Karoline Leavitt Will Never Live Down Her Biggest Makeup Mistakes

Karoline Leavitt has been everywhere in the media since becoming Donald Trump's White House press secretary, and that means being camera-ready at all times. In fact, the right-wing spokesperson loves to pile on the makeup so much that it may be hard to imagine what Karoline Leavitt looks like makeup-free, and it's clear she's not one to shy away from overusing products. As a makeup artist with over 15 years of experience, I find it painful to see the many mistakes she has made while doing her face, and much of that had to do with Leavitt being way too heavy-handed.

Leavitt revealed in a since-deleted Instagram reel that she usually does her own makeup (via The U.S. Sun). "I can't take all of the credit because when I arrive at the networks, the amazing hair and makeup teams provide touch-ups. However, most of the time, I do interviews from my home studio, and I'm my own glam team!' she wrote. Unfortunately, it seems she needs a professional touch, as her several blunders are just too glaringly obvious to ignore.

The current White House press secretary is in her 20s, but just like Karoline Leavitt's outfits that make her look so much older, her severe makeup applications age her as well. I always love to emphasize brows, as they're an important feature that brings out a person's eyes, but there's a tricky balance in making them prominent without overtaking the face. Leavitt didn't get this memo before she gave a briefing in December 2025 with her brows heavily drawn in. Not only was the brown color too dark, but she either used a pencil or powder to make her brows super thick.

With Leavitt's blond hair, her eyebrows should be only a couple of shades darker. A taupe color would be perfect for her skin tone and would have filled in sparse spots naturally. Instead, the dark-brown hue that she used appeared harsh and only drew attention to the patchy application. Thick brows may be in, but Leavitt's streaky pair needs to go out.

Many of us overdraw our lips to get that nice, juicy pout, but there's a fine line between slightly exaggerating them and looking like you just ate a popsicle. Karoline Leavitt's pout looked like the latter early in January of 2026 as she sat with Donald Trump inside Air Force One while completing her press secretary duties. You could clearly see where her liner sat above her natural lip line, as much of the color had faded away, leaving behind an obvious ring. What's more, there appeared to be tiny pinpricks around her mouth, which may have been from recent fillers.

MAGA women are notorious for getting facial tweaks, and it seems Karoline Leavitt is embracing the "Mar-a-Lago face" trend. Her lips look plump enough, but if she wants to make them look fuller, she can do so without the ever-dreaded ring around the mouth. Feathering the liner into the lips creates a beautiful ombré effect and helps the lipstick last longer. And, when the lipstick fades, you won't be left with a telltale sign that you drew outside the lines. When Leavitt's on the go, it would be wise for her to carry a compact and lipstick for touch-ups, especially if she's going to be caught on camera.

Karoline Leavitt was not yet the White House press secretary for Donald Trump in 2023, but it seems like she was gearing up to work with the bronzed POTUS with her equally orange face. An Instagram post shared by Leavitt in April of that year shows her with a large amount of bronzer all over her forehead, nose, and cheeks. It looked like she took a vat of bronzer, rubbed a large brush over the product, and swiped it on her face haphazardly. Curiously, Leavitt left her chin untouched, and the difference in color was quite remarkable.

Contouring the face requires knowledge of where to place the bronzer. You can't just slap some on your face and call it a day, which is what Leavitt's application looked like. I like to apply color to the top of the forehead only if I want to make it appear smaller. The temples are a good place to contour, as well as just underneath the cheekbones, for a snatched effect. Color on the nose should be applied sparingly, as if you were slightly sun-kissed — not on the whole bridge, like Leavitt's. Additionally, the shade was way too yellow for her skin tone and just ended up making her face look muddy.

There just doesn't seem to be any middle ground when it comes to Karoline Leavitt's makeup. Instead of overdoing it with the bronzer, she went the other way and piled on loads of highlighter for her brother's wedding in 2022. As she posed in her pale-pink dress, Leavitt's face positively shone, but in all the wrong ways. The shimmer used on her cheekbones and nose clearly stood out like a beam of light, especially while outside during the daytime. The color was way too light, which made it look like there was a trail of white powder running across her face.

If Leavitt wanted to play up her bone structure, she should have gone for a warmer color, like champagne or rose gold, especially with her tan skin. It's also best to apply the product sparingly to achieve a subtle sheen instead of a patchy mess. When you look at someone's face, and all you can see is their highlighter, it's time for them to dial it down several notches.