How to go make-up-free like Pamela Anderson, from skincare to styling

Pamela Anderson has nothing against make-up. It is just that she has been there, done that in her younger years. That is why now, at 58, the actress is attending fashion shows and film premieres with a blissfully bare face. It is a look, especially for older women, that serves to plague and perplex. Do we chase youth – and relevancy – with a full face, or do we foster radiant skin and march on make-up-free? “I’m not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room,” Anderson told Vogue magazine ahead of a recent show she attended during Paris Fashion Week. “I feel like it’s just freedom. It’s like a relief.” Down here in the non-celebrity world, is it just as easy and comfortable to go make-up-free? Some proponents of the look, along with style and beauty experts, weigh in. Women, particularly older women, are not universally giving up make-up, but Anderson, singer Alicia Keys and other celebrities who have publicly shown off bare faces have certainly inspired some to cast it off. Working women, however, acknowledge difficulties doing that on the job – especially in traditional, less creative workspaces. “I do still think that there are some politics associated with it – more around feeling and looking polished,” says Deborah Borg, chief of human resources for a creative-leaning company that has roughly 25,000 employees. She says she has seen more women come into work make-up-free since Covid, and thinks the pandemic significantly altered the workplace dynamic. Borg, 49, gave up make-up four years ago, save an occasional swipe of her bold, signature red lipstick. At Dalya, a clothing shop in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood, she lent herself as a model to demonstrate how to help one’s bare skin glow and how to use attire and accessories to accentuate the look. Make-up artist Rebecca Robles counselled Borg and others with mature skin to think about hydration when choosing products to make the most of their bare faces. Robles recommends a five-step workday routine: a gentle cleanser that does not strip the skin; a vitamin C serum to brighten and mitigate fine lines; a moisturiser with sun protection; a separate broad-spectrum sunscreen for an extra boost – do not forget to apply that to the ears; and a glossy lip balm for a bit of added polish. No mascara? No problem. Use a lash curler to offer a bit of pop to the eye, Robles says. And gently brush brows into place to complete the look. Find products with hyaluronic acid and ceramides, Robles suggests, and always swipe up with skincare products to minimise tugging and pulling on the skin. “When your skin is glowing, one thing that’s really fun to keep in mind is that light reflects off that moisture in the skin and can help blur out any fine lines or enlarged pores. So it’s win-win,” Robles says. She advises that each product should sit for a minute or two before the next step is applied. Borg emphasises the ease of her morning routine since going make-up-free. She used to spend about 30 minutes just on make-up. Now, she does her hair and face in half that time. Natalie Tincher, a personal stylist and founder of Bu Style, praises Anderson, Keys and other celebrities who have gone without make-up both publicly and on social media. “They look beautiful, and they’re so confident in their natural persona and who they are that I feel like it’s really giving an example for all of us women to say, ‘Hey, what am I hiding? I don’t have to do that. I can make the choice if I want to go no make-up, minimal make-up or full glam. I can have those choices,’” she says. For her clients going make-up-free, she uses a three-prong approach. First, with clothes, “use a lot of colour. I call it our filter,” Tincher says. Second, play with texture; it determines how light will be reflected. “So, if you have something more matte, that is going to create a more soft lighting on you. If you have more silk satin, like say something like a blouse, it’s going to be more like a laser beam,” she says. Finally, accessorise. Tincher says added touches like lapel pins, earrings and necklaces can provide a finished polish – especially if that polish is still expected at work. A considered style can offset judgments about going make-up-free, she says. “Think of your outfit as the big picture. When you walk in, what is the statement that it’s making? It’s not just about one part of you, it’s your whole presence in a room,” she says. Colleen Gehoski Steinman, who is based in the US state of Michigan, recently pivoted from a career in public relations and fundraising to professional sewing. During the pandemic, she stopped colouring her hair, then gave up wearing make-up much of the time. But at 59, she is not a stickler about it if she is going to be in lighting that will wash her out. “This is who we really are, and you can be beautiful just as you are,” Steinman says. In South Carolina, Cate Chapman manages a bagel shop and sells her home-made custards at farmers’ markets in the Greenville area. As a teen, she was all in on make-up but has been happily free of it since the early 1990s. “I just thought, for one, make-up is expensive,” says Chapman, 57. “Putting it on is time-consuming. As a female, I’m making less, and my male counterparts don’t have to put out this expense. It isn’t fair. It feels expected and it’s not right.” Make-up, she says, “felt like prison”. She stopped gradually, giving up foundation first. But still, she is not above applying a bit of mascara on special occasions. “If you enjoy it, do it,” Chapman says. “But if you feel like a slave to it, let it go.”

How to go make-up-free like Pamela Anderson, from skincare to styling

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Inspired by Pamela Anderson, an increasing number of women are embracing the make-up-free look. Experts advise on how to pull it off

Inspired by Pamela Anderson, an increasing number of women are embracing the make-up-free look. Experts advise on how to pull it off