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Celeb Spokesperson Fails

Why oh why did they choose these stars to rep their products? We may never know
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Worst: Pink for CoverGirl
While Pink is fun and a total original in her own right, her ads just can't compete with Ellen Degeneres and Sofia Vergara. CoverGirl was clearly aiming for the whole edgy thing, but it just kind of fell flat. Pink's trademark punk look clashed with CG's classic style and "easy, breezy, beautiful" tagline. Seems like she would have been better suited for a more indie beauty brand -- Benefit, Urban Decay, something like that.

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After "Girls" exploded into the cultural phenomenon it is now, everyone started noticing Allison Williams and her effortless style. She has that whole low maintenance appeal (and glowing skin) that is perfect for a down-to-earth brand like Simple. Love this pairing. Click the pic to watch the video.

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Worst: Kim Kardashian for Skechers ShapeUps
The Kardashians practically do an endorsement deal a day, so one of them was destined to make this list. The worst of the bunch? Kim Kardashian for Skechers ShapeUps. Are we really supposed to believe that Kim is walking around town in these awkward moon booties? We're pretty sure that when Kanye gave her closet a makeover these were the first to go.

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Best: Jennifer Aniston for Aveeno
This product endorsement just makes sense. Jennifer Aniston has that low-fuss, easy-going, quasi-earthy, crunchy vibe that works so well with Aveeno. This campaign was a success because even though Aniston can afford any beauty product under the sun, we actually believe she uses Aveeno.

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Worst: Brad Pitt for Chanel
We actually didn't hate this ad at the time -- mostly because it's always nice to stare at Brad Bitt -- but his campaign for Chanel No. 5 was pretty much universally panned. The way-too-serious black and white commercial features Pitt waxing poetic with gems like, "The world turns and we turn with it" and "Chanel No. 5. Inevitable." Um, what? It's no surprise SNL realized this thing was ripe fodder for a parody.

The true sign you've "made it" as a celebrity? It's not your first red carpet walk (heck, I did that at a press event last week, and who am I?). Or when photos of you drinking Starbucks in your sweats land on the Internet (that's like 99 percent of my Instagram).

No, the real indication is when a big-name brand asks you to be the spokesperson of their new product or ad campaign (something that's just not happening for us "normals"). It's got to be exciting when you're picked -- well unless it's a Lisa Rinna/Poise Pads situation -- but that happy glow can fade fast if it's a bad match.

Being a celebrity spokesperson can be a pretty risky venture for both the celebs and the brands. Get a good pairing and you can boost the product and the star's status. Get a bad pairing and you could see a drop in sales, an embarrassing SNL spoof, or worse.

We can't always tell what beauty brands are thinking when they pick the celebrities they do, but we can take a look back through the years and judge our favorite and least favorite spokespeople. Check out our picks -- from the makeup brand that nailed it with an unlikely talk show host to a pairing that seems so obvious but was so, so wrong -- and weigh in on your favorites in the comments. And if you want more celebrity spokespeople fun, play our celebrity spokesperson match game.
BY SARAH CARRILLO, EMILY POPP | MAY 22, 2013 | SHARES
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