The Chrisley Family's Worst Makeup Mistakes

The Chrisleys have had tongues wagging since appearing on their reality show since 2014, and it's not because of Todd and Julie Chrisley's prison scandal and subsequent pardoning by Donald Trump in May '25. While those were admittedly big headlines, the family has been scrutinized over their apparent love of heavy makeup and dark spray tans. As a makeup artist, I know that being on national television means having to get made up regularly, but that doesn't mean caking it on — and this intense style hasn't gone unnoticed by fans. "I absolutely love the Chrisleys ... but why is everyone's face orange and swollen this season?? They are so beautiful without all that!!" a Facebook user posted in 2022. "Too much spray tan [and] makeup," a viewer replied.

While "Chrisley Knows Best" has been off-air since March 2023, there have been plenty of times the reality show stars flubbed their makeup while in the spotlight. Todd and Julie's daughter Savannah Chrisley particularly still loves the spotlight as she regularly updates her podcast, which she shares on YouTube, and her heavy-handed application is there for all the world to see. From bad spray tans to outdated looks, the Chrisley family definitely does not know best when it comes to makeup.

A little bronzer here and there never hurt anybody, but Julie Chrisley didn't get the memo that less is more when it comes to getting that glow. During Season 9 of "Chrisley Knows Best," the matriarch looked like she piled on the spray tanner and then added a healthy dose of contour. Instead of choosing a bronzer that complemented her skin's undertone, Julie went several shades too dark and overly warm. If you look at her neck, which is lighter than her face, you can see that her skin tone is on the cooler side, and the yellow in the bronzer just ended up looking like a muddy mess.

Since Julie is naturally fair, I would not have gone that dark with the self-tanner/bronzer combo, as the effects just end up looking unnatural, especially on television. With cameras having higher resolution these days, every flaw and inconsistency gets picked up, so blotches, uneven skin, and makeup mistakes are extremely visible to viewers. This is why makeup artists like to use a lighter hand, and a good one will know the fine line between making the talent look camera-ready without going overboard with the products.

Looking at Savannah Chrisley's makeup for her June 2025 podcast episode, one would have thought it was from 2015 instead of a decade later. The heavily contoured face, thick false lashes, and overly lined lips were reminiscent of the baked makeup that Kim Kardashian made popular over 10 years ago. By comparison, makeup trends you'll see everywhere in 2025 include barely-there foundation and cloud-like blurred lips. Instead, Savannah seems stuck in the past with her love of smokey eyes and an overload of bronzer.

In March 2022, Savannah shared a makeup-free selfie on Instagram while promoting her beauty line Sassy by Savannah. Her skin looked gorgeous and radiant, which only proved that she doesn't need layers of foundation. Fans agreed, and one wrote, "Natural beauty you definitely don't need makeup." Another shared, "You're insanely beautiful. I'm floored at the moment. Please never wear makeup again. It's absolutely not needed. You do not need a full face." While it's true that Savannah doesn't have to put on a beat face to shine for the camera, it is fun to put on some makeup once in a while. A bit of tinted moisturizer, some cream blush, and a swipe of mascara would polish up the reality star's face without making her look like a 1980s beauty pageant contestant.

The biggest mistake many make when it comes to false lashes is not ensuring that they're properly glued on, which is what happened to Lindsie Chrisley in an Instagram selfie taken in November 2021. While the rest of her makeup perfectly looked fine, the inner corners of her falsies were floating upward, looking like they were going to fall off at any second. It was even more apparent as Lindsie hadn't applied eyeliner on her top lids and used a light shimmery shadow with a darker shade in her crease.

An easy hack for applying fake eyelashes like an expert is to look down into a mirror during application. This allows you to see where the strip is landing, which should be as close to the base of your lashes as possible. When it's set, I like to use a lash curler to further adhere the falsies so that they blend in with your natural lashes. Getting the length right is also key in not having them come undone, and it looks like Lindsie's was a bit too short. With her naturally wide-set eyes, it would have been best to connect the false lashes to the inner corners of her eyes with dark liner, which would have better concealed her wonky application.

We all know that Julie Chrisley isn't a master at makeup, but her application at a 2019 event in Nashville looked like she got ready in the dark. For one, her foundation was way too light, making her look like she had a floating head. While part of that could have been from the camera flashes, it's apparent that her neck and chest were two completely different colors, which makes me believe she blended the foundation down but failed to cover up her décolletage.

Another big mistake Julie made was failing to fill in her eyebrows properly, with the front parts beginning too far apart from each other. The rounded shape also wasn't doing her any favors, and she would have fared better with a slightly pointed arch to balance out her full face. Instead of the shimmery silver shadow, Julie should have gone with a golden hue to add some warmth to her makeup. It would have complemented her pretty peach lipstick, which is the one thing she got right that night, at least.