Times Taylor Swift Went Makeup-Free And Looked So Different

Gareth Cattermole/tas24/Getty Images

Taylor Swift is known for her bright red lipstick and eyeliner. Any Swiftie worth their salt has at least one McGrath's LiquiLUST Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick in Elson 4 tucked away in their beauty bag. However, every now and then, Swift sports a look we rarely see from her, ditching the lippy and going makeup-free.

Bloggers and influencers are obsessed with what celebs look like without makeup — and for good reason. It's pretty satisfying to tear away the curtain, see stars au naturel, and be reminded that they're just like us, well, sometimes, anyway. It's also fascinating to get a peek inside your idol's beauty regimen; TikTok is packed with "steal their style" videos and makeup tutorials. Given her vast and loyal fan base, it's no surprise that countless ones are dedicated to Swift.

Want to learn how to replicate her iconic cat eyeliner? There's a video — or 64.1 million — for that! Looking for a Swift lipstick tutorial? Check out one of the 36 million that are available. Want to know how Swift gets those sparkly gold freckles? DeuxMoi has that covered! (It's Fazit Beauty, in case you were wondering). Still, with cover-up aside, what does Swift look like makeup-free? From hanging in the studio to early morning selfies, check out some of the top Tay-Tay barefaced pics.

When Taylor Swift wakes up makeup-free in the morning, there isn't a scrap of leftover eyeliner or lipstick in sight. Annoyingly, she looks fresh-faced and stunning with luminous skin and sparkly white eyes. T-Swizzle showed off her bare-faced beauty in a June 2018 selfie she posted on Instagram. "Just over here daydreaming about playing Manchester tomorrow," Swift captioned the pic, showing her lazing in bed with her cat Meredith Grey, named after Ellen Pompeo's titular "Grey's Anatomy" character.

There's a very good reason Meredith looked like the cat who got the cream. It's definitely not a dog's life for the pampered pussycat who lives a lavish A-list life. Meredith is a bona fide celeb in her own right, appearing in Swift's "Me" video, along with her cat cohabitees Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button, named in honor of Mariska Hargitay's "Law & Order: SVU" character and Brad Pitt's 2008 fantasy flick. Meredith also featured in "Deadpool 2," along with Olivia, courtesy of a shirt Ryan Reynolds wore that read "Olivia & Meredith Best Friends Purrrrr-Ever."

However, despite Meredith being the oldest, Olivia is the real kibble-winner in the feline family. According to Cats.com's Ultimate Pet Rich List, she's worth an astounding $97 million, landing her the number three spot — behind the German shepherd Gunther VI ($500 million) and Nala Cat ($100 million).

Taylor Swift had to sit for hours in the hair and makeup chair each day when she filmed the catastrophic musical fantasy and unintentional comedy "Cats." So, it was probably a relief to shed the fur for a January 2019 Instagram selfie. In the pic, a makeup-free Swift poses before a sign reading "Feline Productions Bombalurina." She captioned it, "Meow."

Bombalurina is the name of the tabby kitty character that Swift played in "Cats." Sadly, as cute as she looked in her ginger get-up, the movie was a verifiable bomb. According to Rotten Tomatoes' Critics Consensus, "Despite its fur-midable cast, this Cats adaptation is a clawful mistake that will leave most viewers begging to be put out of their mew-sery."

However, Swift managed to escape relatively unmauled. "Watching one of the world's biggest — and in her way, felinely aloof — pop stars do a PG-rated bump-and-grind while drugging her costars with puffs of catnip was not unentertaining," The Ringer wrote, concluding, "T-Swift comes off as just relaxed and detached enough to avoid embarrassment by association." Meanwhile, her major scene — where she seductively sings "Macavity" while kidnapping and imprisoning enemy cats on a barge — even won praise from some.

Taylor Swift appeared as a nearly makeup-free Cinderella at the start of her "Bejeweled" video. "Midnight, what a storied and fabled hour... On this sparkling evening, I'll be releasing my twist on a fairytale we all know. The one about the girl and her step sisters and the clock striking 12," she captioned a promo shot on Instagram in October 2022, promising a fantasy feast for fans and a star-studded cast. And true to her word, Swift didn't disappoint. Laura Dern, the Haim sisters, Pat McGrath, Dita Von Teese, and Jack Antonoff all had cameos in the video directed by a "tired tacky wench" (Swift's words).

While promoting the song's album, "Midnights," the singer told Jimmy Kimmel that directing her videos has become a beloved part of her creative process. "Writing them and then directing them, that's kind of the way that it works in my head," she explained. "If I write it, then I can shot list it, and I can storyboard it, and I know how to shoot it. So they kind of go hand in hand."

Swift said the video was created especially for the Swifties, who love glitz and glam, A-lister surprises, and Easter eggs. Once again, in true T-Swizzle style, she didn't disappoint regarding the latter. It was packed full of hidden little gems and puzzles. In fact, there were so many that Swift told Kimmel, "We have a PDF file for the Easter eggs in this video."

Taylor Swift rang in her December 2022 birthday by doing what she loves the most — working. "Thanks for all the beautiful wishes today!! I spent my 33rd birthday in the studio of course. Wouldn't have it any other way. Love you!" She captioned an Instagram pic of herself and her buddy/frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff hanging out.

Tay-Tay, being Tay-Tay, included some birthday Easter eggs for Swifties to unpack. There were the six fingers she held up: a hint she was planning to release a new version of her sixth studio album, "Reputation," perhaps? Or three fingers, three fingers, a reference to turning 33? The dollar bill lying on the keyboard: a reference to the "Look What You Made Me Do" video, maybe?

Meanwhile, it wasn't all work and no play for the makeup-free birthday girl. In the evening, she made the most of being in New Orleans by living it up with friends at an intimate birthday party. Some candid shots from the night were posted on X, formerly Twitter, and her fans were here for it. "Wow, what a gem! Taylor always knows how to celebrate in style. Can't wait to see more behind-the-scenes moments!" one wrote. "New Orleans truly made Taylor feel at home! The city's embrace of Taylor's spirit is magical," another commented. "This unseen pic of Taylor at her 33rd birthday in NOLA is a true gem — she looks radiant celebrating with friends!" a third gushed.

Taylor Swift was makeup-free and glowing when she hung out in the studio with Kendrick Lamar in October 2023. The musicians initially collaborated on "Bad Blood" from her 2014 album, "1989." He was back to re-record the track for her updated "1989 (Taylor's Version)." 

Swift posted a photo of the two on Instagram. In the caption, she praised Lamar's musical skills and humble attitude. She said he'd become a Swiftie favorite and that she was beyond grateful for his willingness to return to the studio. "The reality that Kendrick would go back in and re-record 'Bad Blood' so that I could reclaim and own this work I'm so proud of is surreal and bewildering to me," Swift wrote.

In September 2014, a month before the original "1989" was released, Swift sat down with Rolling Stone to discuss the album. It ushered in the end of her country days and the dawn of her pop icon era. Still, despite the change in genre, she continued to put a selection of (unnamed) people on blast. Although, for once, in "Bad Blood," the subject was a woman and not an ex. "For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not," Swift explained. "She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, 'Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?'"