Celeb Beauty Moments That Missed The Mark In 2026 (So Far)

If you've ever overplucked your eyebrows, tried a new hair-part, or didn't know what to wear for a party, you know the only way out is to steamroll ahead. There have been countless celebrity makeup fails over the years, with even the most glamorous celebs being susceptible to beauty faux pas — just take a look at Paris Hilton's most glaring makeup mistakes of all time.

However, while not every look is exclusively a "mistake," celebs can definitely miss the mark when it comes to dressing for an occasion, or maybe having a case of face blindness. When it comes to exclusive events at the MET, Grammys, Oscars, and more, the bar has been raised year after year. While landing on the worst dressed list may not mean that your beauty routine needs fixing, even some of the most gorgeous looks can fall flat without the right glam to complement them, especially as most celebrities hire professionals to get them photo-ready. Underwhelming makeup choices can feel like more of a bad choice than a lack of skill.

Very few of these bad beauty moments truly haunt celebrities forever, and if anything, can serve as a valuable learning experience as to what works with their face/brand, and what doesn't. Here are some of the celeb beauty moments from this year we would prefer not to see again.

Hudson Williams' MET Gala debut in 2026 was a monumental moment in the young "Heated Rivalry" actor's career. However, despite standing out in a beautiful blue Balenciaga cropped suit, fans were less than happy with his "Black Swan" inspired makeup. The uneven nature of the wings and asymmetrical color was meant to symbolize the "Swan Lake" transition from restrained and acute to chaotic and wild, but ended up looking closer to an amateurish attempt. His makeup artist, Aika Flores, addressed the comments in a post on Threads, writing, "It cost nothing to be kind" in response to criticism of the look.

Unfortunately for Kim Kardashian, her Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty look in March seemed like a bad time to experiment with something new. Her brunette lob was tossed into a messy, frizzy side part, giving the usually sleek and polished "Skims" CEO a dishevelled look. The blue contact lenses also gave her makeup a particularly unflattering likeness to this other public figure. However, we can't be sure that this messy look was totally intentional. Kardashian posted a TikTok of herself buckling in her golden platforms and falling into a bush ahead of her red carpet appearance.

"The Substance" actress Demi Moore has spent much of the first half of 2026 making headlines for her appearance. While it's rare to see the star without her signature long, dark locks, fans were shocked by the blunt bob she sported to the Gucci FW26 show at Milan Fashion Week. The issue wasn't with her hair as much as how gaunt it made her cheekbones look, setting Ozempic rumors ablaze. 

It's difficult to strike a balance between genuine concern and criticizing someone's body online, but the media narrative surrounding her appearance (with headlines calling her arms "toned") has been deemed complacent.

"The Way" singer Ariana Grande has been through quite a number of beauty transformations over the course of her career, and there seems to be no end in sight for her post-"Wicked" era makeup looks. Her extra bright undereye area showed up in multiple photos of the star at the 2026 Golden Globes, leaving us to wonder whether or not it was just an unfortunate case of photo-flashback, or a deliberate choice. Paired with the brow mistake she can't seem to stop making, it just looks as though the star lowered the opacity on all of her defining features.

Irish actor Barry Keoghan got a lot of flack for his breakup with Sabrina Carpenter, but some of the teasing about his new hair look may be warranted. The "Saltburn" actor is set to play Ringo Starr in the upcoming Beatles biopic, forcing him to grow out his hair for the role. However, his look for the premiere of his new film "Crime 101" wasn't quite retro, looking instead like something closer to Justin Bieber's "Baby" era. Hair looks cycle through trends over the years, but it's unmistakable that styling does a lot to help place the locks.

Rosé from the K-Pop group BLACKPINK wore a stunning Georges Braque-inspired dress to the 2026 MET Gala, with Vogue heralding it as "a lesson in both art history and fashion history." However, despite looking as stunning as always, some spectators online couldn't help but notice how simple and typical her winged eyeliner look was. 

Even her 2021 MET look included graphic black liner along her eyecrease, exemplifying how even small accentuations can help tie makeup in with the dress. Maybe she can get some tips from her co-star, Lisa, about eye gem placements for the next gala?