When Pamela Anderson went to Paris Fashion Week without any makeup last October, the internet freaked out. Seeing the beauty icon forgo foundation and eyeliner in front of so many cameras—with a huge smile on her face—was refreshing, to say the least. You don’t see many barefaced women celebs in general, and especially not ones over 50.
This minimalist attitude is creating a buzz outside of Hollywood too. On TikTok, for example, #nomakeup has more than 1.6M posts. Of course, many of these videos (ironically) involve putting a lot of effort (and money) into achieving the “no-makeup makeup” look or “clean girl aesthetic.” But there are also plenty of posts from people of all ages proudly showing off their natural skin—no mascara, no blush, no filters.
To wear—or not wear—makeup is completely up to personal preference and comfort, and the reasons behind either choice are different for everyone. Here, 17 former makeup enthusiasts tell SELF what inspired them to ditch their beloved cosmetics.
I got so used to seeing myself without makeup during the pandemic, that it just became the new normal.
I used to always wear makeup whenever I went outside. But while I was quarantining during COVID I didn’t need to, since I wasn’t seeing anyone or going anywhere. The more I went about my day with my bare face, the more I got used to the way I looked without foundation, mascara, undereye concealer, and eyeliner. —Katrina Huang, 24
Constantly worrying about how my face looked added unnecessary stress.
It’s the same reason I also stopped doing my hair: I just don’t have time, nor do I consider it a priority. When I did have makeup on, I’d constantly have to be careful about not touching my eyes in a way that would smear my mascara or not cleaning it off properly at the end of the night. All that extra stress could be avoided by simply not putting any on in the first place. —Jiamie Pyles, 44
My daughter inspired me to embrace my bare face.
I stopped wearing makeup after admiring my daughter and her natural beauty. I was sort of in limbo at the time, because I’d just cut my long hair off and was struggling with my personal image. Once I noticed that I became dependent on wearing makeup during this stage, I realized that it didn’t feel natural, so I started to focus on what’s beautiful to me. —Marissa Kelley, 32
It was so irritating for my eyes.
I never really took to wearing proper makeup all the time, but in the last few years I have given it up completely. My skin (and my eyes in particular) are just far too sensitive. Plus what am I trying to hide? This is my true skin, wrinkles and all. I’m five years younger than Pamela Anderson, and I think she looks amazing. I applaud her for taking a stand and appearing as herself. —Holly Ross, 52
Somewhere along the way, I realized I shouldn’t wear makeup for external validation.
Growing up, I always loved playing with makeup, and I wore at least a little every day from middle school until my junior year of college (when the pandemic started). Since I was staying home for the most part, I didn’t feel the need to wear makeup, but once I started seeing people again I noticed that I was motivated by external reasons (namely, to appeal to men).
My initial break from makeup reminded me that it was supposed to be fun and for my own enjoyment—not to impress others—and that wake-up call helped me feel confident in my skin again. I still love a glam moment for special occasions like birthdays and Halloween, though, where I can experiment and get back to the fun of it all! —Simone Afriye, 24
I wanted to look—and feel—like my authentic self.
I realized I like the feeling of clean, clear skin as opposed to wearing makeup. At this stage in my life, the main idea is to look healthy. And of course there are times when I feel pressured to wear eye makeup with lipstick. But when I do, I remind myself that the goal is to overwhelm others with my grace and intellect. —Virginia Peacock, 65
I was sick of having to wear so much as a former dancer and cheerleader.
For so many years, I had to wear tons of blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and foundation for dance recitals and cheerleading competitions. The looks were pretty dramatic—to the point where I could barely recognize myself. So when I stopped doing dance and cheer years later, I was finally able to embrace my bare face, which made me feel more comfortable in my own skin. —Sydney Charles, 24
I didn’t want to adhere to sexist beauty standards.
For me, makeup is no different than getting charged more for pink razors catered to women. It’s something society expects us to keep paying for and putting up with, and I realized men aren’t obligated to maintain their looks in the same way. That and maybe I’m too lazy for the upkeep that would be required. —Anna Shkolnikov, 46
To practice self-acceptance, I decided to stop covering my acne.
I initially got into makeup because I was insecure about my cystic acne. I just wanted to cover up the breakouts, but I realized I was using makeup as a crutch: I couldn’t leave the house without it, and I didn’t feel beautiful either.
