Why I Am Only Partially Here For Alicia Key's #NoMakeUp Campaign + 25 Ordinary Black Women Who N

Let me just start off by saying this: I absolutely love Alicia Keys. I have been rocking with her since she dropped Fallin' and at 12 years old, she had me singing about being in love with a man in prison. I wasn't about that life but I was about her. She was raw, she was real and she was unapologetic. She also seemed to be going through the same issues I was: teenage acne. I have rocked with A.K. so long, I remember when she was one of the main celebrity voices behind the skincare company, ProActiv. Y'all remember that? So when she came out with this whole #NoMakeUp Campaign, I slightly chuckled on the inside...no I take that back, I full out hollered. Listen, as a Black woman, especially as a Black mother, #nomakeup is a normal part of life. I know the Internet will have us think that every woman has 14 hours every morning to sit in front of a mirror and apply a "fresh face" but the reality of it is, most of us wake up and slay and no one is patting us on the back. We don't have the money, time, or resources to see professional dermatologists who can get our skin back dewy and soft before we shout to the world about how proud we are of the skin we are in. No shade Alicia, but I wish you would have made this stance when we were both suffering from embarrassing pimples on our foreheads.

In honor of the ordinary women out there everywhere, I salute you. I salute you for being beautifully you and loving the skin you are in. Check out these 25 natural fresh faced beauties slaying...well, just because.

1. @Inspire_U_Today