The Most Embarrassing Celebrity Makeup Fails Of 2024

Objectively, there is no wrong way to wear or apply makeup. American beauty standards that were universally beloved in the aughts — super thin brow with icy blue eyeshadow — and the 2010s — thick, carved-out eyebrows and a huge cut crease with a matte foundation — are now shunned values of the past. Different cultures value different aesthetics as do different people.

Although there is no wrong way to look when wearing makeup, a makeup look flops when the intended outcome is blatantly unachieved. Some infamous examples of celebrity makeup disasters include Angelina Jolie and Natalia Portman's unblended setting powder, James Charles's Flashback Mary, Kelly Osbourne's yellow foundation, Rihanna's almost white under-eye concealer, and more. A makeup look can also flop if the look is for an offensive costume, which many celebrities have been guilty of on Halloween, including Julianne Hough using blackface to impersonate Uzo Aduba or Heidi Klum's Kali costume.

After years of wearing makeup for the camera, cultural education, and a significant boom in makeup's popularity through YouTube, celebrity makeup disasters have declined in frequency. However, that has not stopped some famous faces from looking less than flattering.

Although Ariana Grande has received great praise for her performance and red carpet looks for her role as Glinda in 2024's "Wicked," the same cannot be said for her blonde look. Grande is no stranger to aesthetic criticism. In years past, the former Nickelodeon star has been accused of cultural appropriation and black-fishing because of her dark tan and foundation.

After years of being a brunette (and occasionally a redhead), fans were shocked to see the "Side to Side" singer with nearly-platinum blonde hair and eyebrows. Despite knowing it was for her upcoming film, Arianators were quick to voice their dislike of the new look, "I think the hair color and eyebrow color completely work for the movie," one Reddit user confessed, "But in real life ... the eyebrows do not look good to me." Many critics of the look included concerns that the blonde washed her out and almost made her look sickly.

In a Vogue interview, Grande shared the inspiration behind dyeing her hair rather than solely wearing a wig and keeping her dark brows. "I needed to be blonde," she explained. "[There was] a softness that Glinda has with the lighter brows." Regardless of her hair color, "Wicked" was clearly a success, having earned over $160 million in its opening weekend.

Halloween is a wonderful time for creativity. Unfortunately, some people's fits are more offensive than creative. Ranging from wearing Blackface to dangerously stereotypical costumes, sadly, 2024 was no exception.

"Shrill" star Patti Harrison posted her Halloween costume online to a barrage of criticism. Many viewers believed it to be a crass illusion of Michael Jackson: her makeup was much paler and masculinely contoured with huge pink lips, a feature also associated with minstrelsy. She was also wearing a black bob and a red shirt while holding a baby doll with a towel over its head. This image resembled the infamous photos of Jackson from the day he showed his son, Blanket "Bigi" Jackson, to the press with a blanket on his head.

Harrison's look made it to the worst celebrity costumes list for TMZ, which the actress screenshotted and reposted to her Instagram. She captioned it, "[I've] been informed my Halloween costume was in poor taste & insensitive, and I am sorry. Though I will say there seems to be a bit of confusion ... my costume was supposed to be Olivia Munn??????" She promised — albeit a tad sarcastically — to try harder next year at her illusion of Olivia Munn (who's been in the news in 2024 for her marriage to John Mulaney). Despite fans arguing beneath the post, "The Newsroom" actor commented, "I knew what you were going for and I was really flattered."

JoJo Siwa has always had a standout look. When she was discovered on "Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition," she was rocking her signature high ponytail and huge hair bow. As she became popular and entered her music career with Nickelodeon, the teenager's tour makeup often included huge and colorful glitter stars, rainbows, and hearts, ranging from covering just her eye to her entire face. The looks went with her kid-centric brand and were instantly recognizable as a Siwa look.

2024 saw a new look emerge from the "Boomerang" singer. In March, Siwa teased a new look that shook the world. Rather than her bright multicolored graphic makeup, black glitter in a Kiss-like pattern surrounded her eyes. In its entirety, the spiky black makeup expanded to her forehead, chin, and neck. At 21, it makes sense Siwa would rebrand. But the makeup was crudely executed, and many found this change laughable. Comments under her posts included, "You need a better makeup artist" and "lol off brand kiss." The look was for her new PG-13 song and music video, "Karma." The song and its visuals went viral as a meme and lost her thousands of followers.

Parents were concerned for their children when it came to Siwa's rebrand, but the former "Dance Moms" star said her new look simply wasn't for kids. She released her second adult single, "Guilty Pleasure," which, although had simple makeup, caught her wearing... teddy bear lingerie? At least the makeup's better!

