The actress opted to wear her hair in a bun beneath her veil, which she offset with a glistening tiara. The man behind the mane? Serge Normant, who also works with the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker.
It was the biggest day of her life and Meghan Markle didn’t disappoint in the beauty stakes at the royal wedding.
The new bride looked absolutely incredible with a surprisingly pared-back beauty look.
Her makeup, which was apparently applied by Dior’s Daniel Martin, was natural, fresh and, naturally, glowing.
The natural beauty left her freckles on display and opted for a subtle smokey eye. Twitter was enthralled by her look, with millions of tweets pouring in from around the glove complimenting her ‘refreshingly natural’ look.
Speaking about her hairstyle, Mark Wooley, founder of the Electric Hairdressing empire and celebrity hair stylist and commentator, said: “Meghan opted for a beautiful classic chignon and it looked stunning. On any wedding day, you want to ensure you feel relaxed and yourself – Meghan often wears her hair up so it’s a look she’ll feel comfortable with.
“Her veil and tiara works perfectly with a hair up and it’s a traditional feel that works perfectly with her beautiful wedding dress. The neckline is scalloped just showing the collar bone area, the hair up complements the dress shape and her own face shape.
“I love the softness of the hair up, it’s been styled with a centre parting, hair tucked behind her ears and the Queen Mary tiara sits perfectly on the top. The back of the hair is beautifully styled with lots of curls intricately pinned up. It’s a beautifully executed bridal hair up that is very fitting for the occasion. ” We couldn’t agree more!
Ahead of the big day, Jade Beer, the author of The Almost Wife, spoke to the top makeup artists in the industry to find out their predictions for Meghan’s big day beauty look. Here’s what they said (and they weren’t far from the mark…)
Sophie McMullan, Beautisserie
I know Meghan is a fan of Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, which I favour too. It photographs beautifully, feels light on the skin and has a buildable coverage that looks natural. She always likes to have her freckles showing through her base, and this allows for that, whilst still covering any imperfections and redness. For longevity, she may want a primer, her day-to-day favourite being Laura Mercier’s Illuminating Primer now called Tinted Moisturizer, which she often wears alone. But for her big day, it’s best to go with one that has fewer light-reflecting properties, as these will make her look blown out in the flash photography.
Meghan’s favourite eye pencil, MAC’s Teddy, is also a staple in my kit. It’s a beautiful warm brown that has hints of bronzy golden tones which will bring out the warmth in her eyes. It’s also one you can use inside the waterline, should she want to intensify the look for evening. For lips, instead of her usual Charlotte Tilbury Very Victoria, which is a brown-toned nude, I’d urge her to go for a fresher, pinkier shade such as Pillow Talk.
A cult classic blusher, and one you’ll find in Meghan’s make-up bag, is Orgasm by Nars. This might be a little too shimmery for the classic bridal look I’m sure Meghan is going for, so I’d be tempted to use a similar peachy tone but one that has more of a satin finish. I’d then use highlighter over the top with strategic placement; cheekbones, bridge of nose, inner corners of eyes and Cupid’s bow. I favour Becca’s, as they’re not chunky or glittery and give you that ‘glowing from within’ look.
Without question, eyelash curlers are integral. I use these on every single client of mine, wedding or otherwise. Meghan likes a very polished look, and these will help her achieve that perfectly – they’ll open up her eyes, making them look bigger, and lift her lashes so they’re more visible and therefore look longer. Shu Uemura’s have been in my kit since the beginning of my career – I cannot live without them. As an extra tip, she should start with waterproof mascara, then a thickening mascara, then apply waterproof again to seal it all in, bullet-proof.
Zoe Taylor, Chanel
Meghan is such a natural beauty with great skin, but even so I would always start with a mask, to help her to relax and enjoy her day – it’s also a great way to get skin prepped for a wedding. Sisley Black Rose is such a favourite of mine – it’s so luxurious and works very efficiently. It is important to use a good primer; Chanel Le Blanc is great and helps with the longevity of make-up.
Then I would use a very light foundation or tinted moisturiser (I think Chanel Les Beiges Tinted Moisturizers are great, as the formula is light but with nice coverage), plus concealer to even out skintone. Charlotte Tilbury’s The Retoucher is good, as it can be used as a concealer and a brightener. Meghan’s brows are so perfect, I would just set them with Troy Surratt and if they needed any tiny bits filled in I would use Chanel Stylo Sourcils brow pencil, as this is a very natural way to add in brow hairs.
