There’s something so satisfying about a glimpse of a celebrity without makeup. It reminds us that stars are kind of just like us, at least when they don’t have a professional makeup team doing them up. And ever since Alicia Keys’ very cool move earlier this year of eschewing makeup in general for good—which she heralded with an excellent, well-written essay for Lenny—it seems as though we’ve been seeing more and more ultra-famous people wandering around out in the world (or in front of their phone lenses for selfies) with nary a stitch of makeup to be found.
Keys wrote about her past struggle with self-image, and coming to self-acceptance after a long struggle. “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???” she wrote in her essay. “These were the insecure, superficial, but honest thoughts I was thinking. And all of it, one way or another, was based too much on what other people thought of me.”
MORE: Why One Week Without Makeup Can Be Amazing For Your Skin
These days, she leaves the makeup brushes out of her daily routine, thanks to meditation. “I found my way to meditation, and I started focusing on clarity and a deeper knowing of myself. I focused on cultivating strength and conviction and put a practice in place to learn more about the real me,” she said.
After sitting for an impromptu photo shoot with no makeup on, just after a gym session, Keys broke through her insecurities. “I don’t want to cover up anymore,” she wrote. “Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.”
MORE: How to Look Good Without Makeup
Click through to find 24 shots of other celebrities who aren’t covering up either, and are showing off their natural beauty without the use of any auxiliary products.
