Stars Snapped With And Without Makeup — And The Photos Prove How Different They Look Barefaced

Does Wonder Woman need makeup? Probably not. And Gal Gadot proved it in 2013 when she posted a fresh-faced pic on her Facebook. The star seemed more sleepy and disheveled than Wonder Woman tends to look, but you could still see the superhero beneath the surface.

Adele always keeps it real, so we’re not surprised she chose to bare all on social media! And although she adores her winged eyeliner, the British star went without it for some behind-the-scenes photos of her 2016 world tour.

Olivia Wilde has been pretty outspoken about beauty standards in Tinseltown. “People at home watching movies thinking that they’re supposed to look a certain way, in that flawless nature that Hollywood promotes in some films… none of this is real,” she complained to HuffPost in 2016. The actress had given us a peek behind the curtain the year before with her bare-faced appearance in the film Meadowland.

Chrissy Teigen always seems to be brimming with self-confidence. And, let’s face it, she’s got good reason to feel that way, as she looks flawless even without makeup! Fans on social media once sent the model their own no-makeup selfies after she complained about the filters on other people’s snaps.

On stage, Lorde faces her public made up like a gothic queen. Offstage, the singer-songwriter seemingly prefers to go bare-faced. She’s posted multiple snaps on Instagram of herself wearing no makeup. She even uploaded a pic of her putting on acne cream. Lorde’s fan base responded with a natural outpouring of love for their (pure) heroine and her highly relatable spot of bother.

Drew Barrymore is big on fresh-faced beauty, although she drew fire when she posted a makeup-less selfie on Instagram. Then she uploaded a more glam pic, and haters slammed that choice, too. Sometimes you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t…

Zoe Saldana is certainly no stranger to wearing a little warpaint. Before she plays her Guardians of the Galaxy character Gamora, she has to spend three hours in the makeup chair. It’s no wonder she goes without cosmetics when she’s not on set! But even when she’s in bare-faced mode, we’re still green with envy, as she looks sensational.

In January 2016 Diane Kruger proudly captioned an Instagram snap, “Starting the year with an honest no-makeup selfie.” It was a bold move, as she was a high-end fashion model before turning to acting. But fans of the Inglourious Basterds star were appreciative. And Kruger’s best features — her eyes — were not remotely dimmed.

Ciara looks gorgeous with or without makeup, and she knows it. Not only has she rocked the natural look on Instagram, but she has also taken the brave step of appearing bare-faced on the red carpet. Ciara attended the 2017 Makers Conference in California with no cosmetics and wet hair, prompting pundits to speculate that she was fresh out of the shower. However, the “Level Up” star was pregnant at the time, so she almost certainly had more important things on her mind!

Lady Gaga is instantly recognizable for her spectacular costumes and sensationally wild makeup. However, without being caked in cosmetics, the star originally known as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta looks… completely, unnervingly normal. And for her fans, there is no doubt that Gaga is a bonafide beauty. “You are gorgeous with and without makeup!” one of her Little Monsters wrote beneath a shot posted to Instagram in 2015.

Zendaya is a big advocate for body positivity, and she seems more than happy to strut her stuff makeup-free. She still looks amazing — of course — and enviably clear-skinned. Luckily, we know the secret to her perfect complexion! On Twitter in 2017, the actress recommended “African black soap, rose water/witch hazel, vitamin E oil, and tea tree oil for problem spots.”

Orange Is the New Black actress Laverne Cox posted a no-makeup selfie in 2015, simply tagged “#TransIsBeautiful.” And the outspoken small-screen star has made it plain that she largely avoids makeup on first dates. Speaking to Access Hollywood Live in 2017, she admitted, “I don’t glam up. I give maybe a little powder for shine, and I’m like — this is it.” Fearless!

Zooey Deschanel has an instantly recognizable look, so it was all the more surprising to see her cast aside the cosmetics on Twitter back in 2014. And though the singer and actress looked far from her perky pixie self, her natural beauty still won the day. “Wow, you look just as cute without makeup,” one fan gushed in response to the selfie — and who are we to argue?

