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Whether it's a botched eyeliner job or a foundation shade that doesn't quite match our skin tone, many of us have had our fair share of beauty mishaps. And sometimes they're not so easy to avoid. However, the subreddit r/BadMUAs takes a lighthearted approach to showcasing some of the most cringe-worthy makeup fails on the internet.
It's important to note that the purpose of this community is not to ridicule or shame those featured but rather to highlight the importance of proper makeup application. The subreddit serves as a reminder to do your research and seek out reputable professionals who can expand upon your natural beauty, not harm it. So let's remember to approach the topic with respect.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Popped Up On My Fb Feed Today... "Bridal Makeup"
Weasel Wise 2 years ago
How is that "fashion" standards deem leg hair and armpit hair icky in women but hair growing out of your eyelids? Yes, please! To the point where women will glue shít to their eyelids to have an extra hairy look?! I find it odd. 🤔
RELATED:
#2
Everything About This Concerns Me
For our earlier piece on the subreddit, Pinsandpearls, one of the moderators of Bad MakeUp Artists, said 'bad makeup' probably means different things to different people, which is why the subreddit has such a wide variety of posts.
"Typically, we're looking at makeup that isn't applied skillfully — lack of blending where appropriate, terrible foundation color match, messy lines," Pinsandpearls explained to Bored Panda. "I don't think it includes things that are maybe 'different' than you would normally see, as long as the actual application is good (editorial makeup, for example). We still allow some of those posts because it usually has a good discussion and taste is subjective, but I think there's a difference between 'different' and 'bad.' Bad is pretty obvious when you see it."
#3
Made A Pretty Girl Look Cheap And Shiny
#4
Those Brows
#5
They Did Her So Dirty! (Advertising On A Brand, With A Mua Tagged)
Manomnomnom 2 years ago
The longer you look at this, the worse it gets... it looks like she's wearing some weird plastic mask because of the foundation being like that
"If you take a look, you can probably see a lot of makeup artists and normal people are mismatching their foundations to their skin's undertone," another moderator of the subreddit, badMUAscout, added.
"If you're slightly off, it's probably ok. Our skin isn't one flat color and it can vary in shades throughout the day. It doesn't help that foundations oxidize and can go from perfect to pumpkin shades. While sometimes it isn't an issue, when you are paying a trained artist hundreds of pounds or dollars to do makeup, you shouldn't end up with a different undertone or a shade five times darker than your skin."
Contouring also gets featured on the subreddit quite often. "Contour is meant to mimic the 'shadows' you naturally have but very very slightly enhanced. We consider it to be bad when it looks like a dark stripe down the side of the face which doesn't match the natural shadows," badMUAscout explained.
#6
True Crime Shows Always Have Makeup That Looks Like It's Done By Morticians
#7
Been In Tears Over This For Like 20 Minutes
#8
Finally Found One In The Wild. Her Face Says It All Lol
#9
MUA’s Work On Instagram, Found In The Wild
Another moderator who helps run Bad MakeUp Artists, RedHeadedSnatch, believes that some people do submit photos to the subreddit as a joke or because they might not really like a particular celebrity or look. However, RedHeadedSnatch reminded us that makeup is subjective, and there is no formula that determines whether or not an application is bad.
#10
Category Is: Jaundice Realness
#11
This One Was Posted By A Local Mua. Yes, It Is The Finished Look. Check The Number Of Likes…
#12
Prom Makeup
#13
Pink Undereyes
"The only problem I have is when individuals who promote themselves as professionals but do not understand color theory, face shapes, eye shape, or use proper sanitation," RedHeadedSnatch said.
"Sanitation is a huge issue because it can lead to acne, eye infections like pink eye, staph infections, and in some cases, actual bugs living in brushes. On a less severe note, it can also make the application of makeup look cakey, distort the foundation's color, concealer, and eye shadow, and cause damage to brushes."
#14
The Foundation 😩
Steven Meyer 2 years ago
There’s a reason you still have open appointments- who the hell wants to look like that?
A B C the Third 2 years ago
Book now! Your train to get as far away from this MUA as possible.
Zack Vander 2 years ago
JEEZUS. These skags must not have any gay friends because they'd be telling these bitches to step the hell away.
#15
The Nose Contour 🥴
#16
This MUA Does Incredible Eye Work, But Everything Else Is Just A No For Me Tbh
#17
Spotted In The Wild
RedHeadedSnatch looks at the submitted photos from a professional makeup artist's point of view. They have their makeup license from the state of Florida and have had over 100 hours of theory and hands-on training, with written and practical application tests, so they know what they're talking about. And that is a big positive that comes from Bad MakeUp Artists. Sure, we can all laugh at the photos, but if you browse through the comments, you can find valuable information even within the jokes.
