A Miss England finalist has gone down in history after becoming the first contestant to ever compete without makeup.
Melisa Raouf, a student from London stunned the judges with her bare-faced beauty at the pageant’s semi-final earlier this week.
The beauty queen, who has previously been crowned ‘Miss Bare Face Top Model London’, is the first to go au naturale in the contest’s 94-year history.
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Melisa said that she chose to veto cosmetics and beauty products in hope of inspiring others to embrace the way they look.
The 20-year-old stated that she wants to eliminate the ‘toxic’ narrative surrounding makeup and the social media obsession.
(Image: Kam Murali / SWNS)
Melisa added: “It means a lot to me as I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so.
“When I started wearing make-up at a young age, I never felt comfortable in my own skin. I never felt I met beauty standards.”
Melisa has had her inbox flooded with support from people who say she has ‘inspired them’. And she plans to do it again in October for the Final.
She added: “It was quite a daunting experience but so amazing to win this way. If one is happy in their own skin we should not be made to cover up our face with makeup.
“Our flaws make us who we are and that’s what makes every individual unique. ‘I think people should love and embrace their flaws and blemishes, as we know real beauty lies within simplicity.
(Image: Melisa Raouf/Facebook)
“I have recently accepted that I am beautiful in my own skin and that’s why I decided to compete with no make-up.
“I still feel confident in myself, with makeup I’m all concealed. This is who I am, I’m not afraid to share who I am. I wanted to show who Melisa truly is.
“I’m going to the finals bare-faced. I would love to use my Miss England platform to empower natural beauty and eliminate this toxic mindset.
“I’ve had so many girls message me telling me how I’ve made them feel more confident in themselves.
“With mental health being such a big topic, I want to make all girls feel good. I just want to remove all the beauty standards. I feel like all girls are beautiful in their own way.
“I feel like I’ve done it for all girls.”
(Image: Melisa Raouf/Facebook)
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Miss England organiser Angie Beasley said she introduced the Bare Face Top Model in 2019 after becoming shocked at the amount of make-up and filler contestants had.
Angie Beasley said: “I saw too many unrealistic images on Instagram and contestants thinking they needed to wear make-up to look beautiful.
“It encourages contestants to show us who they really are without the need to hide behind makeup and filters on social media.”
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