Gwyneth Paltrow is all about health and wellness, so you’d assume her skin would glow! And the star proved as much with a bare-faced Instagram selfie to celebrate her birthday in 2016. Paltrow captioned the shot, “#nomakeup for my 44th birthday, embracing my past and future.”

Freckles are a beautiful feature, so it was lovely to see Gina Rodriguez show hers off in a revealing Instagram selfie. “No makeup, no filter, no worries,” she captioned the 2015 self-portrait. It was a brave move for the Latino star, as Rodriguez suffers from a long-term thyroid condition and anxiety problems.

It may not actually score you any points in the world of gymnastics, but image still counts. That could be why Simone Biles got so glammed up for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio! The champion gymnast scooped four gold medals and one bronze in stylish, glittering eyeliner. But Biles looks just as brilliant without the eye makeup — and we’re sure she’d be just as brilliant on the mat, too.

In 2019 the famously good-looking Jennifer Lopez posted an Instagram selfie of herself without makeup on… and she didn’t look all that different from usual! The best bit? She was 49 years old at the time. We’d have put her in her mid-thirties at most!

Cindy Crawford may have passed her supermodel baton on to her daughter, but she’s still stunning. In a selfie she posted on Instagram in 2017, it looked like she’s barely aged at all since her heyday! Reportedly, she splashes her face with water at night to keep it looking cool.

Whether she’s on screen or on the red carpet, Sofía Vergara is usually in full glam mode, complete with suitably sultry makeup. But when she posted a makeup-free selfie on Instagram in 2015, Modern Family’s Columbian goddess showed us just how naturally charming she is.

Bella Thorne made a brave move in 2017 when she posted a pic to specifically show off her bad complexion. “Acne is on fleek,” she captioned the post. But the actress was doing it for a good reason: to make other teens feel better about their blemishes. “I hope I help somebody out there because I’m spreading the word,” she told People magazine later that year.

Tyra Banks could be the queen of the no-makeup selfie. In 2015 the model and actress posted her first raw image on Instagram, telling her followers that she had “decided to give [them] a taste of the really real [her].” Ever since, she has been super busy serving up social media shots of her naked face, including one simply captioned, “Me.”

Alicia Keys has taken the no-makeup movement a step further than any other female celebrity. Since 2016, she’s pretty much stopped wearing cosmetics altogether! Keys explained her thinking in an online article for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter. “Every time I left the house, I would be worried if I didn’t put on makeup. What if someone wanted a picture? What if they POSTED it?” the singer-songwriter wrote. “[It was] based too much on what other people thought of me.”

When Vanessa Williams turned 57, she celebrated by posting a photograph of herself with no makeup. “Good morning 57! Another year on this wondrous planet that continually surprises and challenges me to grow in love and adventure,” she captioned the picture. The former Miss America looked fantastic and — let’s be honest — much younger than her age.

Cara Delevingne has always been surprisingly chill about the world knowing what she really looks like. In March 2020 she uploaded an Instagram shot of herself with her new foster dogs in which she clearly wasn’t wearing any makeup. And when a meme circulated of no-makeup-Cara vs. made-up Cara, the model reposted it with the very sensible comment, “Me all the time vs. me very rarely.”

Brooke Shields was one of the biggest stars of her era, meaning we all know what she looks like with makeup. But we got to see the real her in 2019. The veteran actress and model posed for People with no products on, and in 2020 she did the same thing again on her Instagram.

In 2020 Demi Lovato posted a picture of herself with the caption, “This is what I look like 85 percent-90 percent of the time. Proud of my freckles, proud of booty chin, and proud of myself for loving and accepting myself the way I am.” They got a very positive response in the comments.

Sarah Michelle Gellar showed off her winning sense of humor along with her makeup-less selfie. “This is me, right after my first Tabata class,” she captioned the 2019 snap. “The joke was on me. I thought my friend said, ‘Meet for ciabatta.’ This pic is #nomakeup #nofilter, and probably the last time I will be upright for the rest of the week.”

