Kristi Noem's Worst Makeup Fail Was A Cakey Unfiltered Disaster

While controversial secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem might not actually be qualified for her position — there's the time she clearly didn't understand what habeus corpus meant, after all — it appears she's trying to make up for it by distracting everyone with her constant makeup fails. As President Donald Trump's current administration finds itself being televised more often than not, many of the women on Trump's team are pushing out the glam looks like it's part of their job description and Noem is certainly one of them. During a May 2025 grilling in front of the Senate over the accidental deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Noem once again hid behind her MAGA makeover.

In a heated exchange between Noem and Sen. Chris Van Hollen over the Department of Homeland Security's refusal to return Abrego Garcia, Noem decided to wear the most confusing makeup possible. In what is yet another example of Noem wearing makeup not even Kimberly Guilfoyle would touch, her eyebrows looked like they were painted on by Dracula and her lashes looked like they were actively trying to release themselves from her face. It could be she might have overdone it with the bad makeup to distract from the fact that her department was dragging its feet to fulfill an order made by the Supreme Court. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time she's possibly attempted such tactics.

Just like the time Kristi Noem's trip to Israel was overshadowed by her bad hair extensions, it seems she's begun to hop on the trend of wearing makeup to possibly distract from her struggling job performance. A perfect example of this would be the strange, cakey makeup she wore when having a back and forth with Sen. Chris Van Hollen. 

In the video posted by Fox News, Noem can be heard saying that wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia will "not be coming back to this country," which didn't age well, as he was returned to the United States in June 2025. Perhaps she wanted to use her blocky eyebrows and off-color lip hue to draw focus to her face, not the words coming out of it.

Considering just how unrecognizable Noem is in photos without makeup, it seems she's leaning in to her new, revamped style. While this might work in the short term to distract from some of Noem's inappropriate moments as secretary of Homeland Security, it is quickly becoming a signature part of who she is. Noem can't seem to nail even a reasonable amount of makeup, much like she can't seem to nail any basic understanding of how due process works. Hopefully she can find a way to at least tone down the bronzer.