- Experts
ByJessica Choi
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As a former model and first lady, Melania Trump is always poised and camera-ready. By now, we know that her go-to look is smoky eyes, contoured cheeks, and light-pink lipstick, which she rarely deviates from. In fact, a source told Us Weekly back in 2016 that even when Melania would pick up her son, Barron Trump, from his private school inNew YorkCity, she was always in full glam. After over 15 years working as a makeup artist, I admire her dedication to always rocking a beat face, but even Melania can't look perfect all the time, although she certainly tries her best.
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Naturally, when she entered the White House, she requested a room designated just for her hair and makeup. "Melania wants a room with the most perfect lighting scenario, which will make our jobs as a creative team that much more efficient, since great lighting can make or break any look," her makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, stated to Stylish in early January 2017 (via Us Weekly). Unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that Melania's makeup is impeccable. Even with the best lighting, she's had a few blunders, and it just goes to show that even a former FLOTUS doesn't always give good face.
Melania Trump forgot to swap her summer bronzer for her winter bronzer
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It's no secret that Donald Trump loves to look as tan as can be, and sometimes, he seems to have rubbed off on Melania Trump. During the White House's 2019 Thanksgiving turkey pardon, the former first lady looked unnaturally bronze under the November sun. What's more, the color looked two shades too dark for her, and it wasn't properly blended, creating a harsh line under her eyes and around her cheeks. The turkey may have been pardoned by Donald that day, but we simply can't bring ourselves to pardon Melania's overly orange cheeks.
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Melania Trump's stripe-y blush had a color-block effect
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Melania Trump has some of the best cheekbones in the world, and it's no wonder she loves to highlight them. However, in 2020, she drew attention to them in a bad way when she greeted the Israeli Prime Minister with '80s-inspired blush. When contouring your face, you want to place the color directly underneath your cheekbones, not above them like Melania did. You can avoid having the blush look like blocks by blending it with a large, fluffy brush. Add a light color on top of your cheekbones, and you'll have a beautifully contoured face that's not as obvious as Melania's.
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Melania Trump's heavy makeup was too much for a daytime look
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Melania Trump showed up to the 2020 Governors' Spouses Luncheon ready to ready to give her speech and possibly dance the day away, but even though the event took place during the day, her makeup was more suited for the evening with her heavily smoked-out eyes. While it's perfectly acceptable to create the perfect daytime smoky eye, the dark slate color on her lids overpowered her face. It could have been softened by a healthy dose of blending, and she could have also done without the heavy eyeliner. Overall, the look was definitely not one that screamed "ladies who lunch."
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Melania Trump's one-note eyeshadow fell flat
Melania Trump loves smoky eyes but for the love of makeup, she needs to use more than one shade. During an October 2024 appearance on Fox News, the mom of one looked as if she hastily swiped a charcoal eyeshadow over her lids and rushed to the studio. Usually, smoky eyes require at least two to three shades in order to provide some highlight and contrast. However, the dark color that Melania used looked flat and one-dimensional. A soft, pink shimmer on her lids and inner corners would have done wonders to brighten up her eyes.
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Melania Trump's mismatched liner and lipstick
We all want a perfectly plump pout, but using a too-dark liner isn't the way to get it. Unfortunately, Melania Trump fell into the trend of over-lining her lips with a shade darker than her lipstick. The contrast was glaringly obvious when she spoke to Ainsley Earhardt on Fox News this September, and all you could see was the outline of her mouth. A trick I use to avoid that is feathering the liner inward toward the center of the lips so that it blends seamlessly with the lipstick. Plus, you'll get a beautiful ombré effect that'll leave you with the illusion of fuller puckers.
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