49 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Tina Avatar

OMG I did a similar thing to myself!! When I was about 14, I thought it’d be a great idea to put Nair on my eyebrows instead of plucking. Well, I didn’t realize it would burn off my skin! For several weeks in the summer of 87, everyone was asking me what happened to my eyebrows!!! Nice way to go into teen years. LMAOOOO

Elizabeth Avatar

-Setting powder looking patchy in photos.
-The dreaded face vs. neck foundation contrast.
-Having lipstick fade in the middle, but not the edges.
-Anything feathering or creasing
-Uneven eyebrows (took me a bit to realize they’re naturally uneven!)
So many…it’s an art that takes perfecting, after all. *sigh!*

Maggie Avatar

I think lipstick bleeding when I’m out? Like a bright red or hot pink lipstick. I test-drive “budge-proof” formulas by going out to eat or drink and seeing how likely it is to get allover my face even when I’m careful. It gives my girlfriends a laugh when it does actually bleed and impressed compliments when it sticks around. I’m sure I once walked around with lipstick allover my face. This way, I know which formulas will make the cut for important events.

Linda Avatar

Back when MAC first launched Lip Glass I wore it constantly and was always getting my hair and drinking straws and food stuck to my lips at awkward times.

Louise Avatar

When I was like 13 years old and not at all allowed to wear makeup I made the dumbest decision ever. I secretly put on some cheap eyeshadows in my room in a very bad lighting, and I thought it looked awesome. I rushed out the door passing my mom so quick she didn’t notice my face. When I got to school my very sweet teacher said to me: OMG, what happened to your eye?? She was so embarassed when she found out it was makeup and I was seriously dying. My eyeshadow looked so dreadful because I didn’t bother to check it in some decent lighting, and I actually think this was the first time I ever put eyeshadow on. And when you wear just eyeshadow and nothing else it just looks off. It took me a good 10 years to be brave enough to try wearing eyeshadow again. That moment was seriously the worst. Those early teenage years though..

LindaP Avatar

In 9th grade! I can remember it like yesterday and laugh till I cry. 🙂

Does anyone remember Bonne Bell Gel Blush that came in a little tube? (Slide on some Bonne Bell Lipsmacker and you were good to go!)

Anywho, one morning before school I decided to add a little more blush at the top of the cheeks to, you know, have a rosy look. The lighting in my bedroom must have been awful. I left the house thinking I had this blushy, warm glow.

I got to school and everyone instantly started asking me why I had two red circles on my face? I went into the lav and sure enough! I had two red polka dots! Certainly not a glow-y blush! Had to wash my face. 🙂

Aj Avatar

Mismatching foundation for prom, I really didn’t need foundation but I thought I did & this was when I was still getting into makeup. Plus not a lot of time nor money, so went to the drugstore and thought I found my shade.
So not true, it showed more when I took a photo with flash that I was wearing the wrong shade.

Kimberly Avatar

I can’t recall a particularly embarrassing moment but I know I’ve forgotten to wear waterproof mascara before and ended up with major raccoon eyes, in addition to forgetting to reapply lipstick (especially dark colours!) after eating.

Carrie Avatar

It was less my mishap and more a victim of one because I didn’t yet know better.

I was at a Sephora inside Penny’s and they had a NARS MUA doing makeovers. Cool, I thought…except for the fact that the foundation didn’t match my skin at ALL. She didn’t even say anything either! I felt I looked so bad I left the mall so I could go home and remove it!

In hindsight she probably grabbed the lightest, but I know now that their line isn’t anywhere light or cool enough for my skin tone. I’ve only done one other complimentary makeover since (MUFE, who has a matching foundation) because the blase manner in which she didn’t care that she didn’t have a product that would work just turned me off. If I ever did one again, I’d just tell the rep to skip the foundation all together.

Lea Avatar

I don’t have a lot of makeup mishaps that I can think of. I’ve probably had too many powder products built up on my cheeks before or had mascara or liner smudged under my eye without realizing. Really my most hideous mistakes were over-tweezing my brows on the inner portion and a really bad haircut!

Fran Avatar

I really can’t top lipstick with gloss — it winds up all over my face, I can never figure out how! Fortunately I’ve noticed while I was in the car on my way somewhere, have fixed the problem before going out in public.

