Whether it’s a botched eyeliner job or a foundation shade that doesn’t quite match our skin tone, many of us have had our fair share of beauty mishaps. And sometimes they’re not so easy to avoid. However, the subreddit r/BadMUAs takes a lighthearted approach to showcasing some of the most cringe-worthy makeup fails on the internet.
It’s important to note that the purpose of this community is not to ridicule or shame those featured but rather to highlight the importance of proper makeup application. The subreddit serves as a reminder to do your research and seek out reputable professionals who can expand upon your natural beauty, not harm it. So let’s remember to approach the topic with respect.
#1 Popped Up On My Fb Feed Today… “Bridal Makeup”
#2 Everything About This Concerns Me
For our earlier piece on the subreddit, Pinsandpearls, one of the moderators ofBad MakeUp Artists, said ‘bad makeup’ probably means different things to different people, which is why the subreddit has such a wide variety of posts.
“Typically, we’re looking at makeup that isn’t applied skillfully — lack of blending where appropriate, terrible foundation color match, messy lines,” Pinsandpearls explained toWe. “I don’t think it includes things that are maybe ‘different’ than you would normally see, as long as the actual application is good (editorial makeup, for example). We still allow some of those posts because it usually has a good discussion and taste is subjective, but I think there’s a difference between ‘different’ and ‘bad.’ Bad is pretty obvious when you see it.”
#3 Made A Pretty Girl Look Cheap And Shiny
#4 Those Brows
#5 They Did Her So Dirty! (Advertising On A Brand, With A Mua Tagged)
“If you take a look, you can probably see a lot of makeup artists and normal people are mismatching their foundations to their skin’s undertone,” another moderator of the subreddit, badMUAscout, added.
“If you’re slightly off, it’s probably ok. Our skin isn’t one flat color and it can vary in shades throughout the day. It doesn’t help that foundations oxidize and can go from perfect to pumpkin shades. While sometimes it isn’t an issue, when you are paying a trained artist hundreds of pounds or dollars to do makeup, you shouldn’t end up with a different undertone or a shade five times darker than your skin.”
Contouring also gets featured on the subreddit quite often. “Contour is meant to mimic the ‘shadows’ you naturally have but very very slightly enhanced. We consider it to be bad when it looks like a dark stripe down the side of the face which doesn’t match the natural shadows,” badMUAscout explained.
#6 True Crime Shows Always Have Makeup That Looks Like It’s Done By Morticians
#7 Been In Tears Over This For Like 20 Minutes
#8 Finally Found One In The Wild. Her Face Says It All Lol
#9 MUA’s Work On Instagram, Found In The Wild
Another moderator who helps runBad MakeUp Artists,RedHeadedSnatch, believes that some people do submit photos to the subreddit as a joke or because they might not really like a particular celebrity or look. However, RedHeadedSnatch reminded us that makeup is subjective, and there is no formula that determines whether or not an application is bad.
#10 Category Is: Jaundice Realness
#11 This One Was Posted By A Local Mua. Yes, It Is The Finished Look. Check The Number Of Likes…
#12 Prom Makeup
#13 Pink Undereyes
“The only problem I have is when individuals who promote themselves as professionals but do not understand color theory, face shapes, eye shape, or use proper sanitation,” RedHeadedSnatch said.
“Sanitation is a huge issue because it can lead to acne, eye infections like pink eye, staph infections, and in some cases, actual bugs living in brushes. On a less severe note, it can also make the application of makeup look cakey, distort the foundation’s color, concealer, and eye shadow, and cause damage to brushes.”
#14 The Foundation 😩
#15 The Nose Contour 🥴
#16 This MUA Does Incredible Eye Work, But Everything Else Is Just A No For Me Tbh
#17 Spotted In The Wild
RedHeadedSnatch looks at the submitted photos from a professional makeup artist’s point of view. They have their makeup license from the state of Florida and have had over 100 hours of theory and hands-on training, with written and practical application tests, so they know what they’re talking about. And that is a big positive that comes from Bad MakeUp Artists. Sure, we can all laugh at the photos, but if you browse through the comments, you can find valuable information even within the jokes.
