Since announcing her right to rock a bare face in mid-2016, singer Alicia Keys has not been spotted wearing foundation or a speck of lipstick – even on the red carpet. Keys shocked the world by showing up to the 2016 Video Music Awards bare-faced. She shocked the world again in her cover story for Allure magazine, except this time it is because she has decided to wear makeup again.

  David Denicolo from Allure sat down with the artist for an interview on “Makeup, Motherhood, and [Keys’] Musical Evolution.” Keys talked about how her past experiences with makeup led her to stop wearing it daily. However she also stated, “I’m not a slave to makeup. I’m not a slave to not wearing makeup either. I get to choose at [any] given moment. That’s my right.”

  Shirley Xiao (10) expressed how she felt about Keys’ abrupt move in wearing makeup again. Xiao revealed that she did not “expect [her] to stop wearing makeup completely,” and what matters is that “she’s comfortable and happy.”

  “It’s a bold move to not wear makeup, especially when you’re constantly in the public’s eyes. I’m proud of her for taking that risk! Of course, wearing makeup isn’t a negative thing at all, but it’s super cool for [her] to stop wearing it completely, especially in this day and age.”

  A couple months prior to the VMAs, Keys released a personal essay to Lenny Letter. In it, she mentioned an impromptu photoshoot after leaving the gym one day, and how that helped her decide to go fresh face. She wrote, “It [was] the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt.”

  Although the 15-time Grammy winner received a lot of praise, not everyone was kind to Keys about her “no makeup” statement. Twitter was filled with negative feedback towards Keys’ bare face with one Twitter user tweeting, “We all know you wear BB cream sis.” @KaraRBrown from Jezebel also tweeted, “Alicia Keys is wearing makeup. JUST SAYING.”

  However, others like Heidi Collver (11), stands with Keys, whether she wears makeup or not.

  “It’s her decision. I just hope that after a months without makeup, she truly accepts herself and is happy.”

  Whether it be adding a touch of lipgloss or leaving the house with a fresh face, Keys seems to be happy making her own decisions about her appearance. Afterall, she stated in her Allure interview: “Whatever mode of expression that empowers you, that’s what you should do.”