<p>Alicia Keys made her judging debut on America&rsquo;s new series of <em>The Voice</em> this weekend, joining fellow judges Miley Cyrus, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton in the famous spinning chairs.</p><p>But while the new judging line up has been a hit so far, fans of the show did have one big question on social media; why is Alicia Keys wearing no make-up?</p><p>The answer, is pretty brilliant.</p><p>Earlier this year, singer and songwriter Alicia decided to completely abandon wearing make-up, in favour of a more ‘real and honest&rsquo; presentation of herself.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJZbXDQBaKA/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-22T04:18:53+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Aug 21, 2016 at 9:18pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Explaining her decision in a powerful essay written for <a href="http://www.lennyletter.com/style/a410/alicia-keys-time-to-uncover/ " target="_blank">Lena Dunham&rsquo;s <em>Lenny </em>email newsletter</a>, Alicia highlights how she believes that make-up contributes to the pressure on women and girls to look ‘perfect&rsquo;.</p><p>Describing the way make-up can affect the self-esteem of young girls, she writes of her own early teen experience with cosmetics: “It's another moment where some piece of you realises that to fit in or be thought of as beautiful, you have to cover up to be a bit closer to perfect.”</p><p>Since choosing to go make-up-free, Alicia has walked red carpets at award ceremonies and posed for magazine shoots all bare-faced. The promotional pictures for her new single <em>In Common</em> also see her going make-up-free, and according to the musician, she&rsquo;s never felt more beautiful.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4866595518% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"> </div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHDStzqBr-a/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thinking about you and sending you love!!</a></p><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on <time datetime="2016-06-24T20:57:16+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jun 24, 2016 at 1:57pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><p>Describing the way she used to feel when popping out without any make-up on, Alicia writes in her essay: “Every time I left the house, I would be worried if I didn't put on make-up: What if someone wanted a picture?? What if they POSTED it??? These were the insecure, superficial, but honest thoughts I was thinking. And all of it, one way or another, was based too much on what other people thought of me.”</p><p>But now? Now, she&rsquo;s done with all of that.</p><p>“I swear it is the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt,” Alicia says of going make-up-free.</p><p>"I don't want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing."</p><p>Since sharing her new outlook on life, self-love and cosmetics, the singer has seen hundreds of women all sharing their own #nomakeup snaps with her on Instagram &ndash; a trend which she hopes turn into a '#nomakeup revolution'!</p><p>See Alicia working her natural beauty on <em>The Voice</em> in the clip below:</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="415" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNBCTheVoice%2Fvideos%2F1155539971150017%2F&show_text=0&width=760" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="560"></iframe></p>

Alicia Keys brings her #NoMakeup Revolution to The Voice judging panel

By Asda Good Living,22nd August 2016

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