What Kamala Harris Looks Like Makeup-Free

Vice President Kamala Harris had to switch gears quickly in July 2024 when President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election and endorsed her as his replacement. Harris and her vice presidential pick Tim Walz began campaigning a lot after then. So many public appearances as a vice president and a presidential candidate means public scrutiny, which is something Harris is likely used to after such a long career in politics. Although some of Harris' VP outfits missed the mark, she almost always looks put together and polished down to the last swipe of makeup. However, on social media before becoming vice president, Harris showed her more casual side and shared some makeup-free snapshots highlighting her natural beauty.

We're all up early this Thanksgiving, getting the table ready and preparing food for dinner. The meal wouldn't be complete without my cornbread dressing! pic.twitter.com/wxo1BPL52C

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 22, 2018

In November 2018 for Thanksgiving, Harris took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share two makeup-free, casual pictures from pre-dinner. In one of the pictures, she was holding up a pan to show off her cooking handiwork. In the other picture, she prepared a table with a tablecloth.

"We're all up early this Thanksgiving, getting the table ready and preparing food for dinner," Harris wrote in the caption. "The meal wouldn't be complete without my cornbread dressing!" In an interview a few years later, Harris talked about her skincare routine and how she manages her glowing skin.

In 2019, then-Senator Kamala Harris sat down with Cosmopolitan to discuss her presidential campaign. (This was before Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee in 2020 and chose Kamala as his running mate.) Interviewer Jessica Pels also asked Kamala for her skincare secrets. Harris said Cetaphil was the brand she liked to use. She had been using the makeup wipes during the campaign for the 2020 election, but typically she used the skin cleanser from the brand. "And then I have just a regular moisturizer, and that's it," Kamala said. She also wondered how serums work (and if you are too, this is how serums and moisturizers are different.)

Kamala's makeup-free skin looked completely clear in photos shared on her Facebook page on Christmas 2018. A smiling Harris stood beside her sister Maya Harris while Maya was cooking. "We started the day with tamales and chile relleno made with my mother's recipe," Kamala wrote in the caption, "and now we're about to eat my sister's delicious gumbo that she makes every year. Merry Christmas to all!"

A few months after President Joe Biden's win in 2020, Vice President Kamala Harris was featured on the cover of Vogue. Marquia James, the makeup artist on that shoot, spoke to her alma mater Winston-Salem State University and said it was wonderful doing Harris' makeup. "For my entire career, I've had the vision of working with powerful women of color," James said. "This moment was literally my vision coming to life and I feel so blessed to be a part of such a historical moment." James also spoke about her process, which doesn't involve anything drastic. "I never want to change how they naturally look, but more so bring out their best features," James said. "I believe that makeup should always be an enhancement of your natural beauty." 

In 2021, Harris' makeup artist Sam Fine spoke to Hello Giggles about his philosophy for the makeup of his clients in politics (since he also did makeup for former First Lady Michelle Obama). He felt similarly to James on how makeup shouldn't be overpowering. "As a political figure, you can't let makeup take the main stage when you have a crucial message to deliver, so it's all about elegance and beauty basics," Fine said. He also listed some of Michelle and Harris' beauty staples: "Both Michelle and Kamala go for voluminous lashes, feathered brows, radiant complexions, and neutral sheer lip shades."

For more, check out Harris' bold nod to Barack Obama's most controversial fashion choice from the Democratic National Convention.