Despite the celebrity’s seemingly flawless appearance, she has openly admitted to a relatable yet not-so-great habit of neglecting to remove her makeup. “Sometimes I forget to wash off my makeup. Okay—almost all the time,” Swift confessed to Allure in 2011. Nevertheless, the pop star is just as stunning without makeup as when she graces TV screens and stages at her sold-out concerts — a fact evident in her makeup-free photos.
Tied together with a smile
On January 22, 2019, Taylor Swift shared a casual selfie donning a denim jacket, adorable dirty blond bangs swept to the side, and seemingly no trace of makeup. Smiling next to her “Cats” character name, Bombalurina, she aptly captioned the post, “Meow.” Even without makeup, the celebrity displayed bright eyes, clear skin, and full lips. With raised eyebrows and a somewhat mischievous smirk, this selfie radiates a playful mood, enhanced by the absence of makeup.
But what can we say? You’re gorgeous
On October 24, 2022, Taylor Swift demonstrated that makeup is not a prerequisite for capturing a moody photograph, especially when announcing the release of her latest album. Without makeup, the musician appeared genuinely beautiful with her hair styled in a braided bun as she gazed into the distance, dressed in a fairytale-inspired ensemble. The promotional post’s caption added, “Midnight, what a storied and fabled hour… On this sparkling evening, I’ll be releasing my twist on a fairytale we all know.” This picture not only affirmed Swift’s beauty sans makeup but also hinted at her internal and external brilliance, considering the success of her “Midnights” album.
He said the way her blue eyes shined …
Every devoted Swiftie is aware of Taylor Swift’s penchant for rocking sweaters (or shall we say, cardigans?). On October 24, 2018, the musician showcased her love for turtlenecks, likely surpassing her affection for makeup. In a selfie flaunting her famous blond bangs and captivating blue eyes, the pop star sported a dark, snug-looking turtleneck. The post’s caption humorously noted, “Here we can observe an Australian swiftlet in her natural habitat, a turtleneck.” The selfie emitted a down-to-earth, nature-focused vibe, with Swift exploring an Australian nature landscape in the post’s subsequent photos.
Never go out of style
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, almost every active social media user posted at least one no-makeup selfie at home with a boredom-related caption. Taylor Swift joined the Instagram trend, sharing a flawless makeup-free selfie on April 27, 2020. Staring into the camera with her iconic blond curls slightly longer than her clavicle, she captioned the photo, “Not a lot going on at the moment.” While the caption resonated with the lockdown experience, viewers were likely taken aback (or perhaps not so surprised) by how effortlessly perfect Swift looked without makeup.
Taylor Swift is not only celebrated for her musical prowess and romantic exploits, but her devoted fan base, known as Swifties, also frequently marvel at her captivating makeup looks. The songstress has flaunted an array of makeup styles since her debut single, “Tim McGraw,” graced the Billboard charts in 2006. From dark smokey eyes, blue eyeshadow, long lashes, peachy tones, to cat eyes “sharp enough to kill a man” — Swift has experimented with diverse looks. And let’s not overlook the numerous red lipsticks she has effortlessly pulled off. But have you ever wondered what Taylor Swift looks like without makeup?
‘Little Miss Dynamite’ blew up the charts when she was only 12: The story of Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee’s name may not be as recognizable as some of the other music stars from the 1960s but when you think of Christmas, you’ll know her song, and start humming her catchy tune, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Lee, now 78, first hit the stage, she wasn’t old enough to drive but her powerful vocals steered her “unprecedented international popularity” as the most successful female artist of the 1960s.
Lee, whose voice defied her diminutive stature at only 4 foot 9, became a fan favorite when she was only 12.
Brenda May Tarpley, born in 1944, got her start in the late 1940s, became huge in the 1950s, and over her career–that started before she left elementary school–she topped the charts 55 times, earning the title as the most successful female recording artist of the 1960s.
When Lee was only eight (according to Rolling Stone), her father, a construction worker, was killed at work and little Brenda–who then changed her last name to Lee–became the family’s primary provider.
Taking care of her younger brother, big sister, and mother–a cotton mill worker–was not a duty, but something she wanted to do. She said that she was thrilled when she made her first $20, so she could help her family: “Even at that young age, I saw that helped our life,” Lee said, adding “It put some food on the table. It helped, and I loved it.”
The Atlanta-born chanteuse, called a “pioneer of early rock and roll,” by the Georgia Encyclopedia, achieved “unprecedented international popularity in the 1960s.”
But, an incredibly humble human, Lee credits those who helped her achieve her dreams. When Christianity Today asked what she thinks about being a legend, Lee said “I don’t think of myself that way!” She continued, “I’m just a girl who’s been blessed to be doing what I’m doing, and there’s a lot of people who’ve sweated a lot of tears and put a lot of life’s work into me to be able to have my dream. So, if I’m a legend, then they’re legends, too.”
In 1956, the young girl joined country star Red Foley for a show at the Bell Auditorium near her home in Augusta, and she belted out “Jambalaya,” by Hank Williams.
She was then signed to appear on Foley’s Ozark Jubilee, a country music show, where millions of viewers fell in love with the sassy 12-year-old whose talent was developed well beyond her age.
In the same year, Lee signed with Decca Records, and the next year, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and fusing country with rhythm and blues–highlighted by her hiccupping vocals–she recorded early rockabilly classics like “BIGELOW 6-200,” “Little Jonah,” and “Let’s Jump the Broomstick.”
When asked if–when as a young girl–she was nervous performing in front of large crowds, she answered: “No, not really. Nobody ever told me to be nervous. The stage always felt like a hometown to me because I had been in front of people ever since I was 3 years old, singing to people. So it was a very comfortable spot for me.”
In 1957, Lee earned the nickname “Little Miss Dynamite” for her pint-sized powerhouse recording of the song “Dynamite,” and in 1958, fans heard “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” a genre and generation-crossing holiday standard, released when she was only 13.
“I knew it was magical,” she told Rolling Stone.
Over the next couple of years, she charted with hits like “Sweet Nuthin’s,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
Most of her songs, however, contradicted her experience as a young girl. Her mother didn’t let her date and she graduated high school not understanding the heartbreak of young love.
She was only 16 when she said “Love could be so cruel” in the song “I’m Sorry” and only 16 when she said “I want his lips to kiss me” in the song “I Want to be Wanted,” both back-to-back hits when she was still in school.
And when she turned 18, she met Ronnie Shacklett, whom she’s now been happily married to for 60 years.
Life on the road for Lee as a youngster had its difficulties. She celebrated her 12th birthday in Las Vegas and speaking with the Las Vegas Journal, Lee explained her loneliness.
“Of course, I wasn’t even allowed to walk through a casino, I was so young. So I didn’t even know what a casino looked like. They took me into the kitchen, then into the showroom. And then when my show was over, I was brought back out through the kitchen and back up to my room. Children weren’t allowed … in the casino area.” She continued, “There wasn’t anything to do in Vegas for a kid. The most fun I had was on the stage.”
Speaking on what she missed out on as a child, the award-winning Lee said, “Many times, I yearned to be with my friends rather than be out there on the road.”
Turns out she made new friends on the road, like with the music group that opened for her at a 1962 show in Germany. “I hung out with John,” she says effortlessly, speaking of John Lennon. “He was extremely intelligent, very acerbic with his jokes, just a gentle person. When I found out that they later said they were fans of my music, I was just floored.”
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