The world has always known that Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot since she was crowned Miss Israel in 2004 at only 18 years old. She gained modest success as an actress as Gisele Yashar in the first installment of Fast & Furious, yet she truly launched her film career with the 2016 DC film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and solo film Wonder Woman a year later.
Before her wildly famous acting career, however, Gadot was an internationally recognizable model for countless major brands, ranging from Captain Morgan to Gucci and Jaguar Cars. Plus, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Bride Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and The New York Post have all featured Gadot on the cover of their magazines. Not bad!
Despite all the glitz and glam that comes with working both in modeling and Hollywood as an A-List actress, Gal Gadot isn't afraid of letting her natural beauty shine for itself every so often. We need more women that have made FHM's "100 Hottest Women in the Word" to show off what real beauty is.
Here, Gadot shows us the true side of motherhood. It's waking up in the middle of the night to take care of your little one and not getting a full night's rest for the first few months, which can lead to some dark circles. Does she look tired? Sure. But is she any less beautiful? No!
As the recipient of awards ranging from Golden Globes to Primetime Emmys and Oscars, actress Gwyneth Paltrow knows what it means to be red-carpet-ready at a moment's notice. Even more, she has to sit in makeup chairs on movie sets for hours every week for work. No wonder she needs a break from "beauty" sometimes!
But Paltrow's beauty routine isn't always for her own benefit — or the benefit of paparazzi who want to sell her pictures to tabloids. In 2005, she was the face of Estée Lauder's Pleasures perfume, a position she held for years. $500,000 of revenue received from sales of the perfume was donated to breast cancer research.
Gwyneth shared this birthday post as a celebration of embracing her age back in 2016. The lifestyle guru showed off her makeup-free then 44-year-old face in a self-loving way. Now at nearly 50, she continues to embrace her natural features, posting makeup-free selfies to Instagram as much as any other glam photo. On her lifestyle website Goop, Paltrow wrote, "I use [makeup] only for shoots or big events. I feel most comfortable just in my own skin."
Paltrow has even established "no makeup" dinner parties with her friends. In February 2020, she captioned a makeup-less photo of herself and her natural gal pals with, "No make-up, no filter. An amazing gathering of some of the best women on planet earth." So what's her secret to perfect skin? Daily exfoliation and facials.
Cameron Diaz was once one of Hollywood's most beloved and envied actresses in the business. Everyone wanted to cast her in lead roles, and we can see why. She won numerous awards including Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Even better, she has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
In fact, Diaz was officially named one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses in 2013. Yet neither the fame nor the money prompted Diaz to stay. In 2018, she humbly retired from the spotlight to lead a life promoting healthy living, which includes leaving heavy makeup looks in the past. Now it's all skincare and sunscreen to maintain her natural beauty!
Specifically, Diaz loves talking about aging. And it's not in a negative way, thank goodness! She's just as tired of the ads marketing products that "freeze" the aging process; instead, she's written two books on everything from gray hair to menopause. The actor-turned-author followed up The Body Book with The Longevity Book, a look at the history of the women's health movement that also offers tips on maintaining health, particularly through transitional periods (like from your 30s to 40s, 40s to 50s, etc.).
On top of following the Mediterranean diet, she tries her best to stick to a consistent morning routine. Overall, Diaz hits home in The Body Book why she doesn't stress about aging or feel the pressure to constantly wear makeup: "... the point I’m making is not about keeping up your youthful appearance. This is not about beauty and the aesthetics of our bodies. I want you to feel young. I want you to feel strong."
American actress and former model Sharone Stone isn't known for ditching her lipstick and blush as often as other celebrities on this list, but she's recently found the courage to set it aside in the comfort of her own home. It's difficult for women working in entertainment — especially modeling — to overcome the pressures of societal beauty standards. Even though Stone is spotted more times wearing makeup than without it, interviewers and peers are quick to set her apart from other celebrities who "fake" their beauty with Botox and fillers.
Harper's Bazaar writer Alexandra Parnass noted in 2008 that the "first thing you notice about Stone is that even without makeup, she appears preternaturally youthful for a woman about to hit the midcentury mark. Not in that I've-had-my-entire-head-Botoxed way that so many women in Hollywood do, but like someone with enviably good genes who doesn't smoke or drink coffee and probably does Pilates."
Stone famously told British Vogue, "This idea that being youthful is the only thing that’s beautiful or attractive simply isn’t true. I don’t want to be an ‘ageless beauty.' I want to be a woman who is the best I can be at my age.” This means she puts a lot of stock into proper skincare. All of her foundations are hydrating, and she keeps the mornings simple with a The Ritual body scrub, La Mer moisturizer, Neutrogena SPF, and Eucerin lotion.
