put lipstick on a pig
To superficially alter something in the hope of making it seem more appealing than it is in actuality.
Near-synonyms: polish a turd, sugarcoat the pill
QUANT
dab
She applied a small dab of lipstick before the meeting started.
VERB + LIPSTICK
have on, wear | apply, put on
renew, touch up
I need to renew my lipstick before we go out tonight.
remove, take off, wipe off
LIPSTICK + VERB
smudge
My lipstick smudged after I ate lunch, so I had to reapply it.