Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has undergone quite the major makeup evolution over the last decade, as she transitioned from Hollywood starlet to British royal.
Prior to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, the then-actress was known for her bold beauty looks, often featuring dark eye makeup and full, false lashes.
She toyed with deep red and plum lip colours, embraced a bronzed complexion and let her cosmetics do the talking.
But that all changed when she took her first steps into royal life and scaled back her beauty regime to fit a more modest aesthetic.
As a royal lady, Meghan embraced a more natural beauty regime, prioritising clear, glowing skin and mastering the art of the nude lip.
While her signature dark eyeliner remained a staple through her time as a senior royal, she kept her eyeshadow looks more understated and refined.
Now that she and Harry have exited the monarchy, many royal watchers are expecting the duchess to undergo another beauty evolution.
Her appearances in New York in September proved that the duchess had returned to some of her favourite makeup styles of her pre-royal days, sporting a bolder eye look.
In honour of her beauty evolution through the years, we’re looking back at some of Meghan’s best makeup looks.
Hollywood glamour
Before she was the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan walked the red carpets of Hollywood and had a glamorous beauty regime to match. Smokey eyeshadow looks like this brown one were common and she complimented the dark tones with a bronzed complexion and shimmering neutral lip colour.
Hollywood glamour
The actress wasn’t afraid to embrace a more eccentric hue either – just take this shimmery purple look, for example. She paired the sparkling eyeshaodw with large false lashes and balanced it with an understated glossy lip.
Hollywood glamour
There’s no denying Meghan looks ravishing in a bold red lip. Before becoming a royal, she paired vibrant vermillion lipsticks with simple black liner and neutral eyeshadow looks to avoid overdoing it.
Hollywood glamour
When she wanted a more vampy look, Meghan darkened her eyeshadow and extended her black liner onto her lower lash line to enhance the effect of this deep red lipstick.
Hollywood glamour
The actress also knew how to scale it back, going for a totally neutral look with this nude lipstick. She paired it with long falsies and a subtle smokey eye for a surprisingly pretty effect.
Hollywood glamour
Even before she married Prince Harry, there were glimpses of Meghan’s royal makeup looks in her Hollywood days. This combination of black liner, nude lipstick and a glowy complexion would serve as an inspiration for her go-to royal makeup.
Royal beauty
The duchess opted for a surprisingly natural makeup look on her wedding day, letting her freckles shine through a glowing base and keeping her lip shade a natural pink. Her eyes were the focus; Meghan opted for a brown shadow, dark liner and full lashes on the big day.
Daniel Martin, who did her wedding makeup, told Fashionista: “All I knew was that this is the kind of makeup she’s most comfortable in and that was that. My intention was to make her feel as beautiful and as comfortable as possible.”
Meghan Markle’s wedding day makeup artist on how he got the job
Royal beauty
As a royal, her makeup had to be more low-key than in her Hollywood days, but Meghan kept some of her classic glamour. Most of her looks focused on drawing attention to her eyes with black liner and thick, full lashes.
Royal beauty
Her glowing skin remains one of the duchess’ best features and Daniel Martin revealed how she gets it: “So much of it is about hydration. She’s good about drinking lots of water and taking care of herself.”
He added that the duchess also uses water-based moisturiser, including hyaluronic acid moisturisers, to keep her skin clear and plump.
Royal beauty
Royals still get dolled up for major events and the duchess returned to one of her favourite deep plum lip colours for a special occasion in 2018. She paired the bold hue with a more reserved smokey eye look and bronzed cheeks.
Post-monarchy makeup
After she and Prince Harry announced their plan to leave the monarchy in 2020, we saw another shift in Meghan’s approach to beauty. For her final engagements in the UK, she embraced bolder makeup looks like this dark smokey eye paired with a glossy red lip.
Post-monarchy makeup
She went for a smoked-out brown eyeshadow look at another final engagement, complimenting her vibrant red dress with understated pink blush and a glossy nude lip colour.
Post-monarchy makeup
For her final appearance as a senior working royal, the duchess returned to her glamourous roots and wore a shimmering purple eyeshadow, thick false lashes and nude lipstick over a flawless matte base.
Post-monarchy makeup
Her beauty regime now appears to have returned to something closer to the Hollywood glamour she favoured in the early 2010s. While visiting New York in September she was often seen sporting dark eye makeup and more dramatic looks – we can’t wait to see how her approach to beauty continues to evolve in the years to come.
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