Meghan Markle wears breathtaking Givenchy gown by Clare Waight Keller as she walks down the aisle to marry Prince Harry
Meghan doesn’t need so much eye make-up as she has a beautiful natural contour around her eyes, so I would concentrate on a soft brown liner (Tom Ford Eye Kohl Intense in Metallic Mink) blended into the lash line on top, and a curled lash. A little soft highlight of colour over the lids to help set the liner (Decorte Eye Glow Gem in BE390) is stunning.
A waterproof mascara is ESSENTIAL – Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Waterproof Mascara is great.
I’d use just a healthy flush of colour on the cheeks – Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Blush is great for achieving sheer, buildable colour. To finish, I’d apply natural lip liner to add a tiny hint of definition, and a fresh rosebud lip colour. Chantecaille Lip Chic in Camellia would be lovely, or Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy if she wanted a hint of colour and healthy shine.
Anna Priadka, Makeup54
Meghan needs colours and textures that won’t date – so that in 50 years’ time, people will look back and still think her make-up looks modern and elegant. You only need to look at Princess Diana’s wedding make-up to see that – it still looks fresh and beautiful now.
Getting Meghan’s complexion right is crucial and she should never compromise with a cheap base. A long-wear, transfer-resistant foundation, a concealer and powder are musts. Primer will also come in handy, to help your make-up wear more evenly throughout the day. Getting a professional shade match is super important. Meghan will be having lots of photos on the day, and will possibly be wearing a low-cut dress or having her shoulders on show, so her base must match the colour of her body.
I think Meghan’s make-up looks great day to day, so I’m sure her wedding make-up will be a hit. She seems to know her own face and what suits her. However, as a tip to all brides-to-be, don’t go with what’s trending. The Instagram-effect, overly highlighted, immaculately contoured look may be what’s in now, but in 30 years’ time it won’t be.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s cutest moments
Charlotte Tilbury
Skincare is always so important but especially in the lead-up to your wedding, so that you’ll have the most perfect skin on the day. I always say you can’t have a beautiful painting without a beautiful canvas. I believe that the key to magic skin is looking after and maintaining the best skin of your life, and in order to look gorgeous and flawless on your special day, glowing, luminous skin is a must.
I follow the same skincare routine every day. The first thing I do in the morning to get my instant glow is cleanse with my Multi-Miracle Glow balm. Enriched with vitamins and floral extracts, this cleanser gives the complexion a youth boost. I then multi-mask with my Goddess-Skin Clay Mask, followed by my Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask. The glow-giving, lifting effects last for eight hours – this is also perfect to use on the morning of the wedding to prep your complexion before applying make-up.
Then my Magic Cream will give every bride the perfect glowing base for her big day. After that, I’ll apply either my ‘Gisele-in-a-jar’ Wonderglow (it has a fluorescent core technology which means it soft-focuses lines and pores and re-emits natural light from your skin, giving you a natural, lit-from-within radiance) or my Brightening Youth Glow, my magic skin solution which instantly blurs, brightens and smooths for the most gorgeous, glowing, dewy, ethereal complexion – I liken it to Liv Tyler in The Lord Of The Rings.
To conceal tired eyes from a sleepless night, every bride needs my Mini Miracle Eye Wand – it’s like eight hours’ sleep in a wand. It has a peptide-packed serum that helps to smooth the appearance of fine lines, and an illuminator with a magic ingredient called a million lights that bounces out any darkness that gathers in the under-eye domes for more wide-awake, bigger, brighter-looking eyes. To conceal imperfections, use my The Retoucher – it acts like a natural plaster to help disguise blemishes. Use it anywhere you need a bit more coverage for a flawless finish.
Meghan Markle: Her gorgeous hair makeup moments
For foundation, if you’re looking for a natural, flawless, glow-giving finish, try my Light Wonder Foundation. Or, for fuller coverage with a hydrating, flawless finish, my Magic Foundation feels as light as air on the skin and the Supercharged Vitamin C ingredient helps give a matte appearance, perfect for any wedding-day nerves. Remember, at your wedding, you’ll spend a lot of your time outside, so you must find the perfect foundation to match your skintone; check the colour in natural daylight.
Get your biggest, brightest, most sparkling-looking eyes EVER for your wedding day with my brand-new Bigger, Brighter Eyes eyeshadow palettes, which enhance the appearance of eye size. Inspired by those sparkling, eye-widening filters on social media, I have colour-curated and coded the palettes using those gorgeous universal reddy tones which naturally colour contrast and brighten the iris to make the eyes look instantly bigger and brighter. It’s what I call ‘putting the lights into the eyes’.
