Sarah Huckabee Sanders Has Made Some Major Makeup Mistakes

Sarah Huckabee Sanders has changed a lot through the years, moving from a behind-the-scenes political career to taking on a highly visible role as Donald Trump's press secretary in 2017. After she moved into the spotlight, Sanders relied on professionals to do her makeup. However, she was also aware that criticism of her appearance was likely to happen in any case. "When speaking for the president you always try to look your best — some days you do better than others," Sanders sanguinely informed The New York Times in August 2018.  

For instance, Sanders' glam team often applied dark eyeshadow at the time. Although this beauty style was having a moment, the then-press secretary got blasted anyway. "She burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smoky eye," comedian Michelle Wolf mocked Sanders at the 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner. While this comment was more about Sanders' words than her appearance, it wouldn't be the last time that Sanders' makeup attracted notice for the wrong reasons.

Sanders has made a number of makeup errors over her career. Sometimes the problem was extra-heavy eye makeup that made her peepers look small. Other times, Sanders struggled with bronzer and foundation. Fortunately, once she became Arkansas governor, Sanders lightened up on the cosmetics considerably, as well as occasionally going makeup free. While that strategy has made her less prone to error, Sanders still fell prey to the occasional makeup mistake. 

In June 2017, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was serving as deputy press secretary, so she likely wasn't used to making regular appearances on camera. Sanders made a mistake with her eyebrows, possibly going overboard with the tweezers and/or pencil and creating a cartoonish "V." This pointy arch would continue to plague her when she was promoted to press secretary. The issue could have been fixed easily by using pencil to fill in underneath and soften the arches instead.

Sanders also overdid the eyeliner, especially on her lower lid. She'd have been better off softening the line to enhance her lashes without making her eyes look smaller.

As Sarah Huckabee Sanders raised her hands during an August 2017 press event, it became painfully clear that the skin tone of her hands and neck was vastly different from her face. While it's nowhere close to Donald Trump's strange orange tan, Sanders' heavy bronzer and foundation looked more appropriate for stage makeup. 

The then-press secretary's blush was also unevenly applied, and it seemed like there was more on her right cheek. Combined with the dark eyeshadow and mascara, this heavy makeup look added years to Sanders' appearance. 

Although a smoky eye was Sarah Huckabee Sanders' signature look as White House press secretary, it seemed to have spiraled out of control at times. The thick layer of dark eyeshadow extended high up into her brow area, making Sanders look like she swiped Kimberly Guilfoyle's makeup bag. 

Rather than enhancing her brown eyes, all that excess product obscured them. Sanders' trustworthiness was often questioned during this time, and this eye-hiding makeup application didn't help when she was at the podium. While her base layer didn't look as mismatched color-wise, it was still heavy and flat.

When Sarah Huckabee Sanders celebrated New Year's Day 2025 by touting her accomplishments as Arkansas governor, makeup errors detracted from her message. For starters, Sanders' blush was overdone, creating two harsh lines down her cheeks. Even weirder was the hint of glowing yellow surrounding each eye, which almost looked mask-like. 

There was also a bit of glowing blotchiness around her temple and up to her forehead. It's hard to tell if the problem was poorly matched concealer, errant bronzer, or something else. Regardless, the shade didn't match the rest of Sanders' skin tone.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a fan of leather 'fits, including the brown dress she wore to the February 2025 CPAC event. Unfortunately, not only did the cut of Sanders' dress make it a total fashion fail, the Arkansas governor also chose the wrong foundation. 

Sanders looked like she was channeling her old boss Donald Trump with an orange-skewing shade. Perhaps Sanders decided to apply extra product since she was on camera. Besides being a mismatch for her skin tone, Sanders' base layer looked thicker (and cakier) than usual, creating a rough texture and accentuating every line on her face.

On the plus side, Sarah Huckabee Sanders got a lot right at a September 2017 press conference: elegant brows, understated eye shadow, and a glossy pink lip. On the minus side, her foundation was uber-cakey. 

It looked like she skipped the moisturizer, leaving her with a complexion that was highly textured. With some added blending and a little less product, Sanders could have salvaged this look. A setting spray could also have helped give her complexion more of a dewy, youthful glow.

At Politicon in October 2019, Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared to have over-corrected her cakey makeup errors and made a mistake in the other direction. Rather than looking dewy, Sanders was so shiny that the lights were reflecting off her cheeks, forehead, and chin. 

Based on other photos from the event, however, Sanders eventually corrected the mistake, opting for a more matte look when she took the stage. Fortunately, that later stint in the makeup chair didn't involve any eye makeup, and Sanders' eyes looked big and gorgeous without any smoky-eye cosmetics.