#18
Posted By A “Permanent Makeup Artist”
#19
Real Housewives Of Potomac Season 4 Mua Is Not It
Vicki Doggurl 2 years ago (edited)
Holy c**p!!! She stood out in the rain without water proof makeup. Freaky looking. Or is it just me? Edit: upon closer inspection the photo has vertical lines that made her face look streaked.
#20
Someone Please Explain The Forehead Situation
#21
Why Do Makeup Companies Even Bother With Shade Ranges At This Point. Everyone’s Yellow!
Moo 2 years ago
When I got my makeup professionally done for my high school senior photos, apparently my skin tone is really not common in foundations, like it's cool to the point sometimes I probably look dead, Snow White looks tan next to me kind of thing. She searched high and low to find a good match, and I actually was very satisfied with the results :)
Also, the subreddit forces the industry to be more transparent. "I feel as though the market is oversaturated with people claiming the MUA status without having proper training, and that causes people to lose faith in the makeup artist industry as a whole," RedHeadedSnatch said.
Let's hope Bad MakeUp Artists makes them accountable.
#22
They Didn't Even Try To Color Match Her
#23
I Can’t , I Just Can’t , It’s 2023 But Some Haven’t Grown Out Of The Instagram Brows And The Extremely Long Lashes ? 😩
#24
Good Ole Sally Beauty Ad…
#25
Her Face Is A Literal Gradient
#28
Found On Bookface. That Colour Match Though
#29
Posted Along With A Message To ‘Book Soon To Avoid Disappointment!’ 😬
#30
Super Cakey Bride
#31
Caption Said She’s “Lucky She Found The Best Local Makeup Artist To Do Her Makeup” At The Last Minute
OneHappyPuppy 2 years ago
Lmao rn feel so sorry for the poor girl, she gives off mr. Bean vibes
#33
Yikes...an Ulta Ad
#34
Her Lips
#35
A Local Mua "Legend"
#36
This Was On A Mascara Promo. I Am Speechless About The Bottom Photo
#37
This Advertisement For A Lip Tint Going A Little Overkill
#38
At This Point I’m Convinced They’re Baiting For Comments… Those Brows…
#39
This Makeup Course Ad Isn’t Very Appealing…
#40
"Pro Makeup Artist"
#41
Poor Girl Has Perfect Skin To Begin With
#42
Auch
Weasel Wise 2 years ago (edited)
Lamination and faces do not go in the same sentence safely. Also, has this person ever seen eyebrows on a human?
#43
Whoever Did This Did Her Dirty! The Lashes Aren't Even On Properly
timothythefrog (he/they) 2 years ago
i wonder how you would even search to find an image like this lol
#44
Catfishee Who 'Does Makeup' For A Living, Big Yikes On Those Brows 😬
#45
And Yes, She’s Bri-Ish!
Kevin Sutton 2 years ago
Nobody admits to being British you crusty horses appendage. So nobody is saying they're 'br'ish'. I'm English, my stepfather is Scottish, my father is Irish. Some unfortunate souls may be Welsh. British? No.
#46
Since When Is This Girl This Brown? Her Hand Certainly Isn’t 🤦🏻♀️
#47
The Lipliner Oh My God
#48
The Color Match… She Deserved Better!!
#49
Keep Getting This Makeup Artist Advertising On Instagram
#51
This Foundation Match
Alyssa Brown 2 years ago
Its a shame because the makeup is gorgeous besides not matching her natural skin tone
#52
This Makeup Artist Did The Bride So Dirty 😭😭😭
#53
By A Person I Know Genuinely Trying To Start A Business
#54
Found This Gem On Glow Up / S2
#55
It’s Really The Overlined Lips, She Has Naturally Beautiful Thick Lips. 🤷🏽♀️
#56
Some Expencive Mua Has Made A Bad Mistake🙄
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
Has gorgeous bone structure and the MUA could have done wonders with it
#58
This Photo Is On An Actress's Imdb Page
#59
The Makeup Is Literal Art, The Lips Though :/
#60
When The Movie’s Mua Budget Can Only Get You A Mortician
#61
Makeup Artist Who Does A Lot Of Weddings. I Can See She Is Talented But Something Is So Off About The Foundation?
#62
I Have No Words
Alyssa Brown 2 years ago
I don't know if this is a fair comparison as it's clearly part way into application
#63
The Foundation Match…
#64
👁️👄👁️
#65
They Did This To Her On Her Wedding Day???