Nicole Richie got honest when she posted a picture of her makeup-less and going through her beauty regime. She wrote alongside the photo, “Being naturally beautiful takes so much work.” But one fan offered a piece of advice that may save Richie some time. “You’re so naturally beautiful. You don’t need to go to the extreme,” they commented. “You’re a beautiful, powerful woman. Embrace what you have, flaunt it, and the rest will follow!”

In 2012 90210 star AnnaLynne McCord decided to post a picture of herself with no makeup and visible acne. She wrote, “I woke up this morning and decided I’m over Hollywood’s perfection requirement. To all my girls (and boys) who have ever been embarrassed by their skin! I salute you! I’m not perfect, and that’s okay with me.”

Dame Helen Mirren may be in her 70s, but she’s still a stunning woman. And she’s happy to exchange no-makeup selfies for charitable deeds, as she did in 2020. Specifically, she asked for donations to the Intensive Care Society in return for a shot of her “literally first thing in the morning.”

In 2019 supermodel Kate Upton encouraged her Instagram followers to go makeup-less. She posted a natural picture of herself and wrote, “Sometimes you need to take a moment away from the daily grind and reflect… No makeup. No filter... Take time today to reflect on our strength, and appreciate and inspire one another.”

Nina Dobrev joined the no-makeup crew in 2020, and people got all heart-eyed over both her and her cute doggie companion in her Instagram photo. One fan wittily wrote, “No makeup and still gorgeous! You too, Nina.”

Apparently, Dakota Fanning has a hidden talent up her sleeve. In 2020 little sis Elle told Allure magazine, “My sister’s really good at doing her makeup. Whenever she’s doing her makeup, I always try to learn and look.” But the elder Fanning is happy to wear nothing but a bare face at times too.

After Kate Upton posted a picture of herself makeup-less, Jessica Biel decided to do the same. She shared a selfie with the message, “Spreading some self-love today with zero filter and zero makeup for my girl @KateUpton… She’s on a mission to encourage everyone to feel strong and love themselves as they are… and I’m so honored to help spread that message.”

In 2020 Halle Berry posted a photo of herself without makeup and holding a plate of a chicken ranch meal. The fact that she was eating “unhealthy” meat drew ire from some commenters, but Berry clapped back, “Every person’s body is different and needs different things. I am extremely healthy and have eaten this way for over 15 years.” Doesn’t seem to have done her any harm!

Julianne Moore shared a no-makeup selfie in 2020, and Women’s Health was impressed. “Her skin looks flawless,” the magazine wrote. Her secret? Turns out Moore washes her face every day, always wears eye cream, and uses moisturizers that contain SPF.

When Katy Perry shared a snap of herself, fans loved it. One wrote, “How do you have such perfect hair? And your skin is beautiful.” At the time, Perry was pregnant, and it may have just added to her glow.

In 2015 Salma Hayek posted a pic of herself on Instagram and captioned it, “Wet hair, no makeup, no filter, no retouch, but very good light.” The actress’ fans were dazzled, with one of them writing, “For my money, one of the most beautiful women in the world — makeup or no.”

Busy Philipps is generally not very fussy about makeup, it seems. For 2019’s Emmy Awards, she wore no foundation — just a touch of cream blush and a minimal amount of everything else. And in 2020 she went one better, posting a picture on Instagram of herself completely bare-faced.

Julia Roberts may always look beautiful, but she actually isn’t all that into makeup. In 2013 she told ABC News, “My older children are starting to understand a little bit more clearly what it is that I do for a living. They know it involves makeup because it’s the only time they see me with makeup on.” She also posts no-makeup selfies on Instagram.

If you told us your jaw didn’t drop while watching the entirety of 1992’s Basic Instinct, we wouldn’t believe you. Sharon Stone only gets better with age, and we’re happy to see her embracing that with makeup-free selfies.

