Jennifer Aniston Went Without Makeup For A Film And Loved The 'Empowering' Feeling

It's easy to see why actor Jennifer Aniston has reached icon status. The "Friends" alum is a true talent and was even the trailblazer behind "The Rachel," one of the most iconic haircuts in pop culture. Even Jennifer Aniston's face transformation since "Friends" is head-turning. The actor has made great beauty choices over the years. Refreshingly, though, she has also admitted that she enjoys going low maintenance from time to time, especially when she worked on her 2014 film "Cake." Today reported that Aniston loved how much makeup she didn't have to wear when making this film. "[It was] so fabulous — so dreamy and empowering and liberating," she said. "The only time I had to sit in the makeup chair was just for the scars."

As you can see in the above still from the film, Aniston presented a fresh-faced look that remained throughout the film. In the movie, her character was experiencing deep loss and chronic pain, so forgoing makeup was a fitting choice. The role was a sharp contrast to the characters Aniston usually portrays, and her attempt to try something new didn't go unnoticed. Her performance in the film earned Aniston a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globes and another nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Jennifer Aniston takes a high-low approach to beauty in real life

Jennifer Aniston is pretty down-to-earth when it comes to her own beauty routine, and like her "Cake" character, she prefers to keep things on the simpler side, opting for minimal makeup in her daily life. She told Harper's Bazaar UK in 2025 that the beauty essentials in her bag are mostly the basics, such as sunscreen, lip liner, a heated lash curler, and Elizabeth Arden lip balm. However, though she keeps her makeup light, Aniston told People in 2025 that she's more maximalist in her approach to skin care, making regular use of "facials and lasers and all that good stuff." It's a high-low approach to beauty, if you will.

Aniston has spoken about her plastic surgery opinions before, and while she has dabbled in the past, the actor has decided not to get Botox for the time being. It seems the star plans to continue the relatively minimal approach to her overall beauty routine. Though facials and laser treatments aren't exactly simple skin care, Aniston does more now so she can do (and wear) less later — an attitude we can definitely get on board with.