8 of Meghan Markle's Best Beauty Tricks You Probably Never Noticed

Updated on March 5, 2025 at 2:35 PM

Getty | Patrick van Katwijk

Ever since becoming the Duchess of Sussex (and even after stepping away from royal duties), Meghan Markle doesn't talk about her hair and makeup routine or her favorite beauty products, instead focusing her energy on philanthropic work, attending special appearances, and being a mom to Archie and Lilibet. But if you look closely, there are some pretty genius hair and makeup tips you can learn from Markle that you can 100 percent apply to your own life — and we're hoping there will be even more to come with the release of her Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan." For example, her first power beauty move — and one we instantly loved her for — was when she wore a messy bun to an event with Prince Harry before they were engaged, something we rarely see from the rest of the royal family. And although her hair became more polished and refined after her wedding to Prince Harry, she made sure she did the transition in her own way. By continuously and effortlessly combining royal traditions and her own style, Markle's redefined the modern updo and what it means to be an "event-appropriate hairstyle."

When it comes to makeup, Markle has always leaned toward a natural look. Even before the last few years in the public spotlight, she has had one nonnegotiable request: her freckles must be on show. The same was true when she guest-edited the September issue of British Vogue; the duchess's main request for the cover shoots was, "I want to see freckles."

It's safe to say Markle is creating her own path when it comes to royal beauty. We imagine she's picked up a fair few tips from her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, and possibly even found inspiration from the late Princess Diana. But she's certainly created rules of her own, and luckily for us, she has provided us with plenty of tips to try out at home, too.

Read on to see some of the best beauty tricks we've learned from Markle so far.

Meghan Markle Gets Tiny Trims to Avoid a Big Haircut

Much like Princess Diana, Markle chooses to get her hair cut with very small trims, rather than one big chop. Every few months or so, we notice Markle step out with a slightly shorter cut and freshly snipped layers added at the bottom and along the face-framing pieces. Princess Diana reportedly did the same thing to ensure the press attention was entirely on her charity work rather than on her hairstyle.

Meghan Markle Loves to Wear Lip Liner

One of the most surprising of Markle's beauty tips is her love of lip liner, which she wears in the most subtle way. She very lightly overlines her mouth with a liner that's a shade slightly darker than her natural lip color, then adds a layer of gloss on top. The trick is barely noticeable, which makes all the difference in maintaining a natural finish.

Meghan Markle’s Freckles Must Be "Peeking Through"

One of Markle's most widely known beauty secrets (which we guess isn't really much of a secret anymore) is that she keeps her freckles on show at all times. This is just one of the reasons her makeup always looks super natural and fresh. According to a makeup artist who's worked with Markle on an occasion, her number one request was to make sure her freckles were "peeking through," which is exactly what she did on her wedding day. And it's not just on herself; for the recent issue of British Vogue that she helped edit, she requested all the models' freckles be seen — no Photoshop allowed. If there's one tip we love most from Markle, it's embracing what mother nature gave you.

The Secret to Glowing Wedding Makeup Is in the Skin

Of course, a successful wedding-day makeup look has a lot do with the makeup used, but it also has to do with how well you've taken care of your skin leading up to the big event. Markle's friend and longtime makeup artist, Daniel Martin, revealed that her wedding glow was mostly thanks to facialist Sarah Chapman. Martin shared that Markle invested a lot of time into her prewedding skin-care routine to ensure she didn't need to wear heavy makeup on the day of. We also know that the duchess is a fan of buccal fat massage facials, which gave her a temporary "lift" on the big day.

Meghan Markle Adds Eyeliner For a Special Occasion

Although Markle is all about looking extremely natural, that doesn't mean she doesn't experiment with makeup from time to time. During her and Prince Harry's tour of Morocco in 2019, she took inspiration from the country's beauty tradition of using thick kohl liner, drawing her own black eyeliner both across her lashes and along her waterlines. She's since employed this smudged-out beauty look on a few different occasions, including her interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

Wedding Hair Doesn't Have to Be Perfect

In keeping with her "purposefully messy" hairstyle preference, it was only fitting that the duchess wore her hair soft and slightly imperfect on the big day, which, yes, was totally intentional.

Hairstylist Serge Normant brushed Markle's hair into a low chignon with a middle part that complemented the large circular stone right in the center of her tiara. He also kept two face-framing pieces of hair loose to give the overall style a laid-back feel. Although you might not have a spare heirloom tiara hanging around your house to wear on your own wedding day, there are plenty of beautiful hair accessories and headbands these days that can help you re-create a similar vibe for your own special day.

Meghan Markle Always Has Milk-Bath Nails

One royal "beauty rule" Markle stuck to during her engagement and early months of her marriage was keeping her manicure pale pink or neutral. Other royals, including the Duchess of Cambridge and former Queen Elizabeth II (who has famously worn the same pale pink Essie shade for decades) adhere to this rule, although in recent months Markle has been seen wearing a milky hue perfectly aligned with the latest milk-bath nails trend.

Tori Crowther is a freelance beauty journalist and former PS UK editor.