Here, Stone shares exactly how we all look and feel when we work from home on rainy days. No hair gel. No eyebrows. And we won't be caught dead wearing anything except a comfy T-shirt and sweatpants on days like this. Most of all, Stone emphasizes inner beauty over physical appearances. Telling The New York Times, "For me, it’s more about real inner beauty. It’s important to have a philosophy or way of life or faith that keeps you balanced."
It's no secret that this Colombia-born actress loves makeup. In fact, Sofia Vergara revealed to British makeup artist and brand owner Charlotte Tilbury that she did her own makeup every morning for the 11 years of filming Modern Family. She explained that "it was like therapy. I would go [to set] at 5 a.m., start my makeup, I'd do it faster than anybody, and it was really fun."
And while she likes to be barefaced sometimes, Vergara admits that going too long without it makes her feel frumpy. “I’ve always been a person that has some kind of makeup on… always, always,” she explained. "I was in my pajamas the whole day... I realized it’s getting me depressed. I have to start my normal thing of waking up, showering, and I feel better, start working, do things from home. I needed makeup just for myself and to not feel like I am sick.”
It's never really made sense to head to the beach or pool with a full face of makeup. Sofia Vergara shows that all you need is a little sunscreen. In fact, she actually looks more youthful without a full face of makeup than she does with it even at 49 years old! Ironic, right? She was truly blessed with eternal youth. Vergara clearly doesn't need makeup to be beautiful, which she made clear in her interview with Tilbury.
If anything, makeup to Vergara is just a habit that gets her excited to wake up in the morning. But on those days when she doesn't care for foundation or mascara, she makes sure to stick to her skincare routine. She advised New Beauty readers that "I believe, more than fixing anything, in preventing [aging]. Once you get the wrinkle, once you get the sagging neck, that's it. There's no cream that is going to fix you. So, prevention, prevention, prevention!"
From TV appearances in shows like Mad Men to the big screen, January Jones isn't often seen without makeup, including on her Instagram page that's amassed over 1 million followers. Aside from the glam squad that keeps her primped and perfect for movie premieres and award shows, Jones clearly loves to experiment with bold looks on her own.
One day she'll post a hot pink smokey eye done by a makeup artist for the red carpet and the next it will be a natural look with simple cat eyeliner that she did herself for a random Zoom meeting. No matter the reason, Jones loves to show off whatever makeup look she's sporting that day.
January Jones doesn't pretend to be in full glam every day. Like in this picture, she literally woke up like this. As she explains in her post caption, she's wearing jewels and not makeup because she couldn't figure out how to take off her necklace. Here's to hoping she didn't have to cut it off!
But it seems that Jones is even more siked about skincare than she is about makeup. At the beginning of December 2021, she shared every single product she uses during the day. And we mean everything from her morning routine to hair and body care. More than anything, the actress swears by hydration and gentle ingredients to soothe the skin and create a natural glow.
If her Instagram proves anything, Megan Fox lives for fashion. She's always serving new looks from luxury brands and her makeup is sculpted to perfection in every post. She even takes time to feature pictures of movie makeup from her long workdays on film sets. Usually, she's promoting the film, but it's still nice to see products of expert FX makeup artists outside of the theater.
Ever since her breakout role in Transformers, Fox has been held to the highest standard of beauty. From the Los Angeles Times praising her angelic good looks to MTV, FHM, and People ranking her at the top of the hottest and "most beautiful women" lists, the actress can't evade the reputation that with beauty comes power. When she started getting tattoos at 19, other people got tattoos. She's one of Hollywood's top trendsetters for a reason!
But Megan Fox doesn't exist to be the woman draped across a Camaro like in Transformers; in reality, this beauty isn't afraid to show what's underneath her makeup. Despite what many people say about her, she's actually quite confident without makeup or "skimpy" outfits. Here, she shares an early morning selfie before she gets the day started.
Fox revealed to HuffPost that her holy grail skincare product isn't some $500 eye cream from a luxury brand. "I have to wash my face every 12 hours and then moisturize," she said. "I only take showers as I don't like sitting in bathwater. After my shower, I moisturize with grapeseed oil from Whole Foods. It's a great moisturizer and lighter than olive oil." Get this: it only costs $12!
If Chrissy Teigen has taught us anything, it's to speak your mind and live your truth no matter what anyone has to say about it. Sure, that mentality has landed the model in hot water on many occasions, but that doesn't stop her from living her life how she wants.
Whether she's full glam or completely natural, Teigen loves to capture her rollercoaster life on Instagram. According to Marie Claire, Teigen spares no expense for good products. She drops a pretty penny on Giorgio Armani foundation, Givenchy brow gel, and a $106 concealer. What else do you expect when her makeup artist is beauty mogul Patrick Ta!
But no woman, including Chrissy, loves wearing full glam every day. Honestly, the thought of it sounds torturous. Sitting in a makeup chair for hours on end doesn't sound fun, and even a quick 5-minute makeup routine gets tiring after a while. This lovely picture shows off Chrissy Teigen's natural beauty on one of her days off from makeup.
