The Project host Carrie Bickmore accused of ‘wearing too much makeup’

Carrie Bickmore has been criticised by trolls for posting a glamorous selfie before Thursday’s episode of The Project.

The mother of three, 41, showed off her stunning makeup look for the broadcast, including bright red lipstick and lashings of mascara.

Posing behind the microphone, presumably to record overdubs, she also showed off her silver hoop earrings and patterned floral dress.

‘Always wanted to be a singer… nah, I didn’t… but definitely a back-up dancer for Janet Jackson. Loves me a microphone though,’ Bickmore wrote in the caption.

Many supportive fans flocked to the comments section, branding her a ‘dead-set stunner’, ‘fabulous’ and ‘beautiful’.

However, some critics suggested she was wearing excessive makeup – even though this is not unusual for television presenters.

One troll said her cosmetics looked ‘caked on’ and didn’t do her any favours. 

Another added: ‘I love watching you on The Project and you always look fabulous, Carrie, but… you might want to have a chat to your makeup artist.

‘Recently your makeup recently has been looking a bit too orange.’

A third follower commented: ‘More makeup than substance.’

It comes after Carrie’s recent return to The Project following her ‘family adventure’ in Britain, which some viewers suspected had been cut short.

Many had expected her to be gone for six months or more, and some even suspected she hoped to get a job in the UK, so they were understandably confused when she slipped back into her role on the panel without fanfare on July 11.

Fans of the newsreader had been in the dark about her trip, as she had never indicated a specific return date. 

Instead, Bickmore simply said she was ‘going to be taking a few months off’ from April with her partner Chris Walker and their three children, travelling across Europe while being mostly based in London.

‘Chris and I and the kids are heading off on a family adventure together,’ she said at the time.

‘We’ve been wanting to do it for a while but lots of reasons, timing hasn’t been right, but we figure it’s never going to be the perfect time to go.’

The Gold Logie winner shared the selfie on Instagram along with several others throughout the night, before revealing the next morning Fifi had a hangover

It comes after Carrie’s recent return to The Project following her ‘family adventure’ in Britain, which some viewers suspected had been cut short

Carrie Bickmore gives salsa dancing a go

‘I t’s something we really want to do before my son starts his final years at school so we’re doing term two in the UK. So I will be off for a couple of months,’ she added.

As it turned out, returning in ‘a few months’ is precisely what Bickmore did.

Yet during her sabbatical some viewers feared she would never return to the Channel 10 current affairs show, pointing to various ‘clues’ suggesting she was planning a more permanent move.

For example, Bickmore said she had been inspired by fellow Project panellist Kate Langbroek, 56, who spent two years living in Bologna, Italy, with her family.

Bickmore said she had been inspired by fellow Project panellist Kate Langbroek, 56, (right) who spent two years living in Bologna, Italy, with her family

Furthermore, Bickmore had sold her five-bedroom family home in Melbourne just days before announcing her extended leave.

Some fans speculated this was because she and her family were hoping to buy a place to live in England.

Yet none of these theories came to fruition, as Bickmore returned to The Project on July 11, just three months after jetting abroad.