--- title: Alicia Keys Opens Up About Skincare description: Alicia Keys opened up about her skincare struggles in the newest issue of Elle Magazine UK. canonical: https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-11-10T20:45:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T09:03:49.830Z og:title: Alicia Keys Reveals the Secrets to Her Flawless Complexion og:description: 'It took me forever' og:url: https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt364b748265af8e45/6988ae1197cdff2c1a6ae8d4/alicia-keys-elle-no-makeup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Alicia Keys Celebrates Upcoming New Album "HERE" With Special Show in Times Square og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Alicia Keys Reveals the Secrets to Her Flawless Complexion twitter:description: 'It took me forever' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt364b748265af8e45/6988ae1197cdff2c1a6ae8d4/alicia-keys-elle-no-makeup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Alicia Keys Reveals the Secrets to Her Flawless Complexion > Sponsored content. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture recommendation newsletter, edited by culture editor Eliza Berman. Each week it surfaces the books, shows, films and ideas TIME's editors think are worth your attention, and explains why. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Does TIME have a culture newsletter? Yes. Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published weekly. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-worth-2026q3/newsletters?i=a9a26fe1-5d32-400f-87dd-889147a3bcd2&cr=time-nl-worth-2026q3-v1) by [Colleen Kratofil / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Colleen Kratofil / People Contributor Nov 10, 2016 8:45 PM UTC  Alicia Keys performs in Times Square on October 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Alicia Keys) Alicia Keys performs in Times Square on October 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Alicia Keys) Gary Gershoff—Getty Images for Alicia Keys by [Colleen Kratofil / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Colleen Kratofil / People Contributor Nov 10, 2016 8:45 PM UTC Alicia Keys’ [makeup-free moment](http://people.com/style/alicia-keys-skincare-routine/) is stronger than ever. After staying fully committed to going bare-faced [everywhere she goes](http://people.com/style/vmas-2016-alicia-keys-goes-makeup-free/) and [recruiting a handful of celebrities](http://people.com/style/stars-join-alicia-keys-makeup-free-movement/) to join in, it’s safe to say her look has become a lifestyle. We recently learned how she gets her radiant look from her [“no-makeup” makeup artist, Dotti](http://people.com/style/alicia-keys-skincare-routine/). Now, in a an interview with [_Elle UK_](http://www.elleuk.com/)_,_ Keys reveals she’s battled years of skincare struggles. “It took me forever to get this skin. I mean, I know how it feels to have a face full of bumps and pimples,” she tells _Elle UK_ in the magazine’s December issue. “I lived through that in the public eye. But when I first got pregnant \[six years ago with her son, Egypt\] I started to eliminate dairy from my diet and drank a lot more water, which made a huge difference to my skin.” A lot of people and celebrities are inspired by Keys makeup-free bravery, but she maintains she wouldn’t call what she’s championing a “crusade.” “Some have called this a crusade,” she said. “Well, I died laughing at that. I use to feel the pressure to appear as the music industry expected, but I don’t now.” Being the face of the magazine’s annual Feminism issue she also talks about the women who inspire her to be her “greatest” self in an [accompanying video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1qtz4AOtuE&feature=youtu.be). She explains how her mother gave her resilience and determination, her grandmother taught her the importance of taking care of herself, and that every woman she admires taught her how to “find her way” in herself. When asked if she identifies as a feminist, she looked up the official definition first and read it out loud. “‘The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of political, social and economic equality’ – so yes. Yes, I am a feminist, and whoever isn’t is crazy. It’s about owning your power, embracing your womanhood.” She ends her video saying she’s ready to become her “greatest self” and we say with her empowering makeup-free movement, she’s encouraging many to follow her lead to be their “greatest self” too. You can [pre-order](http://www.hearstmagazines.co.uk/special-editions-subscriptions-dec-16-alicia-keys) the December issue of _Elle UK_ now or pick up a copy on newsstands on November 15. _This_ [_article_](http://people.com/style/alicia-keys-makeup-free-elle-uk-cover/) _originally appeared on_ [_People.com_](http://people.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/"},"headline":"Alicia Keys Reveals the Secrets to Her Flawless Complexion","datePublished":"2016-11-10T20:45:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:03:49.830Z","description":"'It took me forever'","url":"https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt364b748265af8e45/6988ae1197cdff2c1a6ae8d4/alicia-keys-elle-no-makeup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Colleen Kratofil / People"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt364b748265af8e45/6988ae1197cdff2c1a6ae8d4/alicia-keys-elle-no-makeup.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Alicia Keys Celebrates Upcoming New Album \"HERE\" With Special Show in Times Square","caption":"Alicia Keys Celebrates Upcoming New Album \"HERE\" With Special Show in Times Square","creditText":"Gary Gershoff—Getty Images for Alicia Keys","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4566835/alicia-keys-flawless-complexion-no-makeup/","name":"Alicia Keys Reveals the Secrets to Her Flawless Complexion"}}]}] ```