#66
Self Proclaimed Make Up Artist Went A Little Heavy On The Contour For Her Nephews 1st Birthday
#67
At First I Was Like, Okay It’s The Color Of The Shirt Bouncing Off His Face? But… I’m Not Sure It Works Like That
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Wonder if this is actually the video compression messing with the colours.
#68
What In The Lipliner Is This?
#69
How My Friend's Wedding Makeup Artist Did Me... Sweet Jesus
Regina Kurfürst 2 years ago
Tf happened there between her eyebrows? Ignored the "keep your fingers off your clients face" rule and smudged the brows?
#71
I Know She Cried When She Got In The Car
#72
What In The Overdrawn Lips Is This?!
#73
My Junior Prom Makeup Done At Ulta (C.2017)
#74
It Was Different Style Back Then
#75
On The Packaging Of Ardell Lashes Lol
️ ️lefty libra️ 2 years ago (edited)
am i stupid because i dont see anything wrong-? EDIT: wait are they different lashes?
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What do you think ?
Tan Artt 2 years ago
1) people are still learning how to do makeup, and every art needs time 2) collecting pictures from MUAs to make fun of their work while PUTTING UP PICTURES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE on the internet to get trashed is an extremely low blow. 3) no one likes these articles. It's 2023 we're past shaming people for stupid reasons. STOP posting such articles. Please and thanks.
Dave Hanel 2 years ago
I agree. Art is subjective. No reason to shame people for getting creative. Some really beautiful people trying new things.
Load More Replies... 
Animelover 2 years ago
Yea. They are always stealing stuff from other sites. I’d like to finally see something original
Load More Replies... Paul Rabit 2 years ago
Im not sure what I expected when I clicked on this, but it’s kinda mean. These people aren’t hurting anyone, and they think they look good - shouldn’t that be what matters?
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
It's not easy being pale with cool undertones in a country where most have warm undertones and are at least two shades darker than me. It's not easy at all, l swear.
AelizaW 2 years ago
Yes! My skin is very fair with a neutral undertone. It took years to find a true match that wasn’t too yellow or too pink. My friends with dark skin have a very hard time, too. Most brands cater to the median of the color spectrum and tell the rest of us to buy multiple colors and mix them together at home.
Load More Replies...
Kimberly Buchanan Fisanick 2 years ago
I feel bad for the women. They probably thought it was going to be flattering and enhance their features. Instead they just took their looks away
Julie Harden 2 years ago
The fake brow, fake lashes, and over lined lips trends can't end quick enough. It's just awful.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Wow! We used to do this dark lipliner thing in the late 90's early 2000's. Once it was over we all deeply regretted it. Now it's back! Why? Does not look good.
Grey Beard 2 years ago (edited)
Wow this was an absolute peice of s**t list. Mocking people because of the way the have their makeup on. In quite a few examples, these women are just expressing their own style. Should be called "these women aren't sheep" and whoever compiled this list needs to drop the b***h clique b******t.
Electric Comet 2 years ago
This was awful. Can we find something better to do than mock the appearances of women online? (Also some of the top voted posts weren’t even badly done)
Fransesca Newman 2 years ago
I feel I look like this anytime I actually do my makeup. Thankfully I'm okay with my natural look!
Linden 2 years ago
Can anyone explain the drawn-on eyebrows? What are they using to do that? I do not understand that trend at all.
OmBoyGanesh 2 years ago
Either too many people are oblivious to color matching their foundation or they’re of some belief it doesn’t matter or they’ve had bad matching done. - https://www.glamour.com/story/how-to-find-your-perfect-foundation-shade-foundation-matching
Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
OMG. My stepdaughter had her makeup done for a photoshoot. She wasn't a pretty girl to begin with and the makeup was horrible. The color match was the only thing good about it, but it was shiny. The MUA outlined her lips in a burgundy shade and did a nude fill and gloss. SD thought she looked amazing. My brother happened to stop by a few weeks later and saw one of her pictures on the dining room table. In all seriousness he asked since when did I know a drag queen? That's exactly what she looked like. Thankfully she wasn't there at the time.
B 1 year ago
Also if she's getting booked for photoshoots, she must look good to somebody. Maybe you're jelly? Not a good look at all.
Load More Replies...
Data1001 2 years ago
I don't know why y'all are so shocked that those people think this is a good look — it's the exact look that the Krapdashians use with their Instagram filters. I have yet to meet a man who is attracted to that freakshow look, but they must be out there, or we wouldn't be seeing all these real-life clowns.
