News Anchors Who Couldn't Erase Their Makeup Mistakes

News anchors are no strangers to wearing makeup on the daily — after all, they have to look camera-ready all the time. Not all of them get it right, however, and occasionally, they're left with makeup mistakes that are preserved on the internet forever. Many admit to doing their own faces, with Megyn Kelly noting in the past that she learned how to get glam during her years as an anchor at Fox News and NBC. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean she should quit her job and become the next Pat McGrath.

As a makeup artist myself with over a decade of experience, it's easy for me to spot when news anchors flub their makeup application. It could be as subtle as wonky eyeliner or something massive like an overload of product that's too hard to ignore. As much as we should give them props for attempting to wow viewers with their beat faces, the following television personalities who messed up their makeup probably wish they had a magic wipe that would erase their images from the web.

Fox News' Harris Faulkner is known for loving a beat face, so it's not surprising that she showed up at the 2024 Fox Nation Patriot Awards with a full face of makeup. What was alarming, though, was the amount she had on, which was way more than necessary. The "Faulkner Focus" host's eyebrows looked like they were stamped on, and her false lashes were so huge that they almost covered the layers of eyeshadow on her lids.

I have to say that Faulkner did do well with her foundation, which is all about matching the neck (as seen in many popular TikTok hacks), so it blended seamlessly with her body. She has gorgeous eyes, so I would have preferred more feathery mink lashes that don't look as cheap and plastic as the ones she had on. A brighter blush in a pink tone would have brightened up her face, too. As for her lips, Faulkner's lipstick seemed to have either faded away or not been applied at all, which made her lip liner stand out really strongly. The whole look needed to be reapplied in a much subtler fashion.

Maria Bartiromo is one of those Fox anchors who go for an understated makeup look, but she often looks just a couple of products shy of looking finished. Case in point, an on-air look from "Mornings with Maria" in March 2023 when she interviewed Mike Pence. For one, Bartiromo's eyebrows weren't filled in completely and looked as if they had partially been rubbed off. While she took the time to line her eyes, there was no visible eyeshadow, and the grayish color was way too light. A darker shade would have brought out her striking green eyes, as would another coat of mascara.

"Mornings with Maria" airs at 6 a.m. ET, so Bartiromo may not have enough time to put on a full face of makeup, but I have five tips for getting ready faster, especially if you're in a time crunch. A quick swipe of rose or mauve lipstick would have brightened up Bartiromo's face, and if she stuck with a signature look, the Fox News and Fox Business anchor would have her repertoire down in just 10 minutes flat. Maria, if you need a makeup lesson, give me a holler!

The Met Gala is the event for celebrities to bring their fiercest looks, and Megyn Kelly tried but sadly failed with her makeup in 2017. The former "America's Newsroom" anchor went for an avant-garde aesthetic with smokey eyes, spiky falsies, and silver shimmer on the inner corners of her eyes, but it felt outdated. What's more, Kelly had heavy liner on her lower lids, which pulled her features down and gave her raccoon eyes. These are just some of the common makeup mistakes that can leave you looking older.

Perhaps Kelly was trying to be more inventive with her makeup that night, as the theme that year celebrated Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, who is known for her abstract designs. The political pundit obviously interpreted that as thick black eyeliner and a dash of sparkles, which would've been trendy in the Y2K era but not in 2017. Instead, she should have gone with bolder brows, extended the color to her temples, and added a fierce red lip. Finally, instead of the silver glitter, which is totally outdated, a nice subtle gold would have complemented her skin tone better.

Shannon Bream is another one of the Fox News anchors who love a good smokey eye, but her appearance on the March 17, 2024, episode of "Fox News Sunday" was distracting due to her overload of eyeliner. The black shade was great for drawing out her features on television, but she should have refrained from filling in her bottom waterline, as doing so only closed up her eyes and made them look smaller. Coupled with the too-smokey shadow on Bream's top lids, the heavy makeup overtook the Republican pundit.

With Bream's fair coloring, I would have loved to see a pretty peach color on her eyes, much like the lipstick shade she was wearing that day. Take away the heavy black liner and replace it with a soft, smudged chestnut kohl — and her blue eyes would have instantly opened up. As much as smokey eyes will never go out of style, it's not always a good choice.

ABC anchor Sade Baderinwa has played with a lot of makeup looks over the course of her long career, both on-air and when attending red-carpet events. In 2011, she attended the Moves Power Women Awards in a sparkly silver dress that she, unfortunately, tried to match her makeup to. We all love a good highlighter, as it can bring out your features in a subtle way, but Baderinwa's was anything but. The "Eyewitness News" host's face was glaringly shiny, and it looked like she brushed on highlighter on her forehead, cheeks, nose, and chin. The sparkles didn't just stop there, either. Baderinwa had applied a shimmery silver shadow on her upper and lower lids, resulting in an overload of shine.

Knowing where to apply highlighter is crucial in not appearing like a disco ball. Instead of giving herself an overall dose of shimmer, Baderinwa should have just concentrated on a few small areas, such as the tops of her cheekbones instead of the apples of her cheeks, her brow bones, and her Cupid's bow. Highlighter on the middle of the forehead is never a good idea, as it makes you look oily, and I'm sure having cameras on her didn't help tone the shine down either.

For even more faux pas, check out the Kardashian family's biggest makeup mistakes.