Alicia Keys is further opening up about her famous decision in 2016 to avoid wearing makeup.
“The “Girl on Fire” singer, 39, told Glamour UK in her cover story for the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of the publication, “Makeup was a huge thing for me; I had been trying it since I was like16 years old.
And then when I got into the world of music, it was what you did every day to make your TV or shoot it. So, I did it because that’s what I thought you were going to do. And I realized that I had become addicted to it without it I would not feel relaxed.
In a 2016 essay for Lenny Letter titled “Time to Uncover,” Keys first addressed her decision to leave cosmetics and start the #NoMakeup social media movement, remembering her faith after going barefaced for her “Here” album photoshoot.
“The Grammy winner wrote, “I swear it was the strongest, most empowered, most open, and most genuinely beautiful I have ever felt. “No longer do I want to cover up. Not my face, not my mind, not my spirit, not my emotions, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my psychological growth. None at all.’
For several red carpets and appearances that year, Keys skipped the makeup, but ultimately softened her position, telling Allure, I’m not a slave to make up.
At any given moment, I get to pick. This is my right.’
According to the glossy, Keys sported a series of makeup looks for her numerous Glamour UK covers “designed to reflect various facets of her personality, from her tomboy disposition to her soft feminine side and her completely empowered sense of self.”
Elsewhere in the plot, the star discussed the upcoming launch of Keys Soulcare, her lifestyle, and her beauty brand.
“She said, “I have had a tough time with my skin and I had to find out how to handle it and be in the spotlight. There were more bumps and scars, having to be continuously in this insane loop of putting on make-up to cover the bumps and scars and then because I had make-up on under the bright lights. I felt like I had to hide it all and I felt self-conscious.
I struggled too much in my skin and was even clear about my self-confidence and self-worth,” Keys continued.” So it’s a dream come true because I wanted to build something because when I had tough times, I wanted something that would work for me that would make me feel better and that was good for me as well.