But I forget mascara every once in a while. It’s really strange!

Relatedly, I sometimes forget earrings, or put an earring in one ear only, or wear a different (although somewhat similar) earring in each ear!

Shannon. N Avatar

Around November of 2016. I had to walk to my therapists office, and my brother walked me there. And I did a purple smokey eye that day. I remember That. Anyway. It was a BLIZZARD that day. It was heavy, wet, packing snow falling too.

So we start walking. And despite my toque and scarf. My face got wet (of course!) But I didn’t worry, because I knew if I blotted my face with my scarf it would be fine.

I get to my therapists office. And the secratary is looking at me funny. But I wave it off as me just being paranoid.

I get into the room, my therapist keeps offering me a box of tissues and she’s treating me so gently. And I was SO confused!?

TURNS OUT. my mascara was NOT waterproof, and I had BLACK ALL DOWN MY CHEEKS, my EYE LIDS, even on my lip!!!!

And my stupid brother didn’t even tell me 😛

Deborah S. Avatar

Oh gosh, I hesitate to say but there are too many to report. One of the ones that bothered me the most though was prior to a public speaking event. I put on a new lipstick that was a deep warm toned red, (not something I could even pull off given my coloring and is probably the reason I never try anything orange, LOL) but I thought it was a confidence, power kind of color. I did my presentation and then was speaking with people afterwards and noticed them staring at my lips. I went into the bathroom and my lipstick base color had somehow separated into the many tones used to create the lipstick and the orangey tone had migrated outside my lip lines by about 1/2 inch all the way around my lips and the color left on my lips was this weird, freakish shade I cannot even describe. Several lessons learned, don’t wear a new shade of lipstick out in public before wearing at home once and don’t pick shades that are not complimentary.

Anne Avatar

I have always had dry skin, but my lids are fairly oily. Back in the day when eye primers, eyeshadows and eyeliners were not nearly of the quality that they are today, and people had to touch up every four hours or so, I had many days when I was too busy and my eyeshadow became a single muddy line in my crease, my eyeliner was half on and half off, and became little black pools my tear ducts. So attractive — looked like I had slept in my makeup.

I had two occasions when my brand new loser foundaton disappeared into melted pools of paisley-looking goop patterns all over my face.

I had one occasion when I left a makeover counter with an orange face. Hideous.

AB Avatar

Maybe monthly I have a little glitch like forgetting to do mascara on one eye’s lower lashes; I can usually fix it as I have a makeup ‘rescue’ bag at the office. As a stand-out incident — in haste and in the dark I used a dark blue eyeliner for eyebrows; fortunately I caught that while still in the car, and cleaned it up with “wet ones” before I got to the office.

Stephanie Avatar

I had one just recently. I walked into the local drug store, and was chatting with the cosmetician in the beauty section, and probably purchased something. I got back to my car, checked my face in my rear view mirror, and I had lipstick all over my mouth. Like a clown. I had put gloss over a matte lipstick that was giving me lip lines, and I guess my scarf or something had brushed across my lips. And I was so sure I looked great that day. My eye shadow was awesome and I had on a killer highlighter. lol I was so embarrassed but also a bit peeved that she hadn’t mentioned that I looked like a complete idiot.

Jessika Avatar

Uneven eyebrows and concealer that doesn’t work well with foundation. Some people probably never had an issue with concealers not working well with foundations but my Tarte Shape and Tape concealer is a hit and miss. With some of my foundations it blends beautifully, others it looks ashy and extremely bright. I don’t understand it for the life of me.

Erica Avatar

Over plucking my brows as a teen

Getting dry patches / crustiness in my inner corner of my eye. My eyes water and there is dryness there I didn’t know about. Been using argan oil under my eye at night and that has helped. Not with watery eyes but at least there isn’t this weird reaction going on between my watery eyes and makeup

gogi berry Avatar

My most embarring moment was when I bought a Nars chubbie that was fushia and I tapped it on my lips to get the perfect shade of barely there pink. When I got to work it was raging fushia. Apparently body heat causes it to change colors and go deeper. I looked Like a clown.

Pamela F. Avatar

Let’s just say there is a learning curve with ABH Dipbrow Pomade. I won’t go out without it now, but in the beginning, I was channeling Groucho Marx.

