Melisa Raouf, a finalist in Miss England, became the first Miss England participant to not wear makeup during the pageant in 94 years of its history
I am so grateful for the heartfelt support I have received from all around the world since. I did not expect my story to spread globally as it has done, but I am delighted that it has, and I hope that it can make a difference to so many women and girls. For so long, I felt as if I was never complete without wearing makeup. Only very recently have I accepted that inner confidence will always shine far more radiantly than any amount of makeup, and doing so has been liberating.
Moving forward, I hope to continue promoting the #barefacetrendmovement to help empower women of all ages to feel confident in their own skin, without feeling as if they have to conceal their self by wearing makeup in order to conform to societal pressures. Although I do still believe that it is okay to use makeup, we should not let makeup define our appearance. Wearing makeup should not be the default option, but a choice and women should be able to embrace their differences.