Popular Bachelor Contestants Who Are Unrecognizable Without Makeup
Every year like clockwork, The Bachelor fans gather around their living rooms, wine glasses in hand. There, they prepare to analyze Bachelor contestants' behavior, chemistry with the lead, outfits, and makeup. How do the girls seemingly look perfect every single time they're on camera? As it turns out, the contestants spend a ton of money on beauty treatments and cosmetics before they get to the house, according to Refinery29.
Seeing the women of The Bachelor look so good day in and day out makes us wonder... what do they look like without all the makeup and perfect lighting? On a normal day, whether they're just running errands or lounging around the house, do they let their skin breathe like the everywoman? With each passing season of the long-running reality show, more and more contestants become social media influencers and share their lives with their newfound fans. Part of this, for some popular Bachelor contestants, is showing their audience what they look like when they forego makeup for the day, and some of them are nearly unrecognizable without makeup.
Bachelor contestant Kaitlyn Bristowe's makeup look has changed a lot
Kaitlyn Bristowe might be one of the biggest stars to come out of the Bachelor franchise. She starred on Broadway, hosts a successful podcast, and has her own line of hair accessories, as noted by People. Since starring on The Bachelorette, Bristowe has remained immensely popular and boasts over 1.7 million Instagram followers. She's never been afraid of revealing herself to fans, as evidenced by the nearly constant stream of story updates on the Bachelor contestant's accounts and weekly podcasts where she gets personal about her life and relationships.
While Bristowe's account is full of photos of her looking her absolute best at events and photoshoots, she's also shared some selfies with her bare face, revealing, "I often have to remind myself that I actually feel sexier like this, than I do dolled up and in edited glam shots." She looks absolutely beautiful whether she's all glammed up or taking a selfie while letting her skin just breathe for a bit.
Ashley Iaconetti was known for her makeup skills as a Bachelor contestant
While a Bachelor contestant on Chris Soules' season, Ashley Iaconetti became known as the girl who wanted to be a princess (via Bustle). While competing for Soules' heart, Iaconetti wore elaborate gowns and perhaps even more elaborate makeup — truly looking the part of a Disney Princess. Iaconetti revealed to Allure that, when she was getting ready in the house, she would take her makeup to the balcony where the light was better while the rest of the girls fought over mirrors inside.
While she was on Bachelor in Paradise, however, it was much harder to get all glammed up. Iaconetti told Allure, "It was 90-degree weather, and there was no escape. Everything was melting off..." Fans who tuned in to Iaconetti's appearances on The Bachelor spin-off may have caught glimpses of the reality star with a fresh face.
In 2019, however, Iaconetti shared a close-up selfie with a completely bare face — a rare sight for anyone remotely familiar with the star. While the snap was a major departure from how fans normally see Iaconetti, it was a welcome change.
Bachelor contestant Cassie Randolph is a beachy beauty with or without makeup
Cassie Randolph's natural beauty was extremely evident throughout her time on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor. The eventual winner of Underwood's heart was often seen wearing minimal makeup that really let her face shine. However, as is the case with many Bachelor contestants, Randolph likely doesn't have many opportunities to go completely makeup-free between posing for photoshoots and Instagram ads and doing the media circuit.
While Randolph's Instagram feed is now a curated collection of ads and photographs from events, she still gives fans a peek at who she is when she's not around all the cameras and even reveals some of her beauty secrets in Q&As. When fans asked if she'd had any cosmetic procedures done, she admitted to getting both lip fillers and botox, according to Life & Style. But Cheat Sheet reported that, when a fan asked Randolph just how her lips always looked so red, the reality star revealed that it was all natural.
Randolph's honesty about her beauty secrets is almost as refreshing as the photos of herself without makeup that she frequently shares with her fans. Even if she looks very different with no makeup than she does on TV and at events, her natural beauty always shines through.
Lauren Bushnell has gotten really good at makeup since her Bachelor contestant days
Lauren Lane (though fans may know her as Lauren Bushnell) has always been drop-dead gorgeous. It's definitely not hard to see how former Bachelor Ben Higgins fell for her charm and good looks during his season. However, in Lane's post-show life, she's definitely stepped up her makeup game.
On her wedding day, Lane revealed to Glamour that her makeup look wasn't too far off from her normal routine. And it's true, these days, fans rarely get a glimpse of the former Bachelor contestant sans winged-liner or perfectly contoured nose — both of which were in full force on her big day. However, she has shared some makeup-free selfies before, and, while she's still absolutely stunning, the transformation shows just how powerful makeup can be. Though fans may not realize it by glancing at Lane's Instagram feed, the reality TV star told People she actually sports a fresh face a lot more often these days, revealing, "I just let my skin go natural and do its thing."