Even though it's fun to splurge on expensive cosmetics, Teigen proves that real beauty doesn't come from products but from herself. And a good skincare routine. Genes will do most of the work for you but it's healthy to give your skin an extra boost with cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF. Plus, she shared with her Instagram followers that her "secret" to glowing skin is Le Prunier's Plum Beauty Oil, dubbing it both "holy" and "magical."
Jessica Simpson is a jack of all trades, dabbling in music, acting, writing, and fashion design ever since releasing her debut album Sweet Kisses in 1999. She loves makeup so much that she started her own makeup and beauty line in 2004 called Dessert! Even though the brand didn't work out, she's worked in other realms of the industry as well, filming The Price of Beauty in 2010 which took viewers on a trip around the world to highlight differences in beauty standards in different cultures.
Simpson is open about the pressure she felt to lose weight from all of her time working in Hollywood and the demanding music industry. Recently, she's tried her best to let what the haters say define her. During an interview with Today, she explained that her weight shouldn't be about appearances, but how she feels inside: "I have no idea how much I weigh. I just want to feel good and be able to zip my pants up. If I don't, I have another size. I have every size."
The singer-actress-businesswoman shared an early morning picture from her pillow before getting a head start on her hectic day back in 2018 just to tell her audience "Good Morning." More recently, she shared a bare-faced snap on Instagram to celebrate sobriety from alcohol. Along with the raw picture, she shared her thoughts on the past four years.
"The drinking wasn’t the issue. I was," Simpson noted. "I didn’t love myself. I didn’t respect my own power. Today I do. I have made nice with the fears and I have accepted the parts of my life that are just sad. I own my personal power with soulful courage. I am wildly honest and comfortably open. I am free." Sober, beautiful, and free!
Best known for professional modeling and hosting the reality competition show America's Next Top Model, Tyra Banks is synonymous with beauty. Also known as BanX, the former supermodel was the first African-American woman on the covers of Sports Illustrated and GQ. Victoria's Secret higher her as an official Angle in 1997, a role she maintained until 2005.
According to MODELS.com, Banks is one out of seventeen models to be included on the Legendary Supermodel list and Time magazine dubbed her among the world's most influential people multiple times over. On top of all these accomplishments, Banks even started her own line of cosmetics called Tyra Beauty (unfortunately, many critics dismissed it as an MLM).
Supermodel Tyra Banks is known for her looks and killer "smize," but that doesn't mean she's scared to bare it all for the camera. As she says in her post "Maybe you're thinking, 'Whoa, she looks ROUGH.' And if you are, great! You deserve to see the REAL me." Banks captioned the post with her morning thoughts regarding real honesty online:
"You know how people say #nofilter but you know there's a freakin' filter on their pic? Or maybe there's a smidge of retouching going on but they're lying and saying it's all raw & real? Well, this morn, I decided to give you a taste of the really real me. I wanted to smooth out my dark circles so badly!!! But I was like, 'Naw, Ty. Show 'em the REAL you.' So...here I am. Raw. And there YOU are... looking at me, studying this picture."
Adele's "yassification," as Gen Z would call it, has landed her countless interviews regarding her beauty and fitness routine. Years ago, the singer claimed that she wouldn't be driven to get in shape because of a music label or outside pressures. And that's exactly what happened. During her tell-all interview with Oprah, Adele revealed that unbearable anxiety attacks were the real reason why she lost 100 pounds.
Even further, she addressed her disappointment with the backlash she received for losing weight but admits she wasn't surprised. "I'm not shocked or even fazed by it because my body has been objectified my entire career. I'm either too big or too small. I'm either hot or I'm not," Adele explained. "I was body positive then and I'm body positive now. It's not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies. I feel bad that it's made anyone feel horrible about themselves, but that's not my job. I'm trying to sort my own life out. I can't add another worry."
Adele has obviously never let others define her worth whether they tried to based on her weight or her looks. There's a reason she's famous for bucking any kind of industry pressure put upon her to look a certain way. Here, she shares a picture without her famous cat eyeliner, and — no surprise here — she's drop-dead gorgeous.
Adele is confident enough to forgo most makeup in her collection but there's one thing she'll never skimp on. "I love a brow," she told YouTube makeup artist NikkieTutorials. "But also if I don't dye my brows — like these are dyed — I look like Voldemort... I do it once a week on my own now."
Talk-show host and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres isn't exactly known for her makeup, nor do people really care if she's "done up" or not. Aside from sitting in makeup chairs for standard stage makeup before filming her Ellen episode of the day, DeGeneres keeps it natural from day to day.
