Bride Goes Viral for Wedding Glam Gone Wrong. ‘When I Saw the Look I Was Horrified’

Bride Alexandra Geahlen says she couldn’t believe what she was seeing after her trial wedding glam — and years later, she still can’t stop thinking about it.

In a TikTok posted Dec. 12, 2025, Geahlen shared a before-and-after makeup reveal that quickly went viral, pulling in nearly 750,000 views and 30,000 comments. The video starts with a photo of her bare-faced “before,” followed by the inspiration image she brought to her trial — a polished, full-glam look with a smokey eye and glowing foundation.

But the final slide is where the internet gasped: the makeup she actually received looked nothing like the inspiration. In her caption, Geahlen noted the trial happened back in 2021, but she still thinks about it “regularly.”

Geahlen explained that she booked the makeup trial at the same place where she was getting her hair done at the time — a decision she now views differently.

“I loved my haircuts, so I thought the makeup artist would do a similarly good job,” she said. “In hindsight, judging how well a makeup artist would do makeup based on my experience with my hairdresser wasn’t the brightest, but I trusted them so much with my hair, I really just figured they would have equally adept people hired for makeup.”

According to Geahlen, the artist seemed completely confident from the start. After she showed the inspo photo, the makeup artist asked the “appropriate follow-up questions,” including whether she wanted false lashes.

“I also reiterated that I wanted a full coverage, glam look for my wedding to match the vibe and style I thought my wedding dress had,” she added.

During the application, Geahlen says her chair was turned away from the mirror — so she couldn’t see the look taking shape in real time.

“I really thought everything was okay until she handed me the mirror,” she recalled. “When I saw the look I obviously was horrified.”

Even then, she says she didn’t speak up.

“But I am a people pleaser, and lived and worked in the same small town as the salon. I was nervous to express my displeasure and be judged for it, so I didn’t say anything negative, thanked her, and left.”

Once she walked out, the shock hit harder.

“Once I left the salon, I was half crying at how bad it looked because I was afraid someone would see me walking to my car or driving home, but mostly laughing at the situation because it really was awful,” she said.

She immediately called her mom and sister, her fiancé at the time, and her best friend — and she says she shared the look widely with friends, too.

“I called my mom and sister, fiance at the time, and best friend. I think I SnapChatted every person on my friends list, too. Everyone was in shock at how horrible the trial was,” she added.

While she did pay for the service, Geahlen noted she was grateful it was only a trial — and that it happened about a year before the wedding. In the months that followed, she found another makeup artist, Lauren Updike from Soto Salon in Perrysburg, Ohio, who delivered the look she had wanted all along for her wedding day on July 9, 2022.

Looking back, Geahlen says she’s happy she posted the story — especially after seeing how many other brides shared similar experiences in the comments. Some joked about their own trials, while others pointed out the technical issues they noticed.

One commenter wrote, “[the makeup artist] was like “no eyeliner for you” 😂.” Another added, “As a bridal makeup artist the lack of blending is sending me 🥴.”

Geahlen said she never expected the post to blow up the way it did.

“I definitely did not expect the TikTok to go viral! I like making TikToks as a working mom to a toddler for fun, and this post was just a little silly one I made in ten seconds one day,” she said.

She added that she loved how it gave other brides a place to laugh, vent, and relate.

“I wasn’t expecting it to get so much traction, but I loved how it gave other brides the opportunity to commiserate in the comment section. So many brides have had similar experiences. Some of their bad trial photos made me giggle, just like I hope mine did to others!”