Makeup-Free Zooey Deschanel Is Such a Departure — See Photo

When I think of what makes Zooey Deschanel‘s signature look so very Zooey Deschanel—and I think would be true of nearly anyone you could ask—it’s primarily her bangs. For the last two decades, that thick, smooth fringe has rarely allowed us to peek at her forehead, and it pairs so well with her often voluminous, retro-inspired long hairdos. But it wasn’t until today, when I saw her without it, that I realized it’s also her eye makeup that really clinches that signature look.

Deschanel attended a special screening of The Knife alongside fiancé Jonathan Scott, wearing a drapey, denim, belted shift dress by Electric Feathers. As she so often does, the actor wore her long hair loose and slightly wavy, topped off, of course, with her instantly recognizable eyebrow-obscuring bangs. She even wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses that feel like a throwback to her character Jess’s look in The New Girl. But it’s what was under those glasses that was so unexpected: nothing.

Deschanel’s beautiful blue eyes went without eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, or false lashes, which made me realize just how much eye makeup is part of how we picture her. She nearly always wears lush lashes, often with thick, vintage-look liner, and while she’s not entirely unrecognizable without them—the bangs are still there, after all—she definitely looks different with nothing but a touch of complexion makeup and lip gloss.