We don’t know what goes on behind the scenes when royal women are prepping for public appearances, but recent pictures of their engagements have us wondering if there’s been some conferring between the monarchy’s leading ladies.
Does the Duchess of Edinburgh have the Princess of Wales on her moodboard (or vice versa)? Do Sophie and Kate share a makeup artist? Are the pair swapping beauty tips? We ask the question, with a respectful curtsey, because we couldn’t help but spot a common beauty theme in their makeup lately.
Both women were due to make an appearance together at this year's Royal Ascot, but Kate pulled out at the last minute, reportedly because she’s taking things steady as she continues her recovery from an unspecified form of cancer. We wish her well. The Princess of Wales certainly looked on reassuringly good form a few days earlier, when she appeared at The Order Of The Garter service at Windsor Castle.
Sophie, meanwhile, was in attendance as expected at Ascot, looking as radiant as ever, and not just because of the pretty white silk dress she was wearing on the 26th anniversary of her wedding to Prince Edward. As keen royal beauty watchers, we noted she’d gone for the exact same beauty trick we’d seen Kate take up in Windsor, and it made us ponder: did she ask her MUA, ‘I’ll have what Kate’s having’?
The beauty technique in question is a little twist on that perennial classic: the smokey eye. Rather than using the traditional method of stopping the smokey lid colour at the crease, both Sophie and Kate have opted to take their eyeshadow much higher up, leaving only a slim area of bare skin just below the brow. Let’s call it the ‘high smokey eye’, shall we?
It’s a look that struck at as something different for Kate when she wore it in Windsor, so it was a pleasure to see Sophie working the same makeup trick three days later. A case of mutual admiration or sheer coincidence? It’s anyone’s guess. But whatever the reason, it’s a great tweak to make for women in their 40s and beyond.
‘As we age, skin loses its tightness and elasticity, which can result in hooded-looking lids,’ says makeup artist and midlife beauty guru Daniel Sandler. ‘For this reason, applying a matte shadow beyond the socket crease and blending it up towards the brow helps lids to look less hooded and more youthful.’
Just be sure to diffuse the edges with a brush so there’s no hard ‘stripe’ of flesh between eyeshadow and brow. For more tips on how to wear makeup on a hooded eye, he’s put together a great tutorial.
Their high smokey eye also shares a very similar slate-grey tone, which works equally well for both Sophie’s blue eyes and Kate’s green eyes. ‘Using natural earthy tones such as greys and taupes are your best friend to brighten the whites of eyes and enhance all eye colours,’ adds Daniel.
And, of course, both women reached for their makeup bag’s MVP – the eye pencil – to pull the look together. The secret, says Daniel is to get the pencil as close as possible to the lashes and also apply extra in the inner upper waterline. (His own Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil recently went viral after it was hailed ‘a dream pencil’ that smokes effortlessly then sets to a budgeproof, all-day finish.
‘Tight-lining the inner upper lid is the most modern and easiest way to immediately define eyes, plus it helps lashes look thicker,’ he says. ‘Be sure to apply a waterproof formula so it stays put and avoids those raccoon eyes.’
An excellent tip, especially on a sweltering summer's day.