Sarah Hyland is very pro-body positivity — perhaps because she experienced kidney dysplasia as a child. And she often posts pics of herself that she doesn’t think are flattering to promote the idea that people should be comfortable in their own skin. Her no-makeup selfie from 2018 is captioned, “Be patient. Be kind. Be free. Don’t stress. Don’t overthink. Don’t worry. Just be.”

You know Mindy Kaling — brilliant comedy writer, hysterical actor. Well, she wore a lot of cosmetics as Kelly Kapoor in The Office, as well as on her show The Mindy Project, and we’re happy to see her sweet, glowing face makeup-free.

Amy Schumer has never been afraid to go there, and that extends to makeup-less selfies. Look at those gorgeous cheekbones! And while her 2018 film I Feel Pretty wasn’t exactly well-received, it did promote the important message of loving yourself — inside and out.

RiRi’s beauty is on another level, and that’s a fact. Her makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, pioneered a new standard for inclusive cosmetics, and we love her for that. But while the singer and businesswoman loves her highlighter, she shows off her naturally glowy skin quite often.

Whether or not Janelle Monáe has bronze eyeshadow swept across her lids, she’s a stunner. Yep, the contemporary R&B singer and actor is easy on the eyes regardless. Her natural hair is beautiful, too!

Kesha happily showed off her freckly, sun-kissed face in a tweet that’s garnered over 143,000 likes. “This year my resolution is to love myself... just as I am,” she captioned the photo. Loving the skin you’re in truly is a journey!

Ashley Graham encourages people to love their bodies along with all their flaws. Hmm, that’s easy for her to say, considering she’s practically flawless! In all seriousness, she always looks like she’s glowing from within.

Cameron Diaz’s blue orbs have mesmerized us ever since she starred in 1994’s The Mask. But though a smokey eye look tends to make them pop, the Charlie’s Angels star is just as stunning with a clean face.

“Yay 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls! Good morning!” Jordin Sparks wrote beside this 2015 Instagram pic before adding the hashtags #iwokeuplikethis #noreally #imayregretthislater. But let’s face it: with her flawless complexion and gorgeous features, the singer should have no regrets over posting this fresh-faced photo.

Megan Fox decided to make her first-ever Instagram selfie a makeup-free one back in 2014. But you can still see the flawless complexion, bright eyes, and perfect lips that have made the star a modern-day sex symbol.

Eva Longoria has often been named one of Hollywood’s most beautiful women, and that beauty is obvious even in this makeup-free, filter-free selfie. And while Longoria is actually over 40 now, somehow she still sports an extremely youthful complexion. Not that we’re jealous or anything, of course...

Believe it or not, even the world’s biggest supermodels don’t wear makeup 24/7. In fact, it seems that sometimes all Gisele Bündchen wants to do is scrub off the warpaint and relax with a nice bowl of chunky homemade soup! There’s no denying the model looks stunning while she does it, too. Maybe all those veggies are the secret?

Jessica Alba is one of the most beautiful women in the world, even without makeup. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that the actress isn’t afraid to sport a bare face even with the internet’s critical eyes on her. “Headed to work sans #makeup thnk u @shanidarden for the amazing facial,” she wrote on Instagram after a visit to the beautician back in 2013. “My skin is glowing and clear even while shooting.” Some people have all the luck!

Captain Marvel doesn’t need makeup to feel pretty! Brie Larson typically gravitates toward a natural-looking beat for red carpet events anyway, always showing off what she got from her mama.

Whether you know her from Grey’s Anatomy or Killing Eve, it’s hard not to love Sandra Oh. The Golden Globe winner’s luscious lips shine when slathered in red lipstick or cherry ChapStick. She’s a natural beauty!

Michelle Pfeiffer is truly a stunner, even after many decades in the film industry. She’s still a working actress, too, and was suitably fierce as Janet van Dyne in Avengers: Endgame and Ant-Man and the Wasp.