These days, it’s challenging to envision Erika’s natural appearance beneath her layers of makeup. Since the passing of her husband, Charlie Kirk, in September, Erika, now the CEO of Turning Point USA, has been in the public eye frequently. Her signature look, featuring an intense smoky eye, has become her trademark. While some of her makeup choices are more understated, she rarely ventures into minimalism. As a former Miss Arizona, it’s understandable why Erika is accustomed to a bold look. However, the demands of television interviews differ greatly from those of the pageant world, necessitating adjustments for close-up shots. Her consistent use of a smoky eye, like during her interview with Sean Hannity, and her full glam look on “Fox & Friends” this morning, indicate that she has no plans to embrace a more natural look soon.

While personal preference for makeup varies, and a heavier style is not inherently wrong, Erika Kirk’s choice of dark eye makeup, heavy false lashes, pronounced contouring, and sharply drawn eyebrows for a morning talk show seems excessive. She doesn’t seem to modify her routine based on the time of day or event, often resulting in an overdone appearance. Coupled with her long hair extensions, one might think Erika is clinging to her pageant days.

Some people prefer heavier makeup looks than others, and at its core, there’s nothing wrong with that. Yet, Erika Kirk piled on dark eye makeup, heavy false lashes, harsh contour, and severely drawn-on eyebrows for an early morning talk show. Clearly Kirk doesn’t really edit her routine depending on the time of day or occasion. And, as a result, she always seems a bit too overdone. Paired with her seriously long hair extensions, it’s hard not to think that Kirk is stuck in her beauty pageant past.

Interestingly, though, photos of Kirk when she was younger prove that her makeup routine has actually received a major downgrade over the years. Kirk used to have a more natural, less intense aesthetic. So, is her odd style less about her beauty pageant past and more about her MAGA present and keeping up with Republican makeup trends? Is Mar-a-Lago face in her not-so-distant future? Time will tell. And, for her sake, we’re hoping she decides to go back to basics with her style.