10 Celebs Who Wear Too Much Makeup (And 10 Who Don't Wear Enough)

Quick Links

When you are a celebrity or work in a high-profile corner of the entertainment industry, makeup is basically one of the fundamental things you have to deal with on a daily basis. If you're lucky you have a makeup artist at your disposal to help you look the best you possibly can, but sometimes celebs have to flex their own makeup muscles, and sometimes they just choose to go without it. While every person should wear whatever makeup they feel comfortable in and shouldn't feel forced to conform to a specific ideal, there are also really easy ways to make sure the makeup you do wear makes you look awesome, and it's also really important to make sure you're not piling on extra cosmetics that you really don't need.

And maybe it's because they rarely have to do makeup themselves, or maybe it's just because they wear makeup so often that they like to change things up when they're on their own time, but there are quite a few high-profile celebrities who are either caking on way more makeup than they probably would ever need while there are others who could dramatically improve their makeup-free appearance with one or two products in five minutes or less. So who's guilty of slapping on the cosmetics when they could cut their routine in half and still look fab? And who's eschewing some really basic makeup tricks that would barely add any time to their routine but keep them looking fresh and gorgeous 24/7?

Too Much Makeup: Khloe Kardashian

It's never really a surprise to see any Kardashian wearing what would be red carpet glam makeup to most people in their everyday lives where they're just hanging out and doing nothing, but if you need to get yourself to absolute airbrushed perfection just to post a picture of yourself on Instagram then you've definitely gone too far. But Khloe could dial it down on the makeup for a few other reasons too. We know that the Kardashians kind of made their own style of makeup popular, but at this point it can be hard to differentiate between all of the sisters because they make themselves up so identically. And while it's awesome that Khloe feels awesome, doing herself up to the nines on a daily basis is totally unnecessary. Finally, while having one of the super image-conscious Kardashians promoting body positivity on a regular basis is a good thing, it would also be good if she showed her non-airbrushed self a little more often.

Could Use Some More: Katie Holmes

Katie Holmes has always been cute as a button, and looks almost exactly the same as she did in the Dawson's Creek era when she's wearing some makeup. But as she's gotten older she has gotten some darker pigmentation around her lips and eyes, which is a pretty common skin issue that a lot of people have to deal with, but it can make people look unnecessarily tired and worn out when they're really not. For the girls who want to fix this problem but still like to go generally makeup free, putting some concealer or even just some foundation on the dark pigmentation and then blending it out will give you a fast and easy fix without doing a full-on face of makeup. And Katie's lips look like they're kind of a naturally mauve color, but something brighter and fresher on her lips could make her whole face brighten up a bit.

Too Much Makeup: Taylor Momsen

After hitting it big with Gossip Girl it became readily apparent that star Taylor Momsen wanted to make herself look older and more mature as much as she possibly could, which apparently meant filling the entire eye socket on that baby face with some jet black eyeliner/eye shadow. The trouble is, the ultra smoked out eye look doesn't make Momsen look more mature, it just looks like a 15-year-old girl covered her eyeballs with charcoal. And a smoked out look can look pretty under some circumstances, but less is usually more, and there's more to it than just blacking out your eyelids. Aside from being a kind a blah look, that must be a brutal makeup look to get off. Your eyelids and under-eye area are some of the most sensitive parts of the skin on your face. They're actually significantly thinner than the rest of the skin on your face, so wearing something that includes a lot of rubbing and tugging to get it on and take it off is not a good thing to be wearing habitually.

Could Use Some More: Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde was born with some amazing bone structure and incredible eyes, which is why her day-to-day look would be helped with just a touch of eye makeup and extra contouring. Wilde doesn't need to use any contouring to give herself super sharp cheek bones where they don't exist, so just adding a bit of subtle shade would only enhance the look of her face. Same goes with her eyes; her eyes are a naturally striking color and a really unusual shape, but throwing on a nice contrasting shadow look would make them really pop. And even if she were in a hurry, just slapping on some mascara and/or eyeliner would make her pretty eyes really stand out. And a bit of concealer wouldn't hurt either. Having that little dent beneath your eyes is a natural thing that a lot of people have, but it can create an unflattering shadow that can easily be mitigated with some under-eye brightening.

Too Much Makeup: Blac Chyna

Clearly Blac Chyna subscribes to the super over-the-top makeup style that the Kardashians pioneered and that everyone else in the entertainment industry seems to have followed. But Chyna could probably cut the amount of makeup she wears in half and still look almost exactly the same, because unless you're dealing with some severe skin problems then you don't need to be covering your face in a centimeter of full-coverage foundation. And going for an over-the-top element in your makeup look can work, but when every part of your look is over-the- top it's just too much. Chyna would probably benefit from dialling it down on her eyelashes and brows. Rocking false lashes can be a really nice look, but if you're wearing falsies that are almost long enough to hit your brow bone, it is too much. And she also fell into the trap of overfilling your brows to the point where they look drawn on, which is never a flattering look on anyone.