Once your make-up look is complete, it’s important to finish with a finely milled powder to lock it in effortlessly and keep everything from slipping, from the walk down the aisle to the party. It also removes any unwanted shine for all your gorgeous wedding photos. My Airbrush Flawless Finish powder will blur away any lines or imperfections to softly mattify and keep everything in place – it’s like the highest-thread-count cashmere for your skin. It is also enriched with rose wax and almond oil so it won’t sit heavily on the skin. I only like to use powders on the T-zone – down the nose, on the chin and across the forehead. I always keep the cheekbones free of powder so that they remain dewy and catch the light.
Keep a well-sharpened lipliner close by – this will be your best friend. Not only does it literally resize and reshape your lips, but you can also use it as a stencil to make your lipstick last longer.
Meghan Markle’s style… it’s not just suits, y’know
If you want to draw attention to your lips, you can easily modernise your bridal look by opting for a matte-textured lipstick. My Matte Revolution lipstick doesn’t dry the lips and stays put, even on your wedding day. My Very Victoria and Pillow Talk shades are gorgeous dreamy nudes for your wedding-day lip – perfect for the first kiss as a married couple!
Lisa Potter-Dixon, Benefit
Meghan’s signature look consists of gorgeous dewy skin, bronzer, great brows, liner, lashings of mascara and a nude lip. This is definitely a look that I could see her creating for the big day. It’s simple and timeless and would look gorgeous in the world’s press pictures.
For brides, I always say that great brows and base are key. Using a fibre gel through your brows (such as Gimme Brow+) is a must, as it gives a natural, soft finish. Base wise, primers are a great way to keep your make-up in place for longer, as well as helping you get a flawless finish. Stick to the foundation you know and love. Meghan is going to have the world’s press snapping her every move, so she should avoid an oily formulation. Don’t let your make-up artist convince you to wear something you’re not comfortable with – there’s nothing worse than feeling you have tons of make-up on when you prefer a natural finish, and the reverse is also true if you prefer a heavy base.
Eye wise, a bronze smokey look is always a winner. Remember, you want your pics to be timeless. If you want to change up your look from day to night, add a bright lip or a touch of sparkle in the centre of your eye for evening. Never compromise on time – make sure you give yourself plenty to get ready. Trust me, this is coming from a girl who did her wedding make-up in three minutes and 56 seconds (yep, my dad timed it and put in in his speech! ).
Priyanka Chopra calls Meghan Markle a ‘princess for the people’ in touching tribute
Fred Letailleur, YSL Beauté
Touche Éclat is a not only a bridal must-have, but it’s also a favourite of Meghan Markle’s. It will erase signs of fatigue and you can trust it to keep you looking rested for the whole wedding day. Face primers are also a wedding staple. Apply Blur Primer with your fingers or a flat foundation brush to keep your skin radiant, matte, soft and silky; it will smooth out any open pores or uneven skin texture. All Hours Foundation, which comes in 22 different skintones and three undertones, is a great high-coverage, smudge-proof foundation for weddings as it lasts 24 hours on any skin type. Always invest in a fresh mascara to avoid clumpy lashes on the day – my favourite is False Lash Effect Mascara for natural added volume. Finish with two sprays of YSL Hydrating Setting Spray – it refreshes and hydrates the skin and will stop make-up from looking cakey.
Debbie Finnegan, MAC
For Meghan I would recommend: MAC Mineralize Timecheck Lotion to blur and perfect for an instant ‘beauty filter’ vibe; MAC Strobe Cream in Peachlite for a fresh, youthful luminosity that would complement her skin; MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation SPF15 applied in a sheer way to allow her beautiful freckles to show but still give a long- lasting, fresh, natural coverage and finish. MAC Eye Shadow x 9 in Amber Times Nine would contain all of the soft Champagne and golden shades needed to subtly enhance Meghan’s eyes in an absolutely princess-like manner. I’d team this with a long-wearing black liner and a waterproof mascara.
As a final touch, I’d use a light wash of MAC Viva Glam V Lipstick to gently enhance her lip tone, as its golden fleck would be just enough to catch the light.
Brides should avoid major fake-tanning sessions if they want to look fresh and healthy. I’d also advise not being too heavy-handed with highlighters – your wedding day is not the time to bring out your inner Wizard Of Oz Tin Man!
All brides need long-wearing products and I would recommend an eye primer like MAC Prep + Prime 24 Hour Extend Eye Base which can drastically increase the length of wear of your eyeshadow. Ensuring skin looks amazing from morning to night means finding the right formula and shade to perfectly match your skin type and tone. We have 50+ shades of Studio Fix Foundation available, so finding your exact shade is super easy.
A good powder to set your make-up is also vital for summer weddings. Ideally it should be oil absorbing, with minimal coverage, and not contain talc, as this can cause it to change colour in oily areas. For this reason, MAC Blot Powder is an essential product for all my brides.
Jade Beer’s novel, The Almost Wife, now available for pre-order now.
