A 20-year-old politics student from London has reached the Miss England final, becoming the first beauty queen to compete without wearing any makeup in the pageant's 94-year history.

Melisa Raouf, who wowed the judges by strutting her stuff completely makeup-free, said she wants to promote inner beauty and challenge the beauty ideals perpetuated on social media.

The 20-year-old moved forward at the pageant's semifinals Monday after opting for a barefaced look. Now, she will compete in the finals this October for the crown.

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"It means a lot to me as I feel many girls of different ages wear makeup because they feel pressured to do so," Melisa told The Independent.

"If one is happy in their own skin we should not be made to cover up our face with makeup. Our flaws make us who we are and that is what makes every individual unique," she added.

Melisa said though she started wearing makeup at a young age, she decided to eschew tradition for the pageant.

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"I never felt I met beauty standards. I have recently accepted that I am beautiful in my own skin and that is why I decided to compete with no makeup," she added.

Organisers of the event previously introduced a makeup-free modelling round to the competition, but say it is the first time anyone has chosen to compete without makeup.

According to them, Melisa also plans to go bare-faced again at the national final of Miss England pageant in October.

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