Here's What Tyra Banks Looks Like Without Makeup
Tyra Banks' profession usually calls for her to spend a lot of time in hair and makeup, getting all glammed up for photoshoots, movies, and TV series. She played a living doll with a passion for beauty and fashion in the comedy "Life-Size," and contestants had to undergo dramatic makeovers on her reality show "America's Top Model." Banks brought her love of runway decadence to "Dancing with the Stars," and while her couture outfits aren't always a hit with viewers, the creator of the smize serves up bold beauty looks without fail.
Because the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model has so much experience using makeup, creating her own line of cosmetics seemed like a natural career move. In 2014, she launched TYRA Beauty after completing what The New York Times called "a Harvard University executive-education program," which, as Jezebel insists, means Banks didn't pull an Elle Woods by actually graduating from the prestigious Ivy League school. During an interview with People, she explained why she decided to put her newfound entrepreneurial skills to use in such a competitive industry. "Without makeup, I would have never been a supermodel," she said. "I don't wake up with naturally sculpted cheekbones — I paint them on! I believe makeup is the great beauty equalizer."
While Banks might be a big fan of makeup's transformative power, she isn't shy about showing the world what she looks like without it. In the two photos below taken over half a decade apart, she proudly goes bare-faced.
Tyra Banks removed her makeup on TV
On a 2015 episode of the daytime talk show "FABLife," panelists Tyra Banks, Chrissy Teigen, Lauren Makk, and Leah Ashley wiped off all their makeup during a commercial break. Banks had her back to the camera when the show returned. "I'm about to show you what real nudity on your face looks like," she said before dramatically turning around to face the audience. She then taught her co-hosts how to execute her "no makeup made-up look," which started with a generous amount of under-eye concealer. "I don't leave the house without covering up my dark circles," Banks said. Next, she contoured her cheeks using the "swab" (swipe and dab) method.
That same year, Banks shared a makeup-free selfie on Instagram (above) that generated a lot of buzz. In her caption, she suggested that some social media users are "lying" when they claim that they haven't used filters or retouching tools on their photos. "Well, this morn, I decided to give you a taste of the really real me," she wrote. As for how she gets her skin looking so supple and smooth without foundation, Banks believes that slathering on moisturizer is key. "I'm not afraid of oils," she told TotalBeauty. "I think my obsession with moisturizing is one of the reasons I've held onto not looking my age." One of her holy grail beauty products might surprise you: a tub of Vaseline.
Tyra Banks went under the knife early in her career
In 2021, Tyra Banks shared a series of bare-faced photos on Instagram (including the one above). In her caption, she revealed that they were taken during "a wig break." Her followers were seriously impressed by her ageless appearance. "Still beautiful and youthful looking," read one response to her post. "This is what a beautiful face without a filter looks like," another fan wrote.
Banks has always been upfront about how she takes full advantage of the many beauty tools at her disposal, be they wigs, makeup, or even cosmetic procedures. In 2018, she fessed up to getting a nose job during her early modeling days. "I had bones in my nose that were growing and itching," she told People. "I could breathe fine, but I added cosmetic surgery. I admit it."
Banks is not here for "natural beauties" who judge other women for having work done, and she's learned that makeup can help her achieve the same sculpted look as models whose natural facial features are more angular than her own. When she "coveted Christy Turlington's cheekbones," her mother showed her how to "paint them on with makeup" (via TotalBeauty). Her mom also stressed the importance of creating a smooth surface to work with and introduced Banks to an affordable exfoliating tool: a washcloth. "A lot of people have told me that I look younger than I am," she told Essence. "I really think it's because I started exfoliating at birth!"