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So, to reclaim my confidence, I made an intentional decision to not wear makeup on days I went to class [at my university] Monday through Friday. It’s been five years since making that commitment, and I still don’t wear any (although I do enjoy it at dressier events). It was scary at first, but I’ve learned to feel good about myself again, even with some acne and scars. —Pooja Tanjore, 22
Work got so busy, and I just didn’t have the time.
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Someone once told me to “dress for the job I wanted.” In an effort to look more put-together and mature, I would do a full face of foundation, bronzer, brows, everything. As I spent more hours working, though, I dialed back on the makeup to save time and instead just focused on skin care products, which I apply before bed. Honestly, I love sleep so much that it’s worth it to me to skip all those steps in the morning, so I can stay in bed even a little longer. —Yun Yu Quinn, 36
It was masking, not enhancing, my natural beauty.
To be honest, I never wore makeup in high school or college. The most I’d wear was mascara and lip gloss, but that was it. I did want to learn eventually, though, so I tried layering on more. But after five minutes, my face always ended up looking so cakey and had a lot of cracks, and I realized I was trying to achieve a level of “perfection” that just wasn’t worth it. Plus being exactly who I am is beautiful—slight skin discoloration and all! —Elaine Dealy, 25
It felt performative—like I was using makeup just to be more “likable” online.
On social media, where the objective is to capture attention, knowing how to do makeup flawlessly seemed like an unspoken essential to being a female content creator. Anytime I wanted to film, I’d rush to do my makeup first before presenting myself to the world. But by the time I had wiped off the fifth mismatched eyeliner wing, I was out of my creative flow and didn’t even want to film anymore.
I also became more self-conscious: I’d worry if my concealer creased along my eyes when I laughed, if the foundation was settling in the folds of my smile lines, if there was lipstick on my teeth. Performing feminity through heavy makeup might’ve made me feel more “presentable,” but it stunted my self-expression. Since going bare-faced, I’m less worried about my appearance and more appreciative of my Nigerian facial features, since I no longer follow trends that encourage an “ideal” way to look. —Bellekissu Hanidu, 22
The whole process felt like a chore.
I actually love watching people do their makeup. It’s such a cool skill! But for me, it felt like work that I could never keep up with (or actually enjoy) daily. Instead, I find it much more pleasurable and exciting to focus on my skin care routine, so that I can continue to confidently show up barefaced. Now when I go to work, it’s pretty much just sunscreen. I definitely subscribe to the idea that if you feel good, you look good. As long as I’m clean and my outfit is on point, I feel “put-together” and gorgeous. —Nasha Smith, 43
I sweated it all off anyway.
I started going to the gym a lot, where I was able to move my body and do amazing things, like PR a squat or deadlift. That felt like the real me—not the red lipstick—and, over time, I just didn’t see the point in wearing makeup that was going to end up smearing anyway. —Jade Womack, 30
My daughter introduced me to the power of a good skin care routine.
My 33-year-old daughter influenced me the most: She shared samples of a cleanser that was supposed to exfoliate my face, and I just loved how smooth my skin felt and looked. Since then, I realized less is more, and that saving time is key too. There was a lot of fuss involved with applying makeup—which is why I applaud the folks who have honed these skills and artistry. —Barb Jones, 64
The makeup trends I followed weren’t flattering for my Asian features.
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I’ve always been heavy-handed with makeup, usually applying products in a way that washed out or clashed with my facial features as an Asian woman. Once I started to learn about more minimalist looks from other Asian beauty creators (like Jenn Im), I was proud to embrace my natural face shape and features rather than trying to sculpt or change them with bronzer, foundation, and eyeliner. —Mary Song, 22
An amazing friend of mine who never wears makeup inspired me.
I was actually inspired by a friend, who’s normally makeup-free and only wears mascara once in a blue moon. How others saw her never seemed to bother her, and something about her confidence was just so radiant—everyone wanted to be her friend and loved her for her. So when I saw her just being herself, I was like, Maybe I don’t need makeup for people to like me or to feel more beautiful. I realized I am who I am, and this is how I look, so I’m completely okay with it too. I don’t feel the need to change anything by covering or concealing. —Anjana Rajbhandary, 40
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