Five reasons to try barefaced beauty

Five reasons to try barefaced beauty

Five reasons to try barefaced beauty – because au naturel is in.

Last year singer-songwriter Alicia Keys stopped wearing make-up. In a heartfelt post on Lenny Letter (link) following her decision, she reminisced over years of scraping her wonderfully wild hair back at school, of being intimidated by teenage girls whose ability to create the perfect winged eyeliner belied their age, and of being frightened to touch the outside world, despite her talents, without a mask. She was sick, she said, of ‘how much women are brainwashed into feeling like we have to be skinny, or sexy, or desirable, or perfect.’ She was sick, she said, of hiding. So, she did something about it.

Ditching make-up, overhauling her skincare routine and finding comfort in her own skin, Alicia’s #nomakeup movement caught the eye of most at a The Voice performance where her glowing skin was met with equally glowing reviews. ‘How could she look that good without make-up?’ And ‘Isn’t she brave?’The concept was so alien to most that it was almost shocking, but it wasn’t long before a number of celebs wanted to try their hand, too.

Mila Kunis went barefaced for Glamour’s August issue last year while more recently Drew Barrymore shared her bushy brows and bare skin on Instagram. So, it’s fair to say we were intrigued. Chatting to Kirsti Shuba, skincare expert and founder of Katherine Daniels Cosmetics, we asked – why go barefaced?

To let your skin breathe

There’s a reason you should remove your make-up at night – and it’s not just because your mum told you so. Kirsti says a clean complexion is vital for skin cell regeneration. ‘Let your skin breathe, but also regenerate!’ she says. ‘Our skin cells regenerate to healthy new ones overnight. Having clean clear skin free from make-up allows our skin cells to regenerate much better resulting in healthy glowing beautiful skin. If make-up is not removed correctly, it can restrict the skin cells from functioning as they should.’

To save time

If anything allows us more time in bed in the mornings, we’re in. ‘Save time applying your make-up and removing it!’ says Kirsti. ‘We all know it’s important to remove our make-up, but it can take forever! Your cleansing routine will become much quicker with no make-up to remove from your skin, leaving you more time to spend doing all the things you love!’

To save money

We’re suckers for nice make-up, but it can come at a price. ‘Make-up can be costly if using every day,’ agrees Kirsti. ‘That’s a healthy boost for our bank balances by cutting it out. Why not invest the extra cash into good skincare and treat yourself to a facial? Your skin will thank you for it, and the benefits will last much longer as you won’t be covering up the results!’

To find your beautiful

It might be hard to believe now, but a couple of weeks sans make-up and a solid skincare routine can transform your skin. ‘Look after your skin and let your natural beauty do the work,’ Kirsti advises. ‘By using great skincare and looking after your skin you won’t need to wear make-up as your skin will always be looking fresh and radiant, your skincare products will go much further and achieve the best results.’

To boost your confidence

Not sure how you’ll feel? ‘A little scary at first maybe, but it’s not as bad as it sounds,’ says Kirsti. ‘Once you’ve got used to going make-up free you’ll feel much more confident and empowered in your own skin. As well as all the other benefits it’s a great feeling, you’ll never look back.’ The real winner for us? The new-found ability to rub your eyes without the fear of smudged mascara. Win!

To get younger looking skin

While we wear make-up to glam up or feel good, it could be the reason our skin isn’t at its best. ‘The make-up we wear during the day attracts free radicals,’ explains Kirsti. ‘These free radicals break down the collagen production in our skin and essentially speed up the ageing process, and our skin becomes dull and dehydrated. Keeping skin clean, while protected with the correct skincare, will keep you looking younger for longer.’

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