Earlier this week, Demi Lovato’s Complex spread dropped in all of its topless, knife-wielding glory. On Friday (Oct. 2), Vanity Fair released another type of shoot—makeup-free, nude, and totally unretouched.
Vanity Fair photographer Patrick Ecclesine writes how the spontaneous shoot came about and the rules Demi set forward for it: super-sexy, but no makeup, no fancy lighting, no retouching, and no clothing.

In a behind-the-scenes video from the shoot, Demi explains, in her own words, why she decided to do it, saying, “When I think of confident, I think of many things, but one feeling in particular is feeling comfortable in your own skin. There was something incredible about the idea of no makeup whatsoever, no clothes, and no retouching. You know, that says—I never would’ve thought I’d get to a point in my life where I’d feel comfortable doing that.”