Paige Loren Cannon-James with and without make-up. (Miss England via SWNS)
By Talker
By Ed Chatterton
Miss England hopefuls will hit the grand final catwalk completely makeup-free for the first time in the beauty pageant’s 98-year history.
Each of the 38 finalists will reveal their natural look as part of the competition’s Bare Face Top Model round this year.
The round was introduced in 2019 in a bid to boost confidence, empower women and challenge unrealistic beauty standards in an age of social media obsession.
It has remained an optional round where beauty queens submit natural selfies on social media and the winner of Britain’s Bare Face Top Model automatically reaches the final 12.
Only two beauty queens have ever competed makeup-free in the Miss England final before - Melisa Raouf, 20, in 2022 and Paige Loren Cannon-James, 21, last year.
Miss London Lisa Austin with and without make-up. (Miss England via SWNS)
But organizers are now taking things a step further by inviting all finalists to walk in front of the full judging panel without a trace of makeup.
Organizer Angie Beasley said the move is a bid to show how the competition “challenges modern beauty standards and the pressure to look picture-perfect” and hailed it a “bold celebration of confidence and authenticity”.
Last year, she had considered scrapping the controversial round altogether following a backlash from some beauty queens.
It previously divided opinion with some arguing it prevented women from being able to make their own choices about their appearance.
But others believed it was empowering women by focusing on natural looks and a more realistic body image and competitors voted to keep it.
Miss England finalist Amanda with and without make-up. (Miss England via SWNS)
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Angie said: “Social media is full of filters and unrealistic beauty expectations.
“We want to encourage women to feel confident in their own skin and show that you don’t need a face full of makeup to feel beautiful.
“It’s about confidence, and natural beauty. You don’t need makeup, filters or flawless skin to be beautiful.
“This is the first time all judges and all finalists will have been invited to the makeup-free catwalk and I’m sure it will be really empowering for all the contestants that take part.”
Miss Cheshire Tabitha Bennett, 21, a fashion student from Knutsford, said: “I’ve always felt my true confidence doesn’t live in a makeup bag.
“Most days you’ll find me completely makeup-free - heading to university, out walking or meeting friends and I’m still exactly the same Tabitha who steps onto the Miss England stage.
“Makeup is simply something I enjoy for occasions, never something I need to become ‘me’.”
Miss London Lisa Austin, 25, a fashion model from Wembley, said: “I love this round, I like what it represents, and it’s so nice to see women from all backgrounds embracing their bare faces.
“I think there’s a real beauty in that.
Amarachi Ugo from Nottingham with and without make-up. (Miss England via SWNS)
By Talker
“For me, the makeup-free round is of course empowering, but also a little scary.
“I have hormonal acne, so breakouts are very common for me, and I love looking glam because that’s when I feel my most confident.
“However, when I’m makeup-free, I often have to show up with confidence, even when I don’t necessarily feel it.”
Another finalist, Angel Patel, a 25-year-old associate genetic technologist from Leeds, said: “Posting a selfie with no makeup on isn’t always an easy thing to do in today’s world.
“Makeup is an art. It can be creative, transformative and empowering, and I genuinely admire the people who use it to express themselves.
“But sometimes, among all that beauty, I think we can forget to appreciate the face underneath it all.
“Growing up, I remember seeing Bollywood actresses arrive at events with little to no makeup.
“You could see their real features, their skin, their imperfections and somehow, that felt normal.
“There wasn’t this constant pressure to look perfectly polished all the time.
Angel Patel with and without make-up. (Miss England via SWNS)
By Talker
“I look back at pictures of myself as a little girl and think about how little I cared about how I looked.
“If I didn’t have makeup on, it never crossed my mind that I should feel insecure about it. And I want to find a little bit of that feeling again.
“Because there is nothing wrong with loving makeup, but I don’t want to ever feel like I need it to love the person looking back at me in the mirror.
“So here I am, bare-faced, completely myself, and learning to appreciate the features I was born with.
“Maybe confidence isn’t always about changing what you see. Sometimes, it’s about learning to see the beauty in what was already there.”
Following the bare-face catwalk, contestants will prepare for the glamorous red-carpet grand final in full makeup if they choose.
Dr. Gunjan Bedi, medical director of The One Clinic, which is sponsoring the round, added: “We are proud to partner with Miss England in celebrating natural beauty and empowering young women to embrace what makes them unique.”
The Miss England final will be held at Athena in Leicester, on Nov. 17.
The winner will go on to represent the country at Miss World 2027 in Tanzania.
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