Musicians Who Are Unrecognizable Without Makeup

Makeup can be downright magical. If you've ever gone down the rabbit hole of makeup tutorials on YouTube, you know this, and you likely have seen just how transformative it can be when applied with a deft hand. Whether you want to camouflage scars, play down some wrinkles, glam it up, or look like another person entirely, all of that is possible with a little makeup and a lot of patience. 

Of course, you can also use makeup to create a signature look, as so many rock stars and singer-songwriters often do. Whether you want to rock a bold red lip like Gwen Stefani or pile on the black eyeliner like Beth Ditto, makeup can help you distinguish yourself from the crowd. It's one big way of expressing yourself without even having to open your mouth.

But inquiring minds want to know: what do our favorite rockers and troubadours look like when they bust out the makeup removing wipes and show their au naturel mug to the world? So without further ado, here are just some musicians who look a whole lot different without a face full of makeup on.

When it comes to staying power, Gwen Stefani has it in spades. The singer and fashionista became a household name in 1995, when she and her then-band No Doubt released their breakthrough album, Tragic Kingdom. After that, she launched a super successful solo career and a fashion line, and she later landed a gig on The Voice and a Las Vegas Residency, as reported by BuzzFeed News. Our girl has quite the resume, fam!

With her platinum blonde hair and her trademark bold red lip, Stefani has created a defining look for herself that has endured for over two decades. And it's makeup, especially, that helps Stefani maintain her self-assuredness. "I've never not worn a ton of make-up," she revealed in an interview with Vogue magazine. "It's an extension of your personality and mood and it's a confidence booster." 

Additionally, Stefani enjoys getting made up in and of itself. "I do my own make-up every time I go on stage," she continued. "I think that the process — I wrote a song called 'Warpaint' about it — makes me feel like I'm ready." Sound familiar?

Boy George needs no introduction. The singer and queer icon has been slaying lewks and shutting down haters before Instagram was even a twinkle in its creator's eye. The Culture Club singer has also overcome a lot in his life, including drug addiction and the legal trouble that came with it, as noted by The Guardian. But by the same token, he has enjoyed a career renaissance, and he has an enduring popularity that ensures there's still more we can expect from him.

Boy George started experimenting with flashy clothing and traditionally feminine makeup at a young age, something that got him unwanted attention at school. "I was different, you know. Even from about the age of six years old, I was kind of made to feel different by other kids, you know," he recalled in an interview with NPR. "I was a quite pretty kid, and I got called girl a lot and woman and all of that." Fortunately for the world, that didn't hamper his innately flamboyant spirit, and he was able to flourish and become the artist we all know and love.

It's hard to believe that the first season of American Idol was so long ago, or that there was ever a time when its first winner, Kelly Clarkson, wasn't dominating the airwaves. The "Stronger" singer, who later became a coach on The Voice, is a force to be reckoned with, having cinched three Grammy Awards and 15 nominations on top of her many accolades and achievements.

Although you usually see Clarkson with a proper face full of makeup, she's actually allergic to it, and honestly she just doesn't have the love for it that many of her contemporaries do. "I just don't like wearing it all the time," she explained in an interview with Radio.com. "You start to feel like, I'm in total costume all the time, like I'm going to a war — I'm in my war paint." Where have we heard that one before?

Even though Clarkson prefers going au naturel, which is the state in which she met her husband, we can't imagine her doing so on The Voice anytime soon. But who knows? 

Like her contemporary Boy George, Annie Lennox has bucked gender norms for years, often favoring an androgynous look over a fully feminine presentation. The singer-songwriter broke out in the iconic 1980s duo Eurythmics alongside Dave Stewart, but she struck out on her own by the early 1990s. Her music videos were lush, extravagant, and often quite beautiful. "I think beauty is a special thing, but people try to turn it into something that is quantifiable and sellable," she revealed in an interview with Interview magazine. "There's this old adage: beauty lies within. It's true." Homegirl was never one to sell out, for sure, so it makes sense that her core philosophy is deeply authentic.

So, does she still like getting gussied up like she used to in her lavish music videos? "Baby, I don't," she said when asked about her makeup routine. "Listen, what do you do when you're 60? You let go. You stay healthy, and you know what really counts." Those are definitely some retirement goals, for real. Don't ever change, Annie!

Where were you when Tuesday Night Music Club was released in 1993? The debut album from singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow was inescapable at the time, with hits like "All I Wanna Do" being played every hour on radio stations across the country. After that, Crow was a 1990s It Girl, and she has been recording music and releasing albums ever since. 

Crow has evolved both musically and ideologically over the years, becoming quite outspoken about both her political views and her personal experiences. Additionally, she has a special place in her heart for female musicians who are able to make music without relying on sex appeal, such as Lorde and Adele. "There's as much power in that if not more than there is in projecting sexual images which are fine and all, but not to be misconstrued as being about beauty or power," she shared in an interview with Nylon. "Women are powerful for many reasons, not just their bodies." Sounds pretty wholesome to us, fam.

Bonnie Raitt has been giving people something to talk about since the 1970s when she released her first several albums. After that, a steady stream of music followed, including her commercial breakthrough album Nick of Time in 1989. The Grammy-winning artist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, and she continues to tour and release albums. Clearly there's no slowing her down!

The veteran musician enjoys playing outdoor music festivals, even though the weather can have an impact on her appearance. "That's just such a celebration, to be able to play under the open sky like that," she gushed in an interview with the Ravinia Backstage Blog. "It can sometimes get super hot and muggy, but you just get used to it. Whatever hair style your hair gets into, at this point, at our age, we're just glad we have hair." Hey, nothing wrong with a little pragmatism, right?

Enigmatic. Ethereal. Genre-defying and continually groundbreaking. Those are just a few of the adjectives that describe Björk, the musician who put Iceland on the musical map in America. Although Björk emerged as a successful solo artist back in the early 1990s, she's continued to have a long and evolving musical career, accompanied by some of the strangest and most innovative costuming and makeup looks. She's truly a singular artist!

Additionally, Björk was unafraid to step in front of the camera sans makeup — long before makeup-free selfies on Instagram were even a thing. She appeared on the cover of Face magazine in 1993, with her hair twisted in knots and her freckles out front. "Glenn Luchford did this photo. He's amazing with skin," she explained in an interview with Time magazine. "The camera was literally like this big — so you get all these details. I was 27 when this was taken." Fascinating!

Björk does occasionally post makeup-free selfies on her Instagram page, showing just how different she looks when she's not made up and looking like a creature from another world.