What Does Cher Really Look Like Underneath Her Makeup?

Before there was Madonna, there was Cher. During Madonna, there's Cher. And, the way she's going, it's entirely possible that after Madonna, there'll be Cher as, despite being well into her septuagenarian years, the singing legend shows no signs of slowing down. However, it seems that aging has slowed down for the 77-year-old, with her flawless skin and chiseled features. But what about when the makeup's off? What does the bare-faced Cher look like?

The life and career of Cher are as colorful as her boho outfits. Her Instagram is filled with glam pics from her tours and photoshoots where she's decked out in sequins and lace. Her makeup is always perfectly on point, and Cher's hair is thick, glossy, and flowing. Still, she works hard to turn back time. Cher ran through her beauty regime in an interview with British Vogue. She said the first thing she does when she wakes up is drink lots of water and meditate. She always eats healthily and exercises regularly. 

Cher is big on facial massages, which help rid her face of fluid, and when she remembers, Cher uses a special clay face mask created by her former makeup artist. "When you first take it off, you look strange — you have to wait for your face to unwrinkle," she said. Wrinkles? Cher? Surely not! Well, what about underneath her makeup? Does she look as good without the war paint as with it, or do the pesky wrinkles play a starring role?

In "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again," Cher plays a loving grandmother. Still, with her glittery ensembles and make-up, she's far from your regular gramma. But what about when she's not red carpet and camera-ready? Candid photos of the singer are rare, but they do surface from time to time. In 2010, a bare-faced Cher was snapped on a shopping trip at a Hawaiian Scrimshaw shop at the Whaler's Village in Maui, Hawaii.

The 77-year-old was dressed casually in denim and sweats with a white straw cowboy hat perched on her black curls. There wasn't a hint of make-up in sight, and annoyingly, there wasn't a wrinkle in sight either. In another set of pics, Cher is seen wearing a blue bandana. And once again, although she looks tired, her face is crease-free. So, how does the 77-year-old have the skin of a 20-something?

Well, Cher has been open about spending a fortune on her looks. According to a 1992 People article, Cher began going under the surgical knife after seeing herself in the movie "Mask" in 1985. "I can look better than this," she reportedly told herself, going on to have a nose job, dental surgery, and breast enlargement. Still, Cher vows that she's had nowhere near as much work done as believed, let alone the long-rumored rib removal surgery. "I've had the same cheeks my entire life," she insisted in an interview. "I've never even thought about having any ribs taken out."

Angelina Jolie once claimed to In Style that she embraces and loves getting older. "I [see myself] aging, and I love it because it means I'm alive — I'm living and getting older," Jolie said. Cher, though? Not so much. In fact, she's far from happy about the ravages of time.

In an interview with Maria Shriver in 2016, Cher opened up about how she feels about aging. "I look in the mirror, and I see this old lady looking back at me," Cher said. "I have no idea how she got there. If I put 70 candles on my cake, I would blow my brains out." She admitted that she's never been satisfied with her appearance and stated that she's not a huge "Cher fan." The music icon continued to keep it real in an interview with the Guardian in 2020. She said she hated getting older and refused to pretend otherwise. "Any woman who is honest will say it's not as much fun," she said, sharing that she's no longer able to go to clubs all night and doesn't really like going out at all anymore.

Meanwhile, despite her own procedures, Cher said she's disturbed by the increase in teenagers going under the knife. "I've never seen girls do so much to want to change everything they look like. I never wanted to do that. You've got big lips to start with and a big butt. I don't understand it," she said.