Could Use Some More: Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst actually looks pretty fab without any makeup on, and she naturally has pretty nice skin and facial features. But she's also one of those people who just looks like they're the fairest of fair from head to toe, which usually means that all of the parts of your face that you want to really pop wind up blending together and looking kind of monochromatic. Her natural lip color is pretty, but her lips would probably look a little more lively if she put on a nice lip gloss or even just a tinted lip balm. And her natural blonde hair is actually a very nice color too, but it might shine a little more if she darkened up her eyebrows and eyelashes just a touch. Even if she just used some face makeup to even out her skin tone and emphasize the facial features she likes it would make her look a lot more pulled together and let her natural beauty shine.

Too Much Makeup: Bret Michaels

Back when hair metal was still a thing, it was definitely not unusual to see men in hair metal bands wearing a considerable amount of makeup, and Poison's Bret Michaels honestly had the kind of face that looked really good in makeup when he was younger anyway. But glam metal really had its moment in the 80s and early 90s, so if Michaels still wants to rock some makeup it wouldn't hurt him to update his look, and the way he looks now just makes it seem like he's trying to use too much makeup to maintain his old pretty boy looks even though he's now a fully grown middle-aged man. One of the best things to remember about makeup is that you have to wear looks that suit your own age, style, and facial features, and doing makeup for the face you want to have instead of the face you actually have usually doesn't work out well.

Could Use Some More: Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan has definitely had a rough go of it for quite a while, but she is unfortunately trying to undo a lot of her lifestyle choice mistakes through enhancing her appearance, when in reality she would probably be better off just doing a more flattering makeup job instead. She's certainly not the only celebrity to fall into the Real Housewives face trap, but a lot of Lindsay's skin problems could be mitigated with a really beautiful high-end foundation, and it would also be cheaper than the work she's had done. The same goes for her lips, that are a little too full and over-the-top. She would probably look a lot better rocking a pretty lip gloss or liquid lipstick instead, and not putting any product on top of them. For Lindsay, a more natural look would make a world of difference.

Too Much Makeup: Emma Stone

Actress Emma Stone is actually pretty on point with her makeup in general. Howeverm in this case she fell into the trap that so many pale girls seem to fall into. Obviously if you're starting off with a base that isn't super pigmented, then you want to avoid using makeup products that are too pigmented, and you want to avoid layering those products up too much. It's a difficult balance to strike because it's so easy to go overboard so quickly, and obviously you want to have some color on your face, but once you go just a little overboard it looks like you're wearing way too much makeup. And the lip color she's wearing looks like it's a bit too dark for her and not quite the right tone of red, which really pops in the wrong way because her skin is so snow white. As a general rule, the fairer you are the more conservative you should be, just to avoid making your makeup look way too heavy even if it's not.

Could Use Some More: Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner needs to start wearing a lot more makeup if she wants to blend in with the rest of her family. Kendall wanting to go for a more natural look with her makeup is understandable and actually suits her face really well. However, her entire family rose to the level of fame and success that they have specifically for their super heavy and overdone makeup style. Kendall might be trying to build her own brand as a model, but she's certainly not looking very "on brand" for the Kardashian media and style empire. Oh, and girl, if you're going to take any "beauty" tips from your mother and sisters let it be that. Unfortunately, it looks like Kendall may have enhanced her lips recently which, while a staple of her entire family, were completely unnecessary for her.

Too Much Makeup: Marilyn Manson

Obviously wearing "shocking" makeup and fashion are cornerstones of Marilyn Manson's whole metal goth vibe, but perhaps it's time to switch up the look a bit. He really has been doing the same makeup style for the past two decades, and it's not something that looks particularly flattering on him at this point, nor is it shocking since again, he's been styling himself that way for years. Not to mention, if you're going to put heavy foundation on your face (or really put any foundation on your face) you don't want to be wearing something that's going to crease up a lot, and as you can see on Manson there is creasing galore. Going for a kind of monochromatic goth look will always look very harsh because there are no shade differences across the face, but if you're going to do that then you need your base color to look as flawless as porcelain.

Could Use Some More: Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres has definitely never seemed like the type to enjoy makeup all that much, and if anyone feels good rocking their bare and natural face then they should probably go for it. However, Ellen is now a Covergirl. That obviously doesn't mean that you have to be piling on makeup at all times, but if you're a brand ambassador for one of the most well known makeup brands in the world then it would probably make sense to be wearing at least one makeup product when you're leaving the house. And it's cool that Covergirl has been diversifying their selections for their public representatives, but Ellen is one of the rare celebrities who doesn't seem makeup-obsessed, so seeing her do some really basic makeup applications and techniques would actually be a really great example to all the girls out there who aren't normally makeup wearers who might want to change up their looks a little every once in a while.

Too Much Makeup: Aubrey O'Day

The whole trend of enhancing yourself by any means necessary to make yourself look like some kind of doll will always look strange, but is an exceptionally bad look for Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day. These things can already make your face move in ways that look unnatural, and adding a thick layer of makeup to your face will also make it look unnatural and inhuman, so when you double up on those things it looks extremely fake and takes you into uncanny valley territory. Aubrey is only in her mid-30s now, which usually means (unless you've really destroyed your skin and body, which she hasn't) that you can put your makeup on with a lighter hand and still look pretty great. It's also kind of counterintuitive. Makeup is something you use to cover your flaws and enhance your assets, so if you're "removing" all of your flaws then that should mean you use more makeup, not less.