Former Bachelor contestant Hannah Brown prefers skincare over makeup
Hannah Brown has been all over America's TV screens since appearing on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor. She's since led her own season of The Bachelorette, something she no doubt wants to put behind her, as well as spent time on Dancing with the Stars. As such, it seems Brown, who's been a part of moments of The Bachelorette that made us all cringe, has had to be camera-ready nearly nonstop and fans rarely got to see her letting her skin breathe. That said, Brown got extremely candid with Into The Gloss about her skin struggles.
While competing as a Bachelor contestant on Underwood's season, Brown was on Accutane, a harsh drug used to combat acne. Since the treatment can be harsh on the skin, Brown revealed she had to let her skin breathe, saying, "I had the worst skin out of all the girls, but I was one of the only ones who wouldn't wear makeup when we were just sitting around." Even though fans don't often get a glimpse of Brown without makeup, she's likely sporting a fresh face when she's not on camera. She also told Into The Gloss, "I care more about my skin than I do about wearing makeup 24/7."
Demi Burnett is one former Bachelor contestant who looks so much younger without makeup
Demi Burnett was one of the most divisive contestants on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor and, later, on Bachelor In Paradise. However, whether you loved her or hated her, you can't deny she clearly knows her way around a beauty blender (or whatever her applicator of choice is). Her highlight always has the perfect amount of shine and she knows just how to make her bright blue eyes pop. Burnett revealed to Cosmopolitan, however, that her holy grail product is actually finishing powder, which she says is the key to making sure her makeup looked good on TV.
Much like the realness she brought to fans' TV screens, Burnett also frequently shares her "real" self on social media, too. The former Bachelor contestant tweets what she wants and shares behind-the-scenes glimpses into her everyday life on Instagram, sometimes with a face completely free of makeup. Fans also caught a glimpse of the star with a fresh face while she starred on Bachelor in Paradise, as the beach heat likely inspired some of Burnett's makeup-free moments. At those times, it was clear to see just how much makeup changed Burnett's appearance, as her youth and natural beauty look way different than we're used to.
Bachelor contestant Corinne Olympios looks totally different without makeup
If Corinne Olympios' attempts at winning Nick Viall's attention on The Bachelor didn't steal the show, her startlingly clear skin, plump lips, and big brown eyes certainly did. Olympios has clearly nailed her personal beauty regimen, as both her everyday and event looks are always on point. While many Bachelor contestants freely admit to hiring professionals for events, Olympios claims the opposite, telling Us Weekly that she doesn't let anyone else do her makeup because "no one knows your own face better than you do."
According to Us Weekly, Olympios' go-to products are lip gloss and vaseline, and she never leaves home without mascara. She also loves Givenchy foundation and Kylie Cosmetics' eye palettes, even though they may not be worth the money (via Us Weekly). Her true secret, though? A good moisturizer, according to Makeup.com. Olympios' fresh-faced selfies reveal nearly flawless skin and perhaps her focus on using a moisturizer is why.
Rachel Lindsay didn't really use makeup before appearing as a Bachelor contestant
Rachel Lindsay made history as The Bachelorette's first black lead. For a show that has frequently come under fire for its lack of diversity, this was a big step (via Refinery29). Lindsay quickly became a fan favorite while competing on Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor and went on to find love for herself in her own Bachlorette season with Bryan Abasolo.
On her season, Lindsay was often seen sporting false lashes and a bold lip. However, as a Bachelor contestant, Lindsay revealed to PopSugar, "I went to the Bachelor mansion with a few things: mascara, a little tube of Vaseline, some lip gloss, and setting powder." That's it. Throughout the season, though, the other girls in the house taught Lindsay how to do makeup and now she has a routine she follows herself.
Even after all the tips from her Bachelor friends, Lindsay often still goes fresh-faced, occasionally sharing photos of herself with no makeup on Instagram. Needless to say, those makeup-free pictures are a dramatic change from the bright red lip and long lashes her fans are used to.
Raven Gates learned how to do makeup as a The Bachelor contestant
Raven Gates competed for Nick Viall's heart on The Bachelor, making it all the way to the finale before Viall ultimately chose Vanessa Grimaldi (via The Hollywood Reporter). Gates revealed to Makeup.com, "In the Bachelor mansion I did an everyday face with just foundation, eyeliner, and mascara." That's pretty much as close as you can get to a bare face without actually wearing no makeup. However, Gates also revealed that she was able to learn a lot about makeup after getting to know a few of the more knowledgeable girls in the house.
These days, Gates can contour and highlight like a pro, according to Elite Daily. The former Bachelor contestant's newfound love of cosmetics is extremely evident in the photos she shares on Instagram, where she can be seen sporting bright lips and smokey eyes. However, fans who watched Gates on Bachelor in Paradise may have caught glimpses of the reality TV star with a totally bare face.
