Here's What Lana Del Rey Really Looks Like Without Makeup
Lana Del Rey has dazzled music fans with her sultry vocals and emotive lyrics for well over a decade. However, Rey's onstage aesthetic is just as important to her career as her sweeping ballads and feel-good tunes. Over the years, Rey has become known for sporting an old Hollywood aesthetic, made famous by the actors and musicians of yesteryear. It requires dainty dresses, long, teased hair, and dramatic eye makeup — particularly the thick black cat eye that's become her signature. Unsurprisingly, Lana Del Rey makeup tutorials are a popular subcategory on the makeup side of YouTube and TikTok.
Fortunately, Rey took all of the guesswork out of the process when she uploaded her own makeup tutorial in 2017, according to Teen Vogue. Unfortunately, the full video of the Instagram tutorial has been deleted, but about a minute of it, which was originally captioned "Morning makeup to the Beatles," has been preserved by a fan account. In the video, Rey casually sings along to the legendary group while detailing her casual makeup routine and showing fans how she groomed and shaped her eyebrows, applied her mascara, and even applied the faux beauty marks she delights in.
Of course, Rey has also had a few moments when she embraced a simpler look. Here's what she looks like without makeup.
Lana Del Ray gives off casual vibes
Lana Del Rey's beauty shines through even when she's not hidden under layers of makeup. Not that we're surprised! Over the years, Rey has treated fans to glimpses of her makeup-less face, and it's just as gorgeous as when she's photoshoot-ready. One popular photo of Rey that's floated around the internet features her posing closely to the camera, wearing no makeup and long, messy braids along with face-framing tendrils. And while it's possible that Rey could have been wearing false lashes or the ever-popular lash extensions, the photo proves she's not afraid of showcasing her natural beauty when she's not onstage.
Of course, Rey bared her natural self again in 2021. Taking to Facebook, Rey posted a photo of herself with her much lighter hair pulled back into a messy bun, wearing no makeup except lip gloss, which she made sure to highlight in the photo's caption. Based on the blurred natural scenery in the background and the soft sun-kissed glow, Rey was obviously spending a little time downtime away from the music studio. However, she was doing more than basking in the sun and absorbing vitamin D, as she was helping out her sister! "This was me on set for my sister as a gaffer/prop/ costume light technician, For her new music video coming out. You'd be surprised what I can do!" wrote Rey.
Lana Del Rey's thoughts on makeup
For the record, Lana Del Rey has several no-makeup pics out there, as she's not always in pop star mode. Another fan favorite is a photo of Rey rocking her natural face as her long, dark hair cascades around it. In the photo, the "Young and Beautiful" songstress poses in a full-body shot as she stands sideways in front of the camera. Rey completed her look with a white cropped T-shirt and light-colored, drawstring pants. And while it's unclear exactly when this photo was taken, Rey exudes the same confidence in all of her eras.
While Rey has proven that she can dress up or down, she shared some interesting thoughts on modern routines compared to past beauty standards in a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair. "I find myself on random beauty-blogger pages, and I have no idea how I got there, watching a cat eye," said Rey. "All of the girls with those perfect pictures—you know, I don't hate it. I totally see the connection between that old '50s Hollywood glamour and whatever you want to call what's going on now. There's definitely a modern, heightened take," she added.
Ahh, it's refreshing to see a star embrace both sides of the glam coin.