#18 Posted By A “Permanent Makeup Artist”
#19 Real Housewives Of Potomac Season 4 Mua Is Not It
#20 Someone Please Explain The Forehead Situation
#21 Why Do Makeup Companies Even Bother With Shade Ranges At This Point. Everyone’s Yellow!
Also, the subreddit forces the industry to be more transparent. “I feel as though the market is oversaturated with people claiming the MUA status without having proper training, and that causes people to lose faith in the makeup artist industry as a whole,” RedHeadedSnatch said.
Let’s hopeBad MakeUp Artistsmakes them accountable.
#22 They Didn’t Even Try To Color Match Her
#23 I Can’t , I Just Can’t , It’s 2023 But Some Haven’t Grown Out Of The Instagram Brows And The Extremely Long Lashes ? 😩
#24 Good Ole Sally Beauty Ad…
#25 Her Face Is A Literal Gradient
#26 Oh Gosh
#27 Oh No
#28 Found On Bookface. That Colour Match Though
#29 Posted Along With A Message To ‘Book Soon To Avoid Disappointment!’ 😬
#30 Super Cakey Bride
#31 Caption Said She’s “Lucky She Found The Best Local Makeup Artist To Do Her Makeup” At The Last Minute
#32 Rip Virgo Lippies
#33 Yikes…an Ulta Ad
#34 Her Lips
#35 A Local Mua “Legend”
#36 This Was On A Mascara Promo. I Am Speechless About The Bottom Photo
#37 This Advertisement For A Lip Tint Going A Little Overkill
#38 At This Point I’m Convinced They’re Baiting For Comments… Those Brows…
#39 This Makeup Course Ad Isn’t Very Appealing…
#40 “Pro Makeup Artist”
#41 Poor Girl Has Perfect Skin To Begin With
#42 Auch
#43 Whoever Did This Did Her Dirty! The Lashes Aren’t Even On Properly
#44 Catfishee Who ‘Does Makeup’ For A Living, Big Yikes On Those Brows 😬
#45 And Yes, She’s Bri-Ish!
#46 Since When Is This Girl This Brown? Her Hand Certainly Isn’t 🤦🏻♀️
#47 The Lipliner Oh My God
#48 The Color Match… She Deserved Better!!
#49 Keep Getting This Makeup Artist Advertising On Instagram
#50 Who Did This To Her!
#51 This Foundation Match
#52 This Makeup Artist Did The Bride So Dirty 😭😭😭
#53 By A Person I Know Genuinely Trying To Start A Business
#54 Found This Gem On Glow Up / S2
#55 It’s Really The Overlined Lips, She Has Naturally Beautiful Thick Lips. 🤷🏽♀️
#56 Some Expencive Mua Has Made A Bad Mistake🙄
#57 It’s So Obvious
#58 This Photo Is On An Actress’s Imdb Page
#59 The Makeup Is Literal Art, The Lips Though :/
#60 When The Movie’s Mua Budget Can Only Get You A Mortician
#61 Makeup Artist Who Does A Lot Of Weddings. I Can See She Is Talented But Something Is So Off About The Foundation?
#62 I Have No Words
#63 The Foundation Match…
#64 👁️👄👁️
#65 They Did This To Her On Her Wedding Day???
#66 Self Proclaimed Make Up Artist Went A Little Heavy On The Contour For Her Nephews 1st Birthday
#67 At First I Was Like, Okay It’s The Color Of The Shirt Bouncing Off His Face? But… I’m Not Sure It Works Like That
#68 What In The Lipliner Is This?
#69 How My Friend’s Wedding Makeup Artist Did Me… Sweet Jesus
#70 Your Average UK Mua Of Course
#71 I Know She Cried When She Got In The Car
#72 What In The Overdrawn Lips Is This?!
#73 My Junior Prom Makeup Done At Ulta (C.2017)
#74 It Was Different Style Back Then
#75 On The Packaging Of Ardell Lashes Lol
