Alicia Keys has been a hot topic after announcing last year of her intention to go makeup-free. Oh yeah, she did go makeup — from red carpet to red carpet, video shoots to campaigns. Apart from that, she’s always wrapped up in gorgeous headwraps — another glorious movement to reckon with.
As the new cover star of Allure’s February issue, the talented singer gave an insight of her fresh-faced beauty look in the accompanying interview. While wearing a little colorful eyeliner for her Allure shoot, she explained that her no-makeup movement isn’t a strict policy. “I’m not a slave to makeup,” she said. “I’m not a slave to not wearing makeup either. I get to choose at [any] given moment. That’s my right.”
“I think makeup can be self-expression,” she continued. “I have no intention to shame anyone at all [who chooses to wear it]. No one should be ashamed by the way you choose to express yourself. And that’s exactly the point. However, if you want to do that for yourself, you should do that.”
Reminiscing on her beginnings in the industry, Keys pointed out that, “I started at 20 years old in this ridiculously invasive world [the music business] in which everyone covered me in makeup and then threw me under tons of lights, so I’d sweat for two or three hours. It took me so long to finally say, ‘Whoa! Who am I under there?’ That is just my own personal quest.”
Allure
Keys hates it when critics say it’s easy to do when you have a perfect skin. According to her, she is not perfect – she has had skin problems for years – and perfection is not the point. “I am all about a woman’s right to choose. I think a woman should do anything she wants as it relates to her face, her body, her health. Whatever mode of expression that empowers you, that’s what you should do,’ she explained. “What I am not down for is this ridiculously high, unrealistic expectation about appearance that we as women are held to.”
Allure
And she likes it when people see that glow in her, “I think there’s something really beautiful about what resonates from within us. One thing I’ve heard more than ever is this glow that people refer to that I have. I kind of recognize that glow because I’ve begun to listen to myself inside,” she said. “And I think there’s something really powerful that happens when you start to listen to yourself. It makes you feel more aware. In touch. More confident.”
“I’m not more confident because I think I’m better than, but because I’ve been hearing myself more, listening to myself more,” she added. “And that’s taken a little minute to arrive at that place. But there’s definitely something powerful about the way your inner feels that reflects on the outer, on your skin. That, to me, is real beauty.”
[otw_shortcode_button href=”https://twitter.com/fashionpolicing” size=”medium” icon_position=”left” shape=”round” target=”_blank”]Follow us on Twitter![/otw_shortcode_button]
