Erika Kirk Can't Quit Her Cakey Pageant Makeup & Unfiltered Photos Prove It

Erika Kirk is one of the poster women for Mar-a-Lago face, a trend among Republican women that involves too much of everything — too much foundation, bronzer, blush, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss, lipliner, and so on. Sometimes, it even includes facial fillers and plastic surgery. Erika has attained a new level of fame since her husband, Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed on the campus of Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. Charlie was the CEO of the conservative organization Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which is committed to spreading Republican ideals on college campuses. Erika was named Charlie's successor at TPUSA after his death, then spent December promoting his final book, published posthumously on December 9, 2025.

Erika has made several public appearances since coming into the public spotlight, including her infamous viral hug with JD Vance and a bizarre primetime town hall on the newly bought CBS. That means there have been plenty of opportunities to see her Mar-a-Lago face up close, and the results of all that cakey layering haven't always been pretty.

Erika is a former Miss Arizona, so she's used to complicated beauty routines, but it says something that her makeup in 2025 is much more extreme than her pageant days, and makes her almost unrecognizable compared to the rare times she's been makeup-free. No one can wear that much makeup all the time without having some disastrous glam moments — and there are plenty of photos of Erika that prove it.

Erika Kirk spoke at the 2025 New York Times Dealbook Summit on December 3, 2025, as part of her promotional tour for Charlie Kirk's new book. Her makeup seemed fine in most photos from the event, but the hot lights and high emotions did start to ruin her makeup, making her shine and practically begin to melt. It became gradually clear that Erika was wearing way too much blush; there were signs of foundation caking on her chin, as well, and her fake eyelashes were too long. On top of all that, her loose, long hair and weird cape made her look almost villainous.

Erika Kirk had a similar problem a few days later when she was on "Hannity" to promote her husband's book at Fox News Studios in Manhattan. Her lower forehead and cheeks were shining, which is never a desired effect of makeup. There was even a strange glare coming off her lips, signaling too much gloss. Her blush also appeared to be unevenly applied, seeming heavier on the left side than the right. Kirk's eye makeup was too heavy as usual, but at least it appeared to be applied correctly. Although she probably should've nixed the eyeliner on her lower lids.

Erika Kirk and JD Vance might've shared a viral hug at a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi on October 29, 2025, but even that couldn't make us forget about her extreme Mar-a-Lago face that day. This time, her over-glossed lips (and their possible filler) stole the spotlight, although she chose a nice neutral shade. Her cheeks were over-blushed (of course), plus, the lighting gave her foundation a slightly orange glow and made her black eyeliner seem slightly spooky. 

Erika Kirk wore some of her heaviest makeup at a memorial service for her husband in September 2025. She wore enough bronzer and foundation that her skin was literally orange. On top of that, there was too much blush, too much eye makeup, and her lips were glossed outside of their natural boundaries. No matter how it looked on her, it was impractical to wear so many layers. Other images from the event showed her makeup running, possibly from tears, and her tissues were covered in it. There is no shame in crying, but a more natural look would've been less messy.

Erika Kirk visited the "Fox & Friends" set in New York City as part of her promotional tour for Charlie Kirk's last book. This time, her layers made her look a little bit washed out, as if she were wearing too much highlighter or powder on her face, which caused a glare. This look was one of her least dramatic, except that a close-up screenshot put her eyebrows on full display. They were shaped so oddly that it looked like she had small lightning bolts above her eyes.

Erika Kirk went for the more traditional, heavily layered glam for a November 2025 primetime interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters in November 2025. She wore heavy foundation and blush, which caused her face to shine, and a dark, neutral lip. Her eyebrows were a normal shape, but her eye makeup was odd. She appeared to be wearing black eyeshadow on at least part of her eyelid, creating a somewhat gothic vibe to the look. In fact, she almost looked like JD Vance.