"Enchanted" star Amy Adams has been open about regularly ditching lipstick, mascara, and eyeliner, telling People she stopped wearing makeup casually because her daughter asked her to. "She's like, 'I just want you to look like Mom, not like Amy Adams.' And I was like, 'You got it.' So there were years where I didn't wear makeup wherever we went," Adams said. 

Adams is in good company, too. Many of our favorite celebs, including Alicia Keys, Pamela Anderson, and Shailene Woodley, have also dialed back the heavy glam to set an example and break free of Hollywood norms. And they looked so good doing it.

Alicia Keys has been vocal about ditching makeup when she doesn't want to wear it. One of her most famous no-cosmetics appearances happened at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, when she walked the red carpet with naturally glowing skin. Keys only appeared to sport a little lip balm to hydrate her lips, but there were no signs of foundation to smooth her skin tone or concealer to cover dark spots.

Keys' makeup-free moment went so viral that her husband and fellow musician, Swizz Beatz, clapped back at critics in an Instagram video. "Somebody sitting home mad because somebody didn't wear makeup on their face. Not your face, but they didn't put makeup on their face because they just didn't feel like wearing makeup," he said. "She's just said that she's not vibing with the makeup all the way a 100% like that," he continued, clarifying Keys never suggested anyone should follow her lead. Thankfully, the comments passed the vibe check. "Alicia has natural beauty..Stop hating people," one Instagram user wrote.

Earlier that year, the "No One" hitmaker opened up about her changing relationship with beauty in a candid essay for Lenny Letter. Keys recalled feeling empowered after taking part in a no-makeup photoshoot, which inspired her to skip cosmetics more often. "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," she wrote (via Nylon).

Much like Alicia Keys, singer Alessia Cara also didn't wear makeup to the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. Cara had a totally bare face and showed her dark, unfilled eyebrows that still looked well-shaped and defined without being filled in using a brow pencil. Her lips appeared hydrated with little lip balm, and she didn't have dark undereye circles or bags. But that wasn't the only time Cara made an important beauty statement at the VMAs.

The following year, while performing her hit "Scars To Your Beautiful," Cara's dancers removed her wig and wiped off her makeup on stage. "We decided that every performance I do of 'Scars,' every interview I do about it, I am not going to be wearing any makeup, because how could I be preaching a song about being yourself and being beautiful and perfect the way you are—and have a full face of makeup?" she asked in a lengthy piece for Glamour. The star also opened up about experiencing hair loss and explained, "I want to show people that I am comfortable enough to go on national television and just be myself. It would only feel right if I am 100 percent me."

The poignant performance clearly left a mark on viewers. One X user wrote, "[It was] one of the most powerful statements about self-acceptance in awards show history. Real beauty is found in authenticity."

Pamela Anderson's makeup transformation through the years confirms her icon status. At the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, the star, who's been vocal about embracing her natural beauty, forwent eyeliner, faux lashes, eyeshadow, etc., and showed off naturally glowing skin. The former "Baywatch" actor told Harper's Bazaar of preparing for the red carpet, "[It's the] quickest getting-ready you'll ever see." She added, "I think you need to go on a red carpet with a smile and you are good. That's all you need." The star also spoke to Variety at the event about how her less-is-more beauty mantra saved her a lot of time. "I just turn around and I'm ready. No glam team, I'm on my own. No stylist, no glam team — just me," she said (via People).

But that was far from the only time we saw Anderson without the signature heavy makeup she once sported. "The Last Showgirl" star ditched makeup on various red carpets before and after the 2025 Golden Globes. She let her skin breathe at the 2026 Fashion Trust U.S. awards, the 2025 Actor Awards (then known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards), and "The Naked Gun" U.K. premiere that same year. 

Anderson spoke to Elle in 2023 about the touching reason she often steps out bare-faced. She explained her attitude toward makeup changed following the death of her makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, and she decided to lean into the unexpected. "[It's] freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too. Because I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it's just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite what everyone's doing," Anderson said.