DeGeneres's wife Portia de Rossi, however, is a former model and actress and sports the standard Hollywood glam look most of the time outside of their home. Plus, she knows what it feels like to be constantly evaluated by the media based on beauty. Sure, it's nice to rank on "Hottest Woman Alive" lists but plenty of pressure to live up to those unreasonable beauty standards for the press is exhausting.
The power couple shared a spring break selfie from the beach. Even though Ellen is a Covergirl spokesperson, she's not afraid to go sans makeup. Even Portia flaunts her bare face on Instagram, posting snapshots and clips from inside their glamorous California mansion. In fact, most of Portia's posts feature the couple being goofy in the kitchen in their natural state.
And aside from her contract with Covergirl, DeGeneres is an avid spokesperson for skincare. She even launched her own "age positive" skincare line with beauty guru Victoria Jackson. Their shared brand Kind Science "isn't about anti-aging, because aging is a good thing, " DeGeneres revealed at the product's launch. "It shows you've lived a lot, learned a lot, and hopefully laughed a lot. I want to keep laughing, just with fewer laugh lines and wrinkles!"
Ever since 2016 when she released the cover art for her album Here that featured her completely bare-faced, Alicia Keys is always spotted makeup-free in public. The singer-songwriter and actress has participated in the music industry since she was 15 years old and isn't shy about revealing the toll their tough beauty expectations had on her. While she admitted to Today that she loves "lip gloss, blush, and eyeliner," she refuses to be "beholden" to it.
“Makeup was a big thing for me; I had been wearing it since I was, like, 16-ears-old," Keys told Glamour UK. “And then, as I got into the music world, it was what you did every day to do your television, or to do your shoot. So, I did it because I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do. And I realized I became addicted to it; I didn’t feel comfortable without it.”
It shouldn't come as a surprise now that Alicia Keys shares pics without any makeup on. The singer has made public statements regarding her decision to go makeup-free, including her appearances on the BET Awards and hosting duties on The Voice. She's naturally beautiful as it is, so what's the point of slathering on cosmetics that won't do much more than clog your pores?
More than anything, Keys doesn't want to feel pressured to cover up. “It doesn’t have anything to do with makeup or no makeup," the singer clarified at the 2016 Grammy's. "It has to do with who are you, what makes you feel good, how do you want to express that and even just asking the questions — What do I feel? How do I feel good? However that is, you should do it."
Carrie Underwood, the breakout American Idol Season 4 champion, is the only country artist to debut a song at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Now she has over seven Grammys under her belt! How else is a country music queen like Underwood supposed to survive sudden stardom other than going full glam?
Among a long list of various philanthropy projects and product endorsements she's involved in, Underwood famously signed deals with OPI, Almay, and Olay skincare to market cosmetics, nail polish, and skincare products to her fans. All this to say, Underwood isn't against makeup but she does know how to live without it.
Carrie Underwood has gotten some flack in the press and public for worrying about her post-injury appearances. But the star hasn't been shy of sharing sweaty makeup-free workout pictures before. Despite admitting to PeopleStyle that she'll "always put makeup on, even if it’s just a little bit,” she likes sharing bare-faced photos as long as it's on her own terms. She despises feeling "bad about [her] pictures" if she's taken off guard by fans or the press.
As for her beauty secrets, Underwood shared a few with Prevention.com. “I drink a lot of water,” she said. “For me, step one is to eat healthy that hopefully works its way from the inside out." She also loves coconut oil even more than standard moisturizers and creams. “I like oils instead of moisturizers. I feel like they take make-up off better.”
Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o makes sure to keep it real on her Instagram page in between red carpet events, movie premieres, and Hollywood award shows. She's a stunner on and off the red carpet but she really shines when she struts her stuff in designer gowns with her hair and makeup artistically crafted for the event.
The actress loves to share behind-the-scenes clips of herself in the makeup chair or getting dressed with her stylist. When asked by a fan "What is the one piece of makeup that makes you feel most confident" during a Q&A with British Vogue, Nyong'o replied, "[I] love mascara. It's light and it's dark and it's easy to put on and it just brightens the eyes."
Despite admitting that she adores mascara, Nyong’o is fine living without it. For example, she shared this low-key summer Sunday picture while relaxing comfortably (without makeup) around the house. She didn't draw attention to the fact that she was makeup-free with a cheesy #nofilter hashtag. She simply lets her beauty speak for itself, even going so far as to tell Vogue that she wears "makeup as seldom as possible."
Her Instagram page is filled to the brim with videos and silly snaps of Nyong'o prancing bare-faced around her home and she's rarely captured wearing makeup by the paparazzi. Like most women, she prefers to keep her skincare routine simple "otherwise, I won't do it," she admitted to Vogue Arabia. "Mostly, I listen to my skin. In the morning I’ll check and see: Does my skin feel overly dry? Is it irritated? And then I will adjust my routine based on that. I sometimes do a facial massage just to get the blood going."