Although it has not been confirmed, fans speculate that former Disney star Miley Cyrus got a buccal fat removal procedure, which removes fat from the cheeks to create a slimmer face. Whether Cyrus has had work done or not, her contouring on the red carpet in 2024 made her appear strikingly gaunt.

Cyrus won her first and second-ever Grammy Awards in February 2024. She was praised for her incredible performance, hair, and outfit changes, but her makeup was another story. Makeup artist James Kaliardos has painted the artist dozens of times, so it was a surprise to see the makeup choices made for such a big night. Kaliardos paired the singer's five outfits of the night with pale pink eyeshadow, pale pink lipstick, and minimal blush, creating a lovely softness that was, sadly, overpowered by the harsh contouring under her prominent cheekbones.

The harshness of the contouring was especially blatant during her performance of "Flowers." While everything else on the singer was soft and glowing, the brown streak on the side of her face stood out like a sore thumb. At least the makeup didn't completely overshadow her successful evening.

Unfortunately, United States Representative Lauren Boebert is known more for her poor makeup than anything else. The politician paints her face with a heavy hand that greatly ages her, almost like she watched a 2016 makeup tutorial and never looked back!

Boebert's brows are the most notable mistake. They're thick and dark from beginning to end, making it hard to see her natural hair. Through the years, her brows have gotten larger and almost lost their arch. Without makeup, the Republican politician's brows are naturally thin (which we can see in her mugshot), which may explain why she's overcompensating. Her lashes are opposite of her brows: wispy and thin. Frequently, Boebert's eyeshadow is black and brown, which can make for a gorgeous eye look if it is blended properly. In a selfie taken without her glasses on, it's easy to see her lid is smudged with black, and the brown shadow almost touches her brow bone. Perhaps that's why she wears her glasses most of the time. And finally, her base. The cakey bronze look does Boebert no favors. Her blush placement also is too low, causing her face to look more pulled down.

Boebert has often been roasted on the internet for her cosmetic choices. One X, formerly known as Twitter, user wrote, "She is making Tammy Faye Bakker look like she regularly went au natural." Critics speculate that she also face-tunes her Instagram selfies, implying she knows her makeup needs help.

There have been dozens of makeup flops on "RuPaul's Drag Race." Alexis Michelle's all-green Roast look, Aja's Princess Disastah mug, Tina Burner's iconically bad makeover on Rosé, and, from Season 16, Amanda Tori Meating's makeup. Amanda Tori Meating — out of drag, Amanda Stock — had a less polished look than her competitors, i.e. juggernauts Sapphira Cristál and Plane Jane. She walked into the Werk Room with a breastplate that wrinkled at her neck and didn't match her skin tone. Her foundation was too yellow and her contour was red and poorly blended, so she looked muddy on her forehead and cheeks. Her eyeshadow was colorful but murky and shoved underneath faint and tiny eyebrows. 

In the coming episodes, the LA girl would start experimenting with her makeup, specifically, her eye looks. Rather than the bunched little looks, Stock extended her eyeshadow to big, with bright cut creases that were better, but too big in proportion to her underdrawn lips and her tiny Nike check brows. The season's "villain" Plane Jane confessed to the camera, "I think Amanda's drag looked hideous." The internet seconded her statement and roasted Stock mercilessly.

But the drag entertainer wasn't blind to her flop. After her season, her makeup improved drastically, and she clapped back at the haters online, "Nothing could be more hideous than a [hater]. I already fixed my mug but I hear the other thing is a long term condition."

Before TV, a politician's appearance was a moot point. Now, male and female politicians have makeup artists to make them attractive to the public. Since President Donald Trump is a TV personality, one would think he'd have a hair and makeup team supporting him, but it doesn't seem like the president has much cosmetic support.

Misha Lewis is a makeup artist for a dozen political figures including President Joe Biden. In an interview with Foreign Policy, she offered an analysis of why "The Apprentice" star's makeup looks so unflattering. "When selecting a foundation for someone," she explained. "It's crucial to select not just the appropriate color but also the appropriate formula that can effectively conceal the texture." Lewis pointed out that Trump uses a lot of concealer and bronzer but poorly blends them leading to the cakey texture and orange color that's always a topic of conversation. Many photos have caught him from his profile where his orange complexion had a large harsh gap between his face and side hairline. Yikes.

It's also quite notable when he forgets his concealer. In several photos, including one Trump makeup fail from a 2024 courtroom appearance, there was no coverage around his eyebrows, under-eye bags, or near his hairline, once again revealing the pale pink he hides under the makeup. Hopefully, one day the showman turned ruler of the free world will learn about a blending brush.