Rachel R. Avatar

I haven’t had anything horrible happen. My most embarrassing incident was going to my favorite tattoo/piercing shop with bright red lipstick on my teeth. The reason was not only did my piercer tease the heck out of me for it then, but for months afterward. All in good fun, of course. 🙂

I’ve gone out with only eye having eyeliner and mascara on it, and I’ve forgotten mascara completely. That’s why I always carry a black eyeliner and a sample sized mascara in my purse.

Bon Bon Avatar

Applying a fuchsia lip color then putting a light brown over it. The color was beautiful but , I didn’t cover all the fuchsia at the top of my lips and it was obvious two colors were being worn. “

Genevieve Avatar

I think in the early days when I overdid the blue eyeshadow or used frosted shades that were so popular at the time.
A mistake, not intended, was when I used foundation (from Dior, Revlon, Estee Lauder, Napolean Perdis etc) that had the wrong undertones for me (yellow) and turned a bit brown by the end of the day.

Nancy C Avatar

I was out on my very first date. Sixteen years old. I really liked the guy, so I was nervous! I applied my makeup so carefully, but forgot to clean up the mascara smears under my eyes before he picked me up. Later in the evening, I went to ‘powder my nose’, and discovered what I’d done. I was a shy teen, so I wanted to just sink through the floor. Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought of those days!

ShariP Avatar

Unfortunately, mine was the night I submitted the question. I had used a liquid lipstick in a nice bright red. I didn’t check to make sure it was transfer resistant, but it felt dry. I wasn’t paying too much attention and had been drinking water all day. Got home and looked in a mirror and I had really nice bright red lines going from the corners of my lips out toward my temples…Kind of like the Joker in the Batman movies. Oh well, my hubby had a nice laugh.

Miska Avatar

I still cringe when I think about this…I caved to female family pressure as a teen and overplucked my eyebrows. I had NO clue what I was doing. Ended up with no “tails” in an attempt to make thrm even! *slaps forehead* my brows looked like those mustaches men had decades ago that were maybe an inch across their lip. Does anyone know what I’m trying to describe? My words are failing me. It was not a good look. And it was summer. Years ago the brow products you had to work with, at least what I knew of, were basically non existant. I’m fair with dark hair and this mistake stuck out…so bad…for months! I think my older cousins wanted this to happen. Today you can look things up, see pictures, tutorials, reviews exc. When in doubt, educate yourself. Haha

Cathy Avatar

Probably wearing the dark, cool brown matte lips that I was IN LOVE with in the ’90’s. Those colours were so popular at the time and everyone was wearing them (thanks, Brenda Walsh!), but they honestly looked awful on me. I can remember some mornings my boss would come into my office to speak with me and I could see in his eye that something about the way I looked disturbed him, but I never gave it a second thought as he had quite demented fashion sense himself. But I realize now that he was looking at my lips and thinking, WHY????….lol

I do still love a matte taupey-brown lip but I have enough experience and sense to know that it’s just not a good look for ME. I love it when I see someone else rocking it, though 🙂

Silvia Avatar

Not too many mishaps since I’m kind of a blender being pale. Funny thing is I’m supposed to be very tropical but I’m called a Russian a lot or French frim ignorant racist people. But recently after sipping coffee left all of my lipstick at the rim. Excused myself to go to the restroom at this nice restaurant over looking the ocean and on return my hubby had filled up my cup again and our friend said for sure that’s hers! Not mine! (that friend is a grouch either way but good person I just smiled instead of knocking his teeth out! Lol). It was NYX lipstick I have four of them and would buy again creamy and satiny. But don’t have coffee or tea or soup!

Emilie Avatar

I wore some embarrassing looks back in the day, but seeing how they were intentional, I guess they don’t count! I’ve definitely forgotten mascara at least once, and one mishap I deal with often is a line of lipstick ending up across my chin after eating… still not quite sure how that happens! Not always an easy fix, either. :/

MacKenzie G. Avatar

I’m prone to getting lip stick on my chin as well, even liquid lips! Also, when I was younger and first trying makeup, I wanted to line my eyes with black liner, but it’s too harsh on my coloring. I’d go to school and no one would tell me I looked like a raccoon, then I’d come home and my mom would make fun of me

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!