Cheryl Hines' Biggest Makeup Mistakes Of All Time

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Cheryl Hines has been on our screens for a big chunk of her life, and she has to be used to getting glammed up by now. Known for playing Larry David's wife on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Hines has shown off her killer legs plenty of times as she hobnobbed with other famous faces, all while sporting a full face of makeup. Although Hines' red carpet looks are mostly impeccable, the times she does her own face are painfully obvious, and as a professional makeup artist, I can pinpoint just where she went wrong.

It's surprising just how many makeup mistakes Hines has made, as she's had pro-level training. In an interview with New Beauty, the actor shared, "I actually got my cosmetology license before I went to college. Beauty is just something I've always loved." That was probably many moons ago, and judging by the several times Cheryl Hines should have checked the mirror before making her rookie makeup mistakes, it seems she needs a refresher course.

Cheryl Hines loves using dark liner on her eyes, and with her deep-set lids, she can definitely go for a thick line. However, she often fails to draw them in evenly, with the color not appearing flush with her lash line. In Hines' November 2025 Instagram post promoting her book, "Unscripted," her makeup flub was there for all to see, and the unfortunate fail made her look like she was trying the uncanny valley TikTok trend.

The dark grayish color is great for bringing out Hines' blue eyes, but she needs to work on the placement. It may be that her liner is too hard, making it skip along her skin. A softer kohl pencil or liquid liner makes application easier, as does looking straight at the mirror while doing so. If you tug on your eyes while looking down, you'll only end up with a wonky line, just like Hines.

I love a good smudged look for the bottom lash line, but only if it's deliberately done, and just slightly so. The lived-in smoky eye is making messy glamorous, and it couldn't be easier when using the right technique. Unfortunately, Hines' February 2024 application looked unintentional, with the cool brown shade creeping down her lower lid. It looks like she drew the liner on too thickly, and over time, it just kept smudging even more.

Hines' eye makeup could have been salvaged by gently running a Q-tip along the edge of the line to clean up the harsh edge. When going for a smudged line, you don't want to see where it begins and ends. Instead, you'll want a soft blur, which is much more flattering, especially on older faces. I also don't like tightlining the bottom lid on mature eyes, because it appears too severe. With Hines' big peepers, she can get away with it, as long as the application is done carefully.

Getting the exact right foundation shade isn't always easy, especially if you get a spray tan, which is what seemingly happened to Cheryl Hines at the premiere of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in October 2021. Her body was super bronzed, but the "Bad Moms" star's face was at least five shades lighter. This could be the result of the camera's flash, as this photo was taken on the red carpet. Or, perhaps she used a self-tanner that develops over time, which is what happened to Selena Gomez at the 2018 Met Gala. But if so, Hines should have prepared for that with a darker foundation color.

A quick way to remedy a too-light foundation shade without having to redo the whole makeup is to have a powder bronzer on hand. Hines could have quickly brushed some on over the top part of her forehead, temples, cheeks, and chin to create a sun-kissed look. Leaving the rest of her face light would have created a highlighted, three-dimensional effect. At least Hines' eye makeup looked spot-on, dramatic lashes included.

Most people ditched their makeup for bare faces during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Cheryl Hines went the opposite route and showed off a full glam in November 2020. With heavy foundation, glossy lips, and smoky eyes, complete with false lashes, the actor looked ready for the Emmys. Aside from the cakey base, Hines' makeup was pretty, except for the spidery lashes. It looked like she applied a set of thick falsies and then ran several coats of mascara over them, resulting in a clumpy mess.

While I'm all for false lashes, as they can do wonders for opening up the eyes, I stay away from ones that are overly spiky and long. When they're grazing your brows, it's time to scale back on the length. The soft, mink ones are much more natural-looking — and they feel lighter on the eyes as well. Additionally, only one or two coats of mascara are needed, just to darken them and give them a bit of definition or hide any flecks of fallen eyeshadow. Hines' lashes were definitely overkill and ruined what was otherwise a great look.