Reba McEntire's Biggest Makeup Mistakes Are Hard To Ignore

Reba McEntire has decades of memorable looks under her Western buckled belt. The southern beauty's fashion evolution has been a sight to behold (even if she still occasionally ranks on worst dressed celebs lists) and McEntire has had a gorgeous hair transformation to boot. But so many years in the spotlight has also resulted in some questionable makeup takes, as the country superstar has seen countless trends come and go and techniques evolve. And the "Fancy" hitmaker knows they've not all been winners. "[My fans have] seen me on TV with good and bad looks — some funny and some not so funny!" she told New Beauty in 2016. 

But many of those missteps are down to glam not being a priority growing up in Oklahoma. "Hanging out with talented hair and make-up artists changed my outlook. I wanted to look better. Mama didn't have time to teach us girls anything about hair and make-up. She was busy putting food on the table," McEntire said. But, despite her learning a lot, there are still several makeup mistakes in this singer and actor's past that are hard to ignore.

In 2011, Reba McEntire suffered a serious flashback powder fail. Facebook photos showed her posing alongside fans with a large white patch on her nose (and more subtly around her eyes) that was distracting and unflattering. The unfortunate phenomenon happens when camera flashes bounce off face powders that usually look translucent in person. 

Reba isn't alone in falling victim to the dreaded powder problem. Brittany Mahomes fell victim to this same makeup mistake in 2019. Fellow singer Taylor Swift has also suffered from misplaced powder. But there are ways to avoid it. As Benjamin Puckey, a makeup pro, told Teen Vogue, "Avoid... white silica-containing finishing powders at all costs."

Reba McEntire attended the 1991 Academy Awards wearing foundation that was too light and cool-toned to match her chest. Her makeup artist also failed to warm up the shade with blush and bronzer to create a healthy glow, leaving the star's face looking flat and pale. But that wasn't the only questionable part of her evening glam. McEntire attempted a smoky eye, but the dark shade on the outer corners wasn't blended well, resulting in lids that looked muddy and severe.

Though eyebrows can be one of the hardest parts of our beauty routines to get right, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Reba McEntire proved why at the 1992 Academy of Country Music Awards as her barely-there brows failed to add any structure to her face. Though we'll give her some credit since thin face framers were in during that particular decade, a little pencil at the ends would have been more flattering and fitting with her red lip and long lashes. Her pushed back locks combined with the minimalist brows were too harsh and aging for the then-36-year-old. A little bronzer either side of her forehead would also have softened the look.

Reba McEntire's 2004 "Genius: A Night For Ray Charles" makeup was too matchy-matchy. The beauty seemingly wore faux tan that made her skin look orange, pairing it with deep purple eyeshadow and sparkly, light purple lip gloss. The tones were so similar, light, and glittery, they looked like costume makeup or cosmetics made for teens. The cool-toned gloss would have been more complimentary with a shimmery jewel-toned green shadow, which would have packed a punch and offered something different in a more sophisticated way.

It's usually a good idea to focus on the eyes or lips with makeup — but Reba McEntire ignored that for a 1990 performance. The Grammy winner wore a smoky eye with intense black shadow, muddy pink blush, orange bronzer, and a deep red lip that was distracting, heavy, and aging.

Thankfully though, McEntire has learned her lesson. "My makeup artist said it would be best to lighten up the color on my lips and add shine. Evidently, a softer lip looks less harsh and keeps the attention on the eyes," she told New Beauty. And this look proves that.