Maybe it is. Or, maybe it isn’t. Or, maybe Gabrielle Union just wants to let her face breathe for a little while, just like Alicia Keys, who is not wearing makeup though she is certainly wearing tinted moisturizer and possibly something in her brows. Maybe makeup is done forever!
Peoplereports that the actress has maybe joined the ranks of the makeup-free after posting a selfie on Snapchat featuring her glowing-ass skin, a head wrap and a caption that read “No makeup, head wrap, hey Alicia Keys I see you!” If that’s not an endorsement of a new life unburdened by the tyranny of the cosmetic industrial complex, I don’t know what is.
The no-makeup look is reportedly rising in popularity. Kim Kardashian left the house to attend the Balanciaga show in Paris wearing no makeup and an oversized trench and she looked incredible. Alicia Keys, as you are well aware, has been on the no-makeup tip for a minute. She even convinced Al Roker and Tamron Hall to grab a face wipe and scrape off the pounds of spackle required for a television appearance.
Despite the scads of Instagram influencers and their sped-up smoky eye tutorials that are equal parts compelling and terrifying, there’s a pretty big push in the industry to set the countour aside in favor of “natural” beauty. Glossier, the skincare and makeup brand for the chill and causal girl with perfect skin already touts “less is more” while quietly neglecting to mention that their products work best on women with skin like soft velvet, free of blemishes and plush to the touch. The promise inherent in brands like Glossier is that by using their shit, you too, will glow as if light by a thousand soft-watt lightbulbs and candlelight. For so many people who buy into it (including myself), that’s simply not the case.
I’m not mad at Alicia Keys for not wanting to wear makeup, nor am I bothered by Gabrielle Union’s possible choice to do the same. Everyone should feel free to do whatever they want with their face! The “no makeup” look is fine, but it’s not a “look” nor is it a movement. It’s just your face.
This post has been edited to correct the claim that Kim Kardashian did not wear makeup at the Givenchy show. It was Balenciaga, darlings. Jezebel regrets the error.
