The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently took an extensive eleven-strong entourage with them for their short trip to Ireland.
For their whistle stop tour, which was less than 48-hours, the duo were accompanied by personal assistants, a press team, programme coordinator and Meghan’s celebrity hairdresser, George Northwood. However, there was one key member missing from Meghan’s beauty squad: a makeup artist – and we just found out why.
Taking to Instagram, Meghan’s close friend and makeup artist, Daniel Martin, who also did the Duchess’s wedding day look, revealed that since becoming a member of the royal family Meghan does a lot of the beauty looks herself.
The celebrity makeup artist, who also works for the likes of Jessica Biel, Demi Lovato and Jessica Alba, recently posted a snap on Instagram of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the RAF Centenary service, which they attended prior to jetting off to Ireland.
Naturally, fans presumed Daniel was behind the look, many commenting “Did you do her makeup?”
The answer? No, he did not.
Surprisingly, for the royal event, which was also attended by the Queen and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the 36-year-old chose to do her own makeup, Daniel confirming the news by responding: “She did her makeup herself for this”.
Since taking up her new title as The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan has stuck to au natural make-up looks, comprising of a nude lip and very subtle smokey eye.
The former actress also opts for a very light coverage foundation, letting her natural freckles shine through, sometimes adding a dewy glow to her cheeks for evening events.
But, as we all know, trying to create a no-makeup make-up look is not as easy as it seems. Daniel, singing his friend’s praises, said: “She’s so good doing it herself!”
We have to say, Megs definitely has some serious make-up skills.
The gorgeous, natural beauty look – all blusher, nude lip gloss and dewy skin – that Meghan Markle rocked for her wedding was the perfect accompaniment to her chic and understated Givenchy gown.
In the weeks since, sales of nude lipsticks have surged and tutorials on how to get the ‘no-makeup’ makeup look have abounded.
The one outcome we didn’t see coming? A rise in requests for fake freckle tattoos.
You what now?
No really. Gabrielle Rainbow, a Canadian cosmetic tattooist, recently told New Beauty that she has been ‘crazy busy’ with requests post-wedding for fake freckle tattoos from people who want to look a little more like the 36-year-old Duchess of Sussex.
Could this be going on in the UK? We spoke to some of the pros in London to find out.
“Oh yes I’ve had lots and lots and lots of requests for freckle tattoos, with a noticeable increase in the last five months.” says Laura Kay, founder of London-based permanent makeup salon Laura Kay London.
“I definitely wouldn’t recommend it though,” says Kay, who specialises in tattoos for eyebrows, lips and the scalp. “The pigments fade over time and if you do the freckles too close together the dots can sometimes merge, so you could end up with a mass of orangey-brown on your face. Different skin holds colour differently too so you can’t guarantee exactly what the results will be.”
For this reason, Kay restricts clients to three beauty spots per face. “I wouldn’t do a mass of colour. I’m too cautious because I don’t know how that’s going to heal in years to come and I wouldn’t want to do that to someone,” she says. Plus, each of Kay’s spots costs £100, and they need topping up every two years, so a face of freckles wouldn’t come cheap.