Sephora may be famous for selling cosmetics, but that doesn't mean Mary J. Blige had to get all made up for an event at the beauty store in 2006. The singer's skin glowed without foundation, and her lips appeared hydrated, likely thanks to a glossy lip balm. She had just a little darkness under her eyes but still looked bright-eyed and stunning as she met fans and smiled for photos (other snaps showed her covering her eyes with extra-large sunglasses). Blige didn't publicly confirm why she opted for no makeup that day. However, the event was held in Miami in August, so it makes sense that she didn't want to wear foundation, mascara, or eyeliner that may not have held up in the heat.

The star was regularly spotted in heavy makeup after the event, but spoke to Refinery29 in 2019 about why she'd started favoring more minimalistic beauty. "I always wanted to wear dark lipstick or anything that hid me — glasses, a hood, whatever it was. I never believed in my own beauty," she said. "Black lipstick was armour for me. Every time you'd see me, I had a lot of stuff on because I was hiding. I'm not hiding anymore," she added.

In 2011, Nicole Richie made headlines for attending an event hosted by Glamour without the glam we'd come to expect. The former "The Simple Life" star posed alongside actor Mindy Kaling (the gathering celebrated "The Office" star's book "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)"). Richie's heavily graduated, blond bangs covered a lot of her face, but it was obvious her skin still had an effortless glow without foundation. Her eyes were still bright and piercing, though she clearly hadn't used heavy mascara or eyeliner, and there were no signs of dryness or redness on her enviable complexion.

Eight years into Richie's stunning transformation, she opened up about gravitating away from heavily made-up looks. "I stay away from makeup because it clogs my skin," she told People. Richie noted that she isn't against other people experimenting with cosmetics but shared, "I feel the most like myself when I don't have any on and so that's the road that I go down."

After Ciara fell pregnant with her third child, the singer made the unexpected decision to pose on the red carpet makeup-free. She appeared alongside her husband, NFL player Russell Wilson, with glowing bare skin at the 2017 Makers Conference Day event. The "Level Up" hitmaker's natural skin appeared a little lighter on her cheeks (where she would usually apply blush), and her face was naturally contoured without contouring products or highlighter. The star also appeared to let her hair take its natural state, as she wore her tresses down in casual, wet-look waves. Ciara didn't publicly reveal why she underwent a stunning makeunder; although being a busy mom of two while expecting another, may have contributed to her less-is-more beauty aesthetic that day.

Ciara has been more vocal about how she gets her skin to glow without a visit to the makeup chair, though. "I like using only unscented lotion on my face. I also wash my face twice a day, try not to get too much sun exposure, and drink lots and lots of water," she told Allure three years after stepping out makeup-free. 

In 2019, Ciara took her bareface movement one step further. She posted a sans cosmetics selfie on Instagram and encouraged her followers to do the same. "The real me.. and I love it. Finally embracing myself fully! It feels good," she captioned the shot.

Chloé Zhao proved she didn't need makeup to accept an Oscar. The director and producer seemingly didn't wear a single cosmetic at the 2021 ceremony and proudly posed with her statue for Best Picture (which she won for "Nomadland") with a clean face. That meant unfilled and unshaped brows, mascara-less lashes, and unhighlighted cheekbones, and we were totally envious of her light under eyes and the gorgeous natural color of her lips. Zhao was clearly looking to be as comfortable as possible at the prestigious event, as she wore white sneakers with her beige gown.

Many speculated about why Zhao, who has chosen to wear makeup on red carpets since her Oscars win, decided to embrace the au naturel look. On a r/China subreddit thread, a Redditor wrote, "Chloé Zhao's no make-up Oscars look challenges China's rigid beauty standards." Zhao didn't publicly confirm the reason, but her move was certainly inspiring. "Speaking as a woman who rarely wears more makeup than like foundation and maybe mascara, and has been criticized in a professional environment for not wearing 'enough' makeup, Chloe Zhao at the Oscars is kind of my hero," one X user wrote.

America Ferrera let her skin breathe at the 2013 Outfest Film Festival. The "Barbie," "Ugly Betty," and "Superstore" actor proudly showed the freckles on her nose and well-hydrated skin. She also had just a little redness under her nose that was totally relatable. Ferrera clearly didn't need our best tips on how to brighten dark undereyes, and even without brow products like pomade or gel, her eyebrows were still defined, neat, and well-shaped.

The Outfest Film Festival wasn't the only time this star went makeup-free publicly. She was also without full-coverage foundation, bold lipstick, and heavy eyeshadow at the premiere of "One Day At A Time" in 2016. That time, she posed alongside legendary screenwriter and movie producer Norman Lear.

