Drew Barrymore posted a refreshingly real photo on Instagram

Drew Barrymore. Photo / Instagram

Drew Barrymore has posted a photo on Instagram that shows the difference between her makeup-free appearance and hours in the makeup chair.

Barrymore, 43, has her own beauty line, Flower Beauty, and took to social media to show the products at work.

"A full face of @flowerbeauty," she wrote in the caption.

She went on to praise the makeup artist @nikkietutorials, who did the makeover.

"I love her and when you live in the beauty world, she is a rock star! Getting to do this with her, where she famously does her half face make up is so cool.

"Ps Nikkie! I wish I could have preserved this look forever! I cry as I am washing your make up off every time!"

The post has been liked more than 240k times, with one commenter writing "you're so brave".

"You look beautiful both ways," wrote another.

It's not the first time Barrymore has kept it real on social media.
In July last year she made headlines when she posted this picture on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

#becomingsheila OH MY GOD How did I let it get this bad. Base and brows needed. Must become her. #santaclaritadiet here we go again. Season two.

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on Jul 31, 2017 at 9:49am PDT

"OH MY GOD. How did I let it get this bad. Base and brows needed," she wrote in the caption, which accompanied the photo of her makeup-free face, complete with unkempt eyebrows and a sizeable amount of grey regrowth at her roots.

That image has been liked more than 108k times and fans praised her for her honesty in the comments section.

"You never try to hide anything — you're the most honest and straight forward!" said one commenter.

"Thank you for this! More people need to understand that 'perfection' is an illusion and that true beauty is underneath. Have always loved you, love you more now," said another.

Website Hello Giggles also sang Barrymore's praises: "We can't even imagine what it must feel like to be under constant public scrutiny, and it takes a lot of courage to just put yourself out there as you truly are instead of attempting to create an illusion of perfection," Toria Sheffield wrote.

Other commenters praised the fact that the actor's forehead appeared to be free of injectables.

Barrymore spoke to the New York Times earlier this year about her simple beauty routine.

"I would say 90 per cent of my life, I wear zero makeup," she said.