Could Use Some More: Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is clearly a big fan of all things natural, and has only gone further and further into that obsession as she has built her GOOP brand further. And to be honest, she still looks fab without any makeup on anyway, but her natural overall appearance from the shoulders up is so lightly colored and similar in shades that she kind of loses the look of her actual facial features when she's not wearing any makeup. Her skin looks nice enough that she could skip the foundation if she wanted to, but a decent lip gloss, some mascara, a bit of brow product, and some bronzer or some blush could really work wonders for making her whole face pop. It would be especially helpful on her eyes too, just because it always looks a little odd when people rock their naturally blonde eyebrows and eyelashes because it kind of looks like they just don't have brows or lashes.

Too Much Makeup: Farrah Abraham

Considering the fact that Farrah Abraham sells a literal doll modeled after herself, it's not the biggest surprise that she likes to make herself look like a living doll. But aside from having an absurd amount of unnecessary enhancements done to her look (because she was already pretty, probably actually prettier, before) she definitely piles on way more makeup than necessary. A decent pair of false eyelashes can really change your whole look for the better, but once you get into lash lengths that are comically unbelievable it just looks weird instead of pretty. Contour and highlight can also do you a lot of favors if you do it right, but if you get to the point where it looks like some parts of your face have been carved out with a knife and other parts are crazy reflective, it's too much. The makeup on Farrah's nose is so heavy on contour and highlight that it actually makes it look like it's a really strange shape.

Could Use Some More: Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone actually looks incredible for a woman who is less than a month away from 60, but having a pretty great base to start off with doesn't mean that makeup can't do you some serious favors. Sharon's lips look a little dry, so slapping on a tinted lip balm would be an easy way to liven up her lips with some moisture and a hint of color. There are also a lot of products on the market today that do double duty as a lip color and a cheek color, so that would be an easy way for Stone to warm up her face in about 2 minutes flat. But what we think is really hurting her overall look are her eyebrows. Obviously she's a natural blonde so it's not a surprise that her eyebrows are really light, but the shape of them also makes it look like they're disappearing halfway down her face. A light brown brow gel could get them to really pop without looking unnatural or weird.

Too Much Makeup: Britney Spears

At this point, pop superstar Britney Spears has been living in the spotlight for more than half of her life, but in terms of her makeup and styling not much has changed. Britney has always favored a heavy eye look with some more natural looking colors on the rest of her face, which isn't a terrible look in general but tends to look pretty strange when your "natural" makeup looks like it's about a half an inch thick. And we all know that Brit came of age in the era of some super strong fake tan, but if you're bronzing your face so much that it makes you look orange, you've gone too far. What's most noticeable though is that since Spears has stuck with the same makeup style for pretty much her entire life, she seems to have compensated for her natural aging by just putting on more and more product.

Could Use Some More: Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham is a bit of an odd bird in the entertainment industry, because on the one hand, she seems to want to show as much of her natural self as possible in order to normalize seeing regular women represented in media, but on the other hand, she seems to feel insecure about her appearance without actually doing anything to alter it. And like most girls, she doesn't need a whole lot of alteration to show some serious improvements. One of the fastest and easiest makeup tricks that makes you look "done" without actually having to do much makeup is by putting on a strong lip color. It's a look that can be flattering on almost anyone and that includes Lena. Another easy makeup shortcut is putting on mascara or some winged liner. Mascara always makes your eyes pop in a natural looking way, and winged liner is popular for a reason, because it looks awesome on pretty much everyone.

Too Much Makeup: Jared Leto

Okay, we get it. You're supposed to look like a super cool rock star. However, once you start looking like Taylor Momsen's twin brother (or you know... her dad) it's time to put the eyeliner down and check yourself before you wreck yourself. "Guyliner" is definitely its own mini trend that has been going on and off for quite a while now, but if you're doing it and you're over the age of 20, it shouldn't look like you just colored in around your eyes with a black crayon, and if you're nearly 40 then the goth kid eyeliner use should be very restrained if you use it at all. At this event, Jared kinda looks like a teenage emo kid who spent a truck load of money at Hot Topic before going home and lamenting his constant personal suffering on his Myspace page, which probably isn't the look you want to go for as a professional adult.

Could Use Some More: Sofia Vergara

It's actually a little ridiculous to realize that this is how 45-year-old actress Sofia Vergara looks without makeup on, because she could easily pass for 10 years younger than she really is, if not more. And she definitely doesn't look bad without makeup. In fact, it might make her look more dewy and youthful than a face full of makeup does. However, she also seems to have super rosy cheeks naturally. Skin discoloration is a really common skin issue, and honestly it's not something that looks bad or that women should feel ashamed of. However, if she ever wants to look anything besides super rosy-cheeked then she's going to require some makeup to do that. Someone with her golden skin tone will look amazing with some golds and bronzes in her makeup, and while she could go without foundation or concealer on a lot of her face, if she bronzed herself up or put blush on her cheeks it would look like she just went insanely overboard with her makeup.