A refreshing, self image movement is still trending. Celebs are daring to appear in public, au naturel and proudly sharing selfies to the world, makeup-free or with minimal coverage.

The #nomakeupselfie rage originated from Fiona Cunningham – a young woman from Staffordshire, United Kingdom. Her social media campaign – #nomakeup – funded millions of dollars for cancer research.

But just as importantly, the positive expression resonated with more well-known faces, several of them influential women of color – in particular, Alicia Keys.  For the Grammy-winning stunner, going without makeup was “really empowering, really freeing,” though she’s also emphatic her choice to wear cosmetics is still important. The star’s deliberate decision to go bare-faced in 2016, went viral as she rocked her natural style on ‘The Voice’, several magazine covers, award shows, red carpets and on her latest album cover. Keys’ message even empowered African American Tamron Hall, a Today Show host, along with her male colleagues, to remove their makeup on camera.

Alicia Keys’ make-up artist, Dotti revealed the musician’s holistic, beauty approach to publications like W Magazine: “She knows you have to invest internally for your skin to look great externally. It’s also about how you process your energy. Alicia gets regular facials, does acupuncture and eats healthy and exercises.” Dotti also shared the celebrity’s less-is-more style secrets including making use of a brow definer and applying a self-tanning anti-aging serum and ‘mattifier’ to combat shine. To keep her glowing skin healthy, the make-up artist also said Alicia utilizes natural remedies like cucumber for hydration and reducing swelling, along with pure jojoba oil, fantastic as a moisturizer and exfoliant. Dotti also employs a jade roller – an ancient Chinese skincare tool used to rev up circulation, lymphatic drainage, the skin’s elasticity and to reduce puffiness in the eye area.

However, some stars, like Hollywood goddess Halle Berry, were frequently spotted with no makeup long before the 2015 trend. Berry, in her 50s, still stops traffic while jet-setting from airports or enjoying a night out in Beverly Hills. The Oscar winner is clearly comfortable in her skin: “When I’m not working, I don’t really wear makeup. I think it’s a good chance to give the skin a break. I’m big on taking care of my skin so that I can go without makeup.”

Beauty mogul Tyra Banks posted no makeup selfies and stressed the importance of moisturizing to TotalBeauty.com: “I’m obsessed with moisture. I’m not afraid of oils. I think my obsession with moisturizing is one of the reasons I’ve held onto not looking my age.”

The world is enchanted by Queen Bey. Beyoncé in a Glamour.com interview confessed: “My best beauty advice came from my mother…she always says that outer beauty fades and inner beauty has a lasting effect. She also told me to wash my makeup off before going to bed. I don’t always, but I’m trying!”

Kenyan looker Lupita Nyong’o, echoed Beyoncé‘s sentiment to BET.com: “My mother has never ever worn a drop of makeup in her life – not even at her wedding. Honestly, my mother’s outlook was hard for me to take when I was a teenager and I wanted to experiment. But in the end I appreciated it because today I can look in a mirror with no makeup on and love myself.”  The “Twelve Days A Slave” Academy Award winner also shared her love for “natural oils. I use avocado oil and Hawaiian Kukui oil on my face. I like to keep things natural, simple and straight forward.”

‘Being Mary Jane’ star, Gabrielle Union bared her natural beauty via Snapchat selfies. Now in her 40s, Gabrielle disclosed her ageless beauty weapon to Elle Magazine: “The biggest thing that changed my life, the best anti-aging secret weapon, is that in my mid-thirties I started drinking a gallon of water a day. It’s made a tremendous difference with my hair, skin, and nails.”

Megastar Rihanna, renowned for her flawless skin and candor, took the makeup minimalist approach to social media followed by millions and, even in music videos like “Four-Five Seconds” and “Stay”.  Always candid, the Barbadian beauty  knows the importance of a regimen: “ I don’t have a set routine. I just moisturize and wipe off my makeup and wash my face.” Rihanna told British magazine Hello!, “I love going home [to Barbados] and being reckless with the sun, but I notice now that under my eyes starts to get tan. I hate that! I have to put extra sunscreen there.”

Just remember, the choice of using makeup is up to you. As Alicia Keys tweeted: “ Y’all, me choosing to be makeup free doesn’t mean I’m anti-makeup.”

Be aware of the ingredients for the cosmetics you use, understand the need to cleanse carefully when using them and take a leaf from the beauty books of our stars.

As always …

Dedicated To Your Beauty,

Juliette Samuel

Esthetician/Author/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care