Lara Trump Photos That Prove She Should've Left Her Botched Beauty Routine In 2016

You would think having access to the top stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers in the country would teach Lara Trump a thing or two about how to do her own makeup. One of the pioneer women of "Mar-A-Lago face", Trump proves it's not just botched fillers and Botox that achieve the look — it's a botched beauty routine on top of it. The presidential daughter-in-law has transformed drastically in her fashion choices, but her aesthetic feels off-balance when her makeup hasn't budged. The last decade of makeup trends has taken a drastic pivot toward a more minimal look, but Trump can't seem to shake the holy-grail products and techniques of beauty YouTube's past (even leaving us worried that she hasn't bought new makeup since then).

The 2016 makeup look is so specific that younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha influencers have managed to follow the blueprint to a tee. A dark, carved-out brow, matte full-coverage foundation, a heavy contour, liquid lip kits, and dramatic cut creases defined the era, marked by the emergence of social media "beauty gurus" and Kylie Jenner's domination of the cosmetics world. While coexisting with the emergence of brands such as Glossier, it wouldn't be until the 2020s that understated, natural makeup styles would fully take over. Trump seemingly missed that memo, proudly posting selfies over the last year that belong under the #throwbackthursday tag.

Taking to X to tease a Thanksgiving cooking special on Fox News featuring disgraced former Food Network Star, Paula Deen, Lara Trump's eyebrows are the most nostalgic aspect of the selfie. Trump has seemingly employed the novel Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade to achieve the taupe, ashy carved brow that dominated the makeup scene in 2016. While contemporary brow products aim to at least give the illusion of hair, the signature Dipbrow technique requires the gel-like product to be generously applied with a small, angled brush, cleaned up, and made even sharper by outlining the eyebrow with concealer. A bold choice.

A good makeup philosophy to follow would always encourage the wearer to accentuate and complement their natural features. Posting a photo dump from her father's birthday to X, Lara Trump might be taking the enhancements too far. Trump already has a very prominent eye crease, made even more absurd by her choice to sport the 2016 cut-crease trend. Typically, a method used to create the illusion of a crease for wearers who have hooded eyes, Trump's signature eye look is cosmetically redundant. It's even led members of her audience to worry about her and further exacerbate rumors that she's had an eyelid procedure.

As the Republican National Committee co-chair, Lara Trump was front and center following the ABC Presidential Debate in September 2024. Unfortunately, so was her cakey, high-coverage foundation. Pictured following a debate between her father-in-law, President Donald Trump, and the new Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, it's hard to ignore how her foundation can't help but cling to every fine line on her face. This is a natural side-effect of the full-coverage foundation that was commonplace back in 2016, especially when the wearer steps out of bright, direct lighting. Pro tip for Trump: Instagram makeup doesn't wear well IRL.

In all fairness, it isn't illegal to have a chapped lip day every once in a while. However, it's rare to see a "full beat" without even a swipe of balm to offset visible peeling. Posting some family Christmas photos to X, it's not a good look when her husband, Eric Trump, has softer lips than she does. Considering that 2016 was the era of heavy matte liquid lips, dry lips were a natural side effect of the harsher formulas — but that's precisely why so many brands, such as EOS lip balm or Rosebud Salve, were having their moment in the mid 2010s.

In a selfie with Eric Trump posted to X on election night, Lara Trump's brow-bone highlight defies the laws of physics. Although the lighting is obviously coming from behind the couple, the area under Trump's eyebrows still pops, suggesting that her 2016 eyebrow routine is very much still alive and well. While a bright brow-bone was a massive trend in the 90s and early 2000s, 2020s makeup is rather adverse to any form of highlighting that doesn't make your skin look plump and moisturized. No shade to Trump, but there's a glaring reason your eyebrows practically glow in the dark.