Kate Middleton Refuses to Adopt Queen Elizabeth’s Signature Makeup Rule
After she married Prince William, the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) learned a lot from his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, about royal protocols and how members of the family should dress and present themselves in public. But what was good for a former queen may not be good for a future queen.
The princess has paid tribute to the late monarch on a number of occasions with something she can incorporate into an outfit or a piece of jewelry. But don’t expect to see Kate do that when it comes to her makeup as one of the queen’s favorite looks isn’t one Kate has ever duplicated.
The late queen’s makeup rule Kate hasn’t followed
A makeup rule Queen Elizabeth always went by was to wear a bold lip color. She was regularly photographed over the years wearing either a red or a dark pink-red lip and was famously crowned wearing Clarins cosmetics after commissioning the company to create a red shade of lipstick that went with her coronation robes. She also loved similar hues by Elizabeth Arden.
However, a dark bold lip isn’t something the Princess of Wales ever wears. Even in the early days of her relationship with Prince William Kate stuck with nude or light pink shades.
Hannah, a make-up artist at Spectrum Collections, told Express that Kate’s signature lip is all about natural shades over bold ones.
She explained: “Kate’s lips are always kept really subtle, often with a hint of a cool-toned pink to compliment her skin tone.”
The princess did her own makeup on her wedding day with her signature lip look
Many people were surprised to learn that Kate did her own makeup the day she married Prince William.
The princess learned early on that she wanted her makeup done her way after she was unhappy with the professional makeup she received the day of her and William’s official engagement photos. Kate didn’t like how that looked so she wiped it off and reapplied it. Then for her royal wedding, she decided to do her makeup herself.
The future queen enlisted the help of makeup artist Arabella Preston prior to the big day to share tips and tricks for the perfect application.
“[Preston] had about three or four lessons with Kate at her private flat in Chelsea and has also gone, very privately to Clarence House,” wedding planner Mark Niemierko told People at the time. He added: “Arabella was supposed to be coming on the day as well but [didn’t have to] because Kate was comfortable and confident in doing it herself.”
When she tied the knot, the princess wore a barely-there pink lipstick by Bobbi Brown meant to complement the skin’s natural luminosity.
