Worst Makeup Trends I’m Done With: Highlighter on the Nose

image: Andrew Kimber

 

 

I’ve spent 25 years in makeup, working with pros at Chanel and L’Oreal, and five years out hasn’t dulled my disdain for stupid trends. TikTok and Instagram girls, what’s with the highlighter on the nose tip? This nonsense should’ve died years ago, but it’s still here, and it looks bloody awful. Let me break it down.

 

Contour and highlight aren’t random. Contour is an implied shadow—matte, cool-toned, greyish-brown, not bronzer. Stand by a window, check your mirror: that’s the shadow we recreate. It pulls back areas—cheekbones, chin, forehead, nose. I’ve faked a six-pack for shoots, but that’s another story. 

 

Cheek contour doesn’t stop mid-cheek—that’s blush territory, don’t mess it up. Done right, it slims and defines. I’d use something pro-grade like Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Stick Foundation matte, blends like a dream.

 

Highlight brings things forward. Top of cheekbones, bridge of the nose—just the bony bit, not the ball—cupid’s bow, brow bone. That’s it. Noses are already forward; they don’t need more attention. Slapping highlighter on the tip doesn’t look cute—it looks like you’ve been sweating buckets. I worked with professional models; they’d never pull this crap. Backstage, we kept glow subtle, enhancing features, not turning them into a disco ball. A pro pick like Dior Forever Couture Luminizer Intense Highlighting Powder give a soft radiance, not a greasy shine.

This trend needs to die, never to be seen again. Makeup should enhance, not make you look ridiculous.

 

 

What’s the worst makeup look you’ve tried—drop it in the comments.