During her tenure as the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has often faced criticism over her full glam makeup at almost every event. Now looking back on the year she had, the closer the camera gets, the more her makeup starts working against her.

Noem took a subtler approach to cosmetics when she was elected as the first female governor of South Dakota in 2018. After fully embracing the so-called ‘Republican makeup’ or ‘Mar-a-Lago’ look, Noem’s close-up shots expose all her makeup fails. 

Noem also makes the mistake of wearing caked-on foundation. As a result, every pore and fine line shows up on camera. When Noem testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security in December, she toned down her makeup. But her trademark foundation never left her face. Besides the extended lashes, she also had a striking cerise-colored lipstick, matching her red nail polish.

 In November, Noem, alongside President Donald Trump, met with the White House Task Force to discuss precautions regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, close-up shots proved unforgiving, exposing clumpy lash extensions and globs of mascara. Her very evident foundation gave an odd texture to her face. Her choice of red lipstick for the day could only backfire from there.

In October, Noem attended a press conference in Gary, Indiana, to discuss Operation Midway Blitz. The 54-year-old had on a moderate amount of bronzer, by her standards. To top it off, her eye makeup was a complete mess. 

Noem sported a purplish shade of eyeshadow, which sadly brought along her tried and true lash extensions. The former governor had also glopped on a good amount of mascara, giving the impression her lashes were nearly touching her eyebrows. 

Noem again joined Trump back in September, when he signed an order to deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee. Outdated hoop earrings rightfully overshadowed her berry-colored suit. Her dry, patchy makeup gave the illusion of a grainy Photoshop filter job. 

The base layer, particularly around her lower jaw, looked uneven. The line of demarcation where her blush starts and stops was also visible. The dark eye makeup, extra eyelashes, and prominent brows ate up the space between her brows and eyes. 

In August, South Park disemboweled Noem’s plastic surgery look as they showed her in the ICE Barbie ensemble. The animators captured her essence with dark eyebrows, spider lash extensions, and glimmering lipstick on giant lips that were augmented by lip fillers. The caricatured version of Noem was a pretty close tribute to her day-to-day looks. 

During her July stopover in Ecuador, Noem was again photographed, where her eyebrows looked comically stencilled. Her odd complexion made her look wax-like under all the camera flashes. Her rumored face filler seemed to have made her cheeks look larger than usual. 

Ever since Noem had her confirmation hearing in January to become the DHS secretary, she had to endure questioning with numerous photographers on hand. And they have always managed to get several close-up shots of hers. 

Most of them show her caked-up makeup, including dark-filled brows. She also has a penchant for intense shades of lipstick in addition to heavy foundation. All of it just results in a messed-up complexion.