Melania Trump Has Had Some Seriously Bad Makeup Fails

You would think that anyone who spends most of their life under the glare of the media spotlight would know a thing or two about perfecting their on-camera look. However, Melania Trump is a living testament to the contrary, and she isn’t the only Trump who has committed crimes against cosmetics.

There is a seemingly never-ending list of Trump family makeup fails that have left us speechless. For instance, Lara Trump appeared to have borrowed her father-in-law’s bronzer before stepping on stage during the 2024 RNC. Then, who can forget the time Donald committed the ultimate makeup sin during his Dr. Phil interview in August 2024? Concealer lips may be back in fashion, Donald, but let’s face it, the naughties trend looked terrible back then, and it hasn’t improved over time.

Still, given that Melania went from model to first lady, she’s the most mysterious offender of all. She spent years behind the camera during her modeling career, so she really should know better. But apparently not. From daytime dark faux-pas to heavy bronzer overload to a liner and lips mismatch, Melania has had some seriously bad makeup fails. We’re checking out five of them.

In November 2019, Melania Trump gave her husband a run for his money in the bronzer stakes. Ripping a page straight from the Donald Trump tan book, her face was an unnatural shade of orangey brown. The color continued down her neck but petered off at the chest, leaving a noticeable two-tone difference.

Melania and Donald were in the White House Rose Garden for the traditional annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon. The president was presented with the dilemma of choosing between two Butterball birds to liberate: 45 lb Bread or 47 lb Butter.

In true Donald style, he couldn’t resist the opportunity to sneak in a political dig. “Thankfully, Bread and Butter have been specially raised by the Jacksons to remain calm under any condition, which will be very important because they’ve already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Shift’s basement on Thursday. Hundreds of people have,” he said. “It seems the Democrats are accusing me of being too soft on turkey, but Bread and Butter, I should note that, unlike previous witnesses, you and I have actually met.” Donald went on to draw a comparison between vultures and the media before finally saving Butter from the chopping block.

Melania Trump loves herself a smoky eye, and she can certainly rock the look. However, there’s a time and a place for everything, and the Governors’ Spouses’ gathering in February 2020 wasn’t really it. In fact, Trump’s makeup was more suited to a night on the town than a lunch at the White House.

Trump has worked with the same makeup artist for over a decade. They met on a People photoshoot in the late noughts and have stuck together ever since. Nicole Bryl, who also works with Sandra Bullock, Cindy Crawford, and Snoop Dogg, is credited with helping to perfect Trump’s signature look of bronze skin, dark eyeshadow, and shiny, pale pink lips.

WWD caught up with Bryl in January 2017 to discuss what, if any, makeup alterations Melania would make after becoming the first lady. “I believe the change in her image will unfold as time goes on,” she said. “We are all experiencing this threshold for the first time together, so it will also be exciting for me to see how everything will evolve. One thing I am certain about, Melania’s beauty and impeccable taste will become iconic.”

Melania Trump let her liner and lipstick mismatch do the talking when she sat down for an interview with “Fox & Friends” Ainsley Earhardt in September 2024. Makeup artists agree that a slightly darker lipliner can enhance a look, but they recommend using a shade of the same color. Hence, Trump’s brown liner and shiny, pale pink lipstick mismatch made for a makeup mishap.

“Pink lipsticks are a universally flattering choice, offering a range of shades from soft and sweet to bright and playful,” Colorbar Cosmetics explains on its website. “To complement your pink lipstick, choose a pink lip liner that matches or is slightly darker than your chosen shade. This creates a soft, romantic look that flatters most skin tones.”

Hit or miss, Trump’s makeup doesn’t come cheap. Her makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, told Us Weekly that it cost a whopping $901 to perfect Trump’s inauguration ceremony look in January 2017. Among the items she utilized were Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil in Cruz, Urban Decay Naked Ultra Nourishing Lipgloss in Lovechild, and Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy Defining Eye Shadow Wet/Dry in Brash Bronze.

When it comes to her eyebrows, Melania Trump likes to go big or go home. She’s the queen of the power brow, penciling in thin, feathery strokes to create the illusion of hair, covering any gaps, and achieving a beautiful, thick, shaped arc. However, Trump took it too far in July 2023 when she attended a meeting of the President’s Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health System. Her penciling overload resulted in her resembling Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, which, let’s face it, is unlikely the look she was aiming for.

Trump’s perfectly smooth face, devoid of lines or wrinkles, has fueled cosmetic surgery speculation. However, she denies ever having had any work done, insisting she’s au natural and intends to stay that way.

“I didn’t make any changes,” Trump told GQ in April 2016. “A lot of people say I am using all the procedures for my face. I didn’t do anything. I live a healthy life; I take care of my skin and my body. I’m against Botox, I’m against injections; I think it’s damaging your face, damaging your nerves. It’s all me. I will age gracefully, as my mom does.”

In December 2019, Melania Trump went into blusher overload while attending the 97th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in President’s Park, Washington, DC. The holidays were a stressful time for Trump during her first White House stay, with the pressures of decorating and hosting extra events.

Trump was often criticized and ridiculed for her unconventional decoration choices, especially her white and silver 2017 display and blood-red 2018 extravaganza. Social media compared the spooky former to “True Detective” and “Macbeth.” Meanwhile, the latter drew comparisons to “The Shining” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

I scrolled by this photo of actual White House holiday decorations four times before I realized it was not from a production of Macbeth pic.twitter.com/yUOVYsCAuD

— Joseph Scrimshaw (@JosephScrimshaw) November 27, 2017

However, it transpired that the most appropriate pop culture reference would have been “The Grinch.” In October 2020, Trump’s former friend and employee, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, leaked audio of a conversation between the two that she secretly recorded in the summer of 2018. In the tape, obtained exclusively by CNN, Trump makes her true feelings about the Holidays crystal clear. “I’m working … my a*s off on the Christmas stuff, that you know, who gives a f**k about the Christmas stuff and decorations? But I need to do it, right?” She ranted.