When it comes to royal beauty, you can definitely say that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, has got things down pat.
The mother-of-three is famed for often doing her own makeup for events. She did so since before she married into the royal family and has continued to do it long after. And although her covetable hair is definitely the product of an expert stylist, Kate’s day-to-day beauty routine is fairly low-key.
But, of course, being one of the most popular royals out there (and not to mention a future queen) means that Her Royal Highness has quite a few formal protocols to observe when it comes to her makeup and hair.
Here, seven beauty rules the Duchess must adhere to at all times.
1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Bright Lipstick
There’s a reason why you’ll never see the Duchess rocking a bold red lip, or a bright berry colour—it isn’t really in protocol to go above nude or pink. Although Queen Elizabeth went for a signature pink lip, the rest of the royal court steers clear of bright colours. It also has the added benefit of making sure she never has lipstick on her teeth.
2. Thou Shalt Not Have Bright Nails
Queen Elizabeth was known for her distaste of bright manicures and very long nails; therefore the Duchess always kept her nails short and in a clean semi-nude colour. She shares a favourite polish with the prior Queen, Essie’s ‘Ballet Slippers.’
3. Thou Shalt Keep It Simple
Even though you might see her add a smoky eye or an extra lick of mascara for a night-time event, Catherine rarely does ‘heavy’ makeup. Between her medium-coverage foundation and light eye makeup, the Duchess usually keeps things simple, and never goes overboard with blush, eye shadow, or lipstick. This keeps her from looking ‘overdone.’
4. One’s Makeup Must Stay Put
When the Duchess is attending an event, she can often be there for hours and is often doing activities while there. This means that, throughout the day, her makeup and hair must stay flawless. Achieving this requires a few tricks, including a very good setting powder to keep her from getting shiny, a good setting spray to keep everything in place, and a sneaky hairnet to keep her up-dos from unravelling.
5. Thou Shalt Switch It Up
When it comes to her hair, Catherine never keeps it the same way for long. Over the past several years in the spotlight, Duchess Catherine has gone from long waves, to shoulder-grazing curls, to a fringe, and a deep side part. The constant switching-up means she always has a fresh look.
6. Thou Shalt Banish Thy Greys
Once or twice, the mother-of-three has been spotted sporting some errant grey hairs, but they’re never there for long. While we have a lot more appreciation for greys these days, Catherine’s usually lets her colourist take care of them, keeping to her glossy brunette waves.
7. Thou Shalt Never Look Unkempt
This one is a relative no-brainer. When she is out on an engagement, Catherine is representing the ‘Institution’, so she always has to look put-together. This means no un-styled hair, no makeup-less face and no messy ballet-buns.
