When American actress and philanthropist Meghan Markle walked down the aisle to her Prince and shortly after, waved to us from her carriage as the newly-appointed Duchess of Sussex, the world couldn’t help but remember every fairytale we have ever been told, and hope that maybe someday we’d have our chance.
Now, we can’t all be a princess, but we sure can look like one with some help. A lot of us found Markle’s bridal make-up and hair to be a little understated. Understandably so; since the bridal look for us is all about going glam, with a little cut-crease here, a little highlight there, and the likes. So, while a downplayed makeup look on one’s wedding day isn’t for all of us, Meghan shows us a perfect example of well done ‘nude makeup’.
So what’s nude makeup?
Nude makeup or no-makeup makeup is characterised by flawless skin, subtle lips and lightly-done eyes. Meghan does have her eye makeup heavily done and is wearing false eyelashes, so hers is more of a smoky, yet natural day look.
Here’s how you can recreate the look for your day events, and sport it this summer.
Start off by moisturising your skin and using a primer just like Markle. Primers
aren’t for everyone, but if you suffer from large pores or have oily skin, I recommend using one. Smashbox’s PhotoFinish Primer and Benefit’s Porefessional Primer are great choices, to begin with.
Choose a flawless base that matches your skin tone – the most pivotal part of this look is a foundation that perfectly conceals any unsightly blemishes and pigmentation. Start with a colour corrector to even out any redness or dullness under your eyes or around the mouth. You don’t need one if you have a fairly even tone. Most local and Arab women find that the skin around their mouth does show signs of hyper-pigmentation. Use an orange colour corrector or an orange lipstick as a dupe instead; if you have a deeper complexion, use a red corrector. Follow up with a foundation that gives full coverage – like MAC’s Studio Fix Foundation or Kryolan’s TV Stick or Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. 
For Markle, the focus was on the eyes with dark eyeshadow, false eyelashes and deep, dark, prominent brows. 
Choose any basic dark-matte palette and a pair of false eyelashes with natural hair, like Huda Lashes and choose Benefit’s Ka-Brow or Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade for the brows.
Meghan wore Charlotte Tilbury’s Very Victoria. The lips were kept soft and subtle, so choosing a lipstick that is closest to your natural lip colour works best. Since everyone has a different skin tone, there is no one-shade-fits-all when it comes to finding a perfect nude lipstick. However, here are some lipstick and lip-liner recommendations from MAC Cosmetics:
Medium skin – Taupe, Whirl, Mehr
Light-Olive skin – Velvet Teddy, Yash, Soar
Dusky-Deep skin – FreshBrew, Chestnut
Finish off the look with mascara and a soft blush that is not overtly loud, but blends with your skin instead. I recommend going for the same colour family as your lipstick and maybe one tone darker.
Rachel has a deep passion for wellness and beauty and regularly writes on wellness, skincare and travel. She has worked with several high profile beauty gurus like Nilo Haq in the Middle East and has authored several columns for the well-being of the Arab woman, both on the inside and the outside. Rachel can be found on Instagram @cookielibrary
Rachel has a deep passion for wellness and beauty and regularly writes on wellness, skincare and travel. She has worked with several high profile beauty gurus like Nilo Haq in the Middle East and has authored several columns for the well-being of the Arab woman, both on the inside and the outside. Rachel can be found on Instagram @cookielibrary
