The Makeup Move Zoe Saldaña Is Taking 'Extreme Pleasure' In Trying Out
For decades, Zoe Saldaña treated makeup like a skill to perfect. The Oscar-winning actor said she used to spend time trying to nail the "no-makeup makeup look" like a pro. However, that era has evolved into something much simpler and stripped back for Saldaña. In an interview with InStyle in April 2026, she discussed how she takes "extreme pleasure" in going out with no makeup. "I just like it. I care less and less how others are perceiving me, and I care more and more about how I'm perceiving myself and honoring how I'm feeling as well that day," she said.
Given that Saldaña's skin changes throughout the month, she's learned to accept it instead of changing it with heavy foundations and powders. "I think that as a woman, your skin in the first week of the month is very different from the third week of the month. So, accepting that and working with that is really important," she commented. What once felt like a necessity to her has become optional, and almost unnecessary. Saldaña looks fresh-faced, even without having makeup, so the choice was right there.
Zoe Saldaña's less-is-more approach is rooted in family norms
Although Zoe Saldaña has had some outfits that missed the mark, she had a more stripped-down approach to her glam – or lack thereof. This is something she credited her mom and grandmother for instilling in her. "I think it was like my grandma, and my mom too. It's just hygiene, good hygiene. To have a clean mind, a clean heart, and a clean body are all imperative things to living a good life," she told Harper's Bazaar in April 2026. The lived-in approach to beauty and self-care is rooted in her Caribbean upbringing, as she explained, "It's just, it's a lifestyle for us. Caribbean peoples, you know, it's so hot in the Caribbean, so you're constantly taking showers," she said.
But most importantly, she discussed how her mother firmly believed in letting nature take its course with their bodies. "My mom did not believe in overwhelming our bodies and our systems with too many products. So for her, it was as natural as possible ... But also, there was that one thing that worked. Let's just stick to that one thing, and let's not overstimulate our senses." For Zoe Saldaña, her beauty philosophy is about choosing what feels right in the moment, even if that means doing less.