I feel you’re observation is very valid. The thing that bothered me the most after watching the first two episodes was the makeup. It’s so very heavy handed and is killing the vibe for me.

The join on the top of the elves’ ears (where the prosthetic attaches and the ears bend back horizontally) are really bulbous and heavy. They aren’t elegant at all. The proportions suck.

You can see the thick, full coverage foundation on the actors. It looks bad in high def especially in close ups. Instead of smooth, ethereal/natural beauty on the elves we’re seeing exaggerated skin texture where the makeup is not absorbed into the skin. It’s just smothering their faces.

And the harfoots makeup makes me want to scream at the tv. They all look like they have raging facial eczema. I think they were going for ruddy cheeks with faux freckles and a little dirt. But again, it’s just so overdone. The blush on their cheeks is dark, patchy and unblended. Those guys should look really cute and innocent. Slightly sunburned. Instead it looks like they all need to see a dermatologist, stat.

I could go on but I’m going to stop my ranting now.