Former Bachelor contestant Andi Dorfman prefers a natural look
Andi Dorfman was the star of The Bachelorette's tenth season, and she eventually chose Josh Murray as her winner. Despite them being one of the most memorable Bachelor couples, the two didn't last. Throughout the season, Dorfman's natural beauty shone through all the tears and break-ups. While that may be a testament to the show's makeup artists, Dorfman has proven to be quite the pro herself when it comes to using makeup to accentuate her natural beauty.
Dorfman revealed to Allure that she's become skilled at applying makeup in the car, avoiding mascara smudges and spills through clever hacks while en route to whatever event or meeting she's heading to. While fans may be used to Dorfman looking picture-perfect on TV, she also regularly goes without makeup. "I think that on a daily basis, you'll find me with very little makeup on," she told Allure, a sentiment echoed in an interview with Makeup.com, during which she said she usually wears a tinted moisturizer.
A full glam look will always dramatically transform someone's face, and Dorfman, who has been a part of the craziest Bachelor moments you didn't see on TV, is no different, even if the former Bachelor contestant's makeup seems to perfectly fit her features.
Bachelor contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes is letting go of her pageant background
Caelynn Miller-Keyes was a pageant queen before she competed for Colton Underwood's heart on The Bachelor and later found love with Dean Unglert on Bachelor in Paradise (via Vulture). Throughout Underwood's season, Miller-Keyes' pageant roots were evident in how she styled herself. However, that all changed after she began a relationship with Bachelor bad boy Unglert.
On the surface, fans wouldn't put the former pageant girl with the long-haired, road-tripping, flighty Unglert. It seems, though, that the two brought out the best in each other. Miller-Keyes told Us Weekly, "My wonderful boyfriend has made me kind of embrace the natural side of me and made me kind of accept myself without makeup on." Miller-Keyes still shares photos of herself with a full face of makeup at events — she told Us Weekly that it was still "fun to kind of go back to" her more glam days – but the former Bachelor contestant's natural face has seemingly become a mainstay on her account, too.
Britt Nilsson is a Bachelor contestant who wants people to know she has actual pores and some wrinkles
Since competing for Chris Soules' heart on The Bachelor, Britt Nilsson has been extremely open about her struggles on the show. Her situation wasn't improved by the fact that she was a frontrunner up until the moment she was eliminated and was thus a target for the other women in the house.
All of that tension came to a head when Nilsson got woken up by Soules for a date early in the morning and was shown to be wearing a full face of makeup. Then, another girl in the house revealed Nilsson actually applied makeup before bed, just in case, as noted by Glamour. It wasn't just that the girls got home late the night before and Nilsson didn't wash her face — no, the Bachelor contestant wanted to be camera-ready all the time.
It's hard to imagine how someone could go from that level of care for their appearance to sharing a bold and bare-faced selfie on Instagram with nearly 300,000 followers. These days, though, Nilsson told her followers in a caption that she has "actual pores and some wrinkles and shiny spots and zits and not-filled-in eyebrows and that's just a-ok."
Becca Tilley didn't wear makeup all the time before her Bachelor contestant days
Becca Tilley competed on both Chris Soules' and Ben Higgins' seasons of The Bachelor, and, if there's one word that could be used to describe her look, it's "glow." Tilley radiates with a sun-kissed glow year-round that some could only ever dream of achieving. Tilley told Us Weekly all she needs is "a good bronzer and a good highlighter." However, this wasn't always the case.
Before going on the show, Tilley told Allure some days she would "go in [to work] with no makeup or very minimal." However, the Bachelor contestant admitted she was always good at doing her own makeup if the need arose. These days, Tilley rarely shows a fresh face to her Instagram followers, instead choosing to show off that signature bronzed glow that goes so well with her honey-colored hair. When she does let her skin breath, though, it becomes extremely evident just how good she really is at her beauty routine, as she is nearly unrecognizable without makeup.
Bachelor contestant Hannah Godwin isn't always camera-ready
Hannah Godwin might be one of the most popular Bachelor contestants who didn't go on to star in The Bachelorette. It certainly helps that she was an influencer before she competed on Colton Underwood's season (via Cosmopolitan), but she's since amassed over 1.5 million followers on Instagram — an impressive amount for a reality TV star. Godwin started modeling before joining The Bachelor, so her Instagram feed is full of highly curated photos of her looking her best, makeup and all.
Glimpses of Godwin without a bit of makeup are few and far between, but a YouTube video showcasing her makeup routine offered fans a look at what she looks like without her signature contour. The video showcased a side of Godwin that fans don't often get to see but could probably relate to. It's not often influencers drop the veil of perfection as Godwin did, but it showed that even she looks very different without makeup on.