Tan Artt 2 years ago
It's almost like these girls are trying to fit into the standards, but when they try, they get shamed. Oh, but they're also shamed when they don't. There is no pleasing the society no matter what you do. Also it's soooo narcissistic to assume that every girl is doing their makeup for a man (you). Most women do makeup as a form of self expression, to feel confident for themselves. Half the men don't even wash their face properly, so they aren't qualified to judge anyone on their makeup lol
Load More Replies...
Cerridwn d'Wyse 2 years ago
Actually,this makes me very happy. I never got into makeup Never want it never planned to wear it. My daughter doesn't wear it and we're both very happy and our skin is very heavy.
Tan Artt 2 years ago
1) people are still learning how to do makeup, and every art needs time 2) collecting pictures from MUAs to make fun of their work while PUTTING UP PICTURES OF INNOCENT PEOPLE on the internet to get trashed is an extremely low blow. 3) no one likes these articles. It's 2023 we're past shaming people for stupid reasons. STOP posting such articles. Please and thanks.
Dave Hanel 2 years ago
I agree. Art is subjective. No reason to shame people for getting creative. Some really beautiful people trying new things.
Load More Replies... Animelover 2 years ago
Yea. They are always stealing stuff from other sites. I’d like to finally see something original
Load More Replies... Paul Rabit 2 years ago
Im not sure what I expected when I clicked on this, but it’s kinda mean. These people aren’t hurting anyone, and they think they look good - shouldn’t that be what matters?
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
It's not easy being pale with cool undertones in a country where most have warm undertones and are at least two shades darker than me. It's not easy at all, l swear.
AelizaW 2 years ago
Yes! My skin is very fair with a neutral undertone. It took years to find a true match that wasn’t too yellow or too pink. My friends with dark skin have a very hard time, too. Most brands cater to the median of the color spectrum and tell the rest of us to buy multiple colors and mix them together at home.
Load More Replies... Kimberly Buchanan Fisanick 2 years ago
I feel bad for the women. They probably thought it was going to be flattering and enhance their features. Instead they just took their looks away
Julie Harden 2 years ago
The fake brow, fake lashes, and over lined lips trends can't end quick enough. It's just awful.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Wow! We used to do this dark lipliner thing in the late 90's early 2000's. Once it was over we all deeply regretted it. Now it's back! Why? Does not look good.
Grey Beard 2 years ago (edited)
Wow this was an absolute peice of s**t list. Mocking people because of the way the have their makeup on. In quite a few examples, these women are just expressing their own style. Should be called "these women aren't sheep" and whoever compiled this list needs to drop the b***h clique b******t.
Electric Comet 2 years ago
This was awful. Can we find something better to do than mock the appearances of women online? (Also some of the top voted posts weren’t even badly done)
Fransesca Newman 2 years ago
I feel I look like this anytime I actually do my makeup. Thankfully I'm okay with my natural look!
Linden 2 years ago
Can anyone explain the drawn-on eyebrows? What are they using to do that? I do not understand that trend at all.
OmBoyGanesh 2 years ago
Either too many people are oblivious to color matching their foundation or they’re of some belief it doesn’t matter or they’ve had bad matching done. - https://www.glamour.com/story/how-to-find-your-perfect-foundation-shade-foundation-matching
Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
OMG. My stepdaughter had her makeup done for a photoshoot. She wasn't a pretty girl to begin with and the makeup was horrible. The color match was the only thing good about it, but it was shiny. The MUA outlined her lips in a burgundy shade and did a nude fill and gloss. SD thought she looked amazing. My brother happened to stop by a few weeks later and saw one of her pictures on the dining room table. In all seriousness he asked since when did I know a drag queen? That's exactly what she looked like. Thankfully she wasn't there at the time.
B 1 year ago
Also if she's getting booked for photoshoots, she must look good to somebody. Maybe you're jelly? Not a good look at all.
Load More Replies... Data1001 2 years ago
I don't know why y'all are so shocked that those people think this is a good look — it's the exact look that the Krapdashians use with their Instagram filters. I have yet to meet a man who is attracted to that freakshow look, but they must be out there, or we wouldn't be seeing all these real-life clowns.
Tan Artt 2 years ago
It's almost like these girls are trying to fit into the standards, but when they try, they get shamed. Oh, but they're also shamed when they don't. There is no pleasing the society no matter what you do. Also it's soooo narcissistic to assume that every girl is doing their makeup for a man (you). Most women do makeup as a form of self expression, to feel confident for themselves. Half the men don't even wash their face properly, so they aren't qualified to judge anyone on their makeup lol
Load More Replies... Cerridwn d'Wyse 2 years ago
Actually,this makes me very happy. I never got into makeup Never want it never planned to wear it. My daughter doesn't wear it and we're both very happy and our skin is very heavy.
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