Alicia Keys Debuts Namesake Makeup Line on the 2022 Met Gala Red Carpet
The Keys Soulcare founder famously launched a #NoMakeup Instagram campaign in 2016.
Alicia Keys made quite the statement at the 2022 Met Gala on Monday, May 2. She looked downright stunning in her Ralph Lauren dress, and while the New York City skyline detailing was certainly a statement, it was her beauty look that took everything to the next level. Not only did the “Girl on Fire” singer debut her very own makeup line (!!) on the red carpet, but she also marked a new era in her own beauty evolution.
Keys famously swore off makeup altogether in 2016 as an act of rebellion to society’s beauty standards. Then, in 2020, she began slowly incorporating minimal makeup back into her routine—on her own terms. Now, the Grammy winner has taken her relationship with makeup full circle by launching a Color Care collection under the Keys Soulcare umbrella.
“I was taking on these tremendously oppressive beauty standards that I thought somehow applied to me in regards to being perfect, and I obviously rebelled against that,” Keys told WWD about her previous disapproval of makeup. “I found my way around to the fact that I get to create my beauty standard, I get to choose what is beauty to me, and how I want to express that.”
While Color Care is certainly a departure from what had become Keys’ signature no-makeup look, the collection still puts skincare at the forefront. The lineup is complete with a cheek tint, lip balm, brow gel, illuminating primer serum, and complexion brush. The prices range from $15 to $22. While they’re not available for purchase just yet, you can sign up for notifications to be among the first to try the line.
“Keys Soulcare is an accumulation of all the things I’ve realized over the years,” she told Marie Claire of the line for her 2021 cover story. “I can find the place to feel good and feel like myself...It’s about this idea of nurturing your soul and honoring yourself and starting to create rituals and opportunities for you to connect with yourself."
Despite Keys taking a no-makeup approach for the past few years, she’s long been outspoken about her love for makeup. “Makeup was a big thing for me,” she told Glamour UK in 2020. “I had been wearing it since I was like 16 years old. And then, as I got into the music world, it was what you did every day to do your television, or to do your shoot. So, I did it because I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do. And I realized I became addicted to it.”
