Our forum members are quick to applaud when mainstream fashion glossies do something out of the ordinary, whether it’s refusing to use Photoshop or featuring much-welcomed diverse cover stars. So it’s no surprise that Allure‘s makeup-free cover of Alicia Keys for February 2017 gained the attention of our opinionated forums. The beauty bible failed to impress last month with Zendaya‘s lackluster cover and it looks like Allure won’t be getting any love this month either. Captured by Paola Kudacki, Alicia is all smiles in the cover photo, wearing a mixture of Alexander Wang and Max Mara.
IMAGE: EONLINE.COM
“I’m confused! What’s the thinking when a magazine which consistently aids and abets the beauty industry publishes a cover with an anti-makeup message? The way I see it, Alicia Keys and her crusade is absolutely at odds with the beauty industry. Plus, I don’t think the cover works as she’s not making direct eye contact,” forum member Benn98 critiqued the moment the cover dropped.
“The thing I don’t like about this whole ‘Alicia Keys without makeup’ thing is that she is overusing it for publicity even though it isn’t completely true. She only stopped wearing foundation because she had bad acne – she clearly continues to use eyeliner, mascara and discreet lipstick. And now her team turned it into a whole ‘Alicia is a makeup-free woman, liberated from society norms’ fiasco which is a lie and a confusing one at that. Cover wise, I don’t think I like the red Allure masthead with the outfit. There is something that bugs me about the whole color combination,” critiqued dodencebt.
Also quick to disapprove was vogue28: “Don’t rate Alicia Keys whatsoever and certainly don’t rate this cover. Major downgrade and a total flop from Allure this month.”
“Who needs makeup when you have Photoshop?” Les_Sucettes asked.
Ellastica disagreed and liked what she saw. “Firstly, the beauty industry isn’t just makeup. Hair care, body care, nail care, supplements, grooming, men’s grooming, teeth whitening, skin/body treatments, procedures….Skincare is a multi-billion dollar industry. Alicia glows. The overall look of the cover is too busy for my taste but I love Alicia’s smile and pose,” she admired.
See more from Alicia’s cover story and join the debate here.
