Does Kate have a new beauty guru? Duchess of Cambridge swaps ‘matte and rosy’ make-up for a ‘modern and fresh’ look with peach tones, softer eye shadow and a ’90s supermodel hairdo

  • Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has shown off dewier appearance in recent weeks