Nicki Minaj: "I felt naked with no make-up or fake eyelashes on"

Nicki Minaj: "I felt naked with no make-up or fake eyelashes on"

We love Nicki Minaj - her bright pink lipstick, her slightly weird hair, her feud with Mariah Carey on American Idol and her endless confidence.

So, despite the fact that she recently went topless in French Montana's video for Freaks, and tweeted pictures of herself in a bikini, we're quite surprised to find out that her scariest shoot yet was her almost make-up free one in Elle magazine.

This makes us feel funny

The American Idol judge is on the cover of US Elle's April edition, and she's not wearing any of her usual trowelled-on slap, or even a bra.

Well, this is a classy fashion mag, after all. In the three photos that have been released so far, she's posing in a (probably very expensive) leather jacket, in a weird lady-faced swimming costume and (on the cover) she's in an unzipped leather jacket. 

That jacket's probably worth more than your rent

She told Elle: "When I saw myself with barely any makeup on, it was such a… like, I’m so, so attached to my pink lipstick, it’s hard. I feel that it’s become a part of me. To go in front of the camera, without pink lips or big ol’ crazy lashes- you know, nothing â€" I felt naked. It was scary! So this photo shoot was a real accomplishment in my eyes.”

Elle is out on 26 March, and we'll be buying it and having a right old study of her face

We think she looks amazing, so maybe she'll ditch the neon lipstick and multi-coloured lashes? Er, probably not, but it's nice to know there's some Nicki under all that make-up.

The April issue of Elle magazine hits newsstands on March 26 - click here for Elle magazine's website.