Ferrera has been vocal about her decision to stay away from heavy makeup when she can. "If I'm in front of the camera or doing press, I have to do makeup every day, all day. That's a lot on my skin, so when I'm not working I love to nourish it, allow it to rest," she told Vogue.

Paris Jackson attended People's One To Watch event in 2017 and proudly walked the red carpet barefaced (aside from what appeared to be a slick of lip balm to keep her lips hydrated). Michael Jackson's eldest daughter's skin was bright and hydrated, though she proudly showed a little texture and a dark spot or acne scar on her left cheek. She also made it clear she doesn't need mascara, as her lashes were long, dark, and defined without it.

That same year, Jackson, who has reminded us that body hair is personal and not up for debate, spoke to i-D about why she wanted to be a poster child for going against traditional beauty standards. "I still have countless insecurities and fears, like everyone else I know. But we're getting there, slowly but surely. Which is a big reason I want to change this fashion/beauty stigma, so it's not as difficult for people around the world to feel beautiful just the way they are," she explained (via Diggit Magazine). The model and musician poignantly added, "Beauty, true beauty, should be measured by the soul, the character, integrity, intentions and mindset of a person, what comes out of their mouth. How they behave. Their heart" (via W Magazine).

Shailene Woodley seemingly showed her foundation-free skin at Variety's Power of Youth event in 2010. She also appeared to have bare eyes and lips and didn't seem to be wearing so much as a little lip balm. Her lashes were still visible without a volumizing or lengthening mascara, and her skin was enviably clear. The actor also kept things casual with her hair, with an unfussy down 'do.

Woodley later opened up to fellow actor Emma Stone during a chat for Interview about why she doesn't get gussied up every time she hits a red carpet. "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and "Big Little Lies" star explained she made the decision after seeing a heavily edited photo of herself. "I realized that, growing up and looking at magazines, I was comparing myself to images like that—and most of it isn't real," she said. "So (a) I don't really wear makeup that much anyway, so part of it is just a selfish, lazy thing, and (b) I want to be me. I do think it's fun sometimes to dress up for the Oscars or for certain events ... But for some events where it's a more casual vibe, I just want to be me." Woodley has also shown her true self by proudly wearing her natural hair.

Kim Kardashian isn't known for approaching glam with a low-maintenance attitude. Heck, Kardashian is nearly unrecognizable without hair extensions. So it was shocking when she attended a 2016 Balenciaga fashion show in Paris totally barefaced. The "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star seemingly wasn't wearing anything other than lip balm, which added a slight shine to her lips. Kardashian's lashes were still long and defined (though she denied ever getting lash extensions in a 2022 Allure interview), and her bare skin appeared smooth and clear. She had slightly dark circles under her eyes and natural darkness on her eyelids, which made it clear she wasn't wearing concealer.

The reality star confirmed she was rocking a bare face in a Snapchat video. "Kind of feels good just to not spend all that time in the [makeup chair]," she said (via Instagram) while either on her way to or leaving the event. However, some questioned if the star was as totally sans makeup as she claimed. "I still believe she is wearing a tinted moisturizer and eyebrow pencil. Everything else is makeup free. Either way, she takes good care of her skin," one Instagram user speculated.

At the 2007 Oakley Women's Eyewear Launch Party, Zoe Saldaña proved she still turns heads going makeup-free. The Oscar winner showed bright, glowing skin while posing on the red carpet. Her eyes were piercing, without mascara or strategically placed eyeshadow, while her lips were a gorgeous pink-red shade. Additionally, her cheeks naturally flushed in a shade that complemented her skin tone.

Saldaña being so comfortable posing for photos without assistance from her glam team may have stemmed from her mom. "My mother was a hippie and very health conscious, so growing up she always encouraged my sisters and I to be as natural as possible," the "Emilia Pérez" actor told Allure in 2011. She also got candid about how she keeps her bare skin looking so gorgeous, revealing she gets regular facials and takes good care of her skin daily. "I think washing your face twice a day at least is the most important thing to do, especially when you live in a city because there's so much pollution. Then there's moisturizing and wearing sunblock," she said. Lastly, don't forget that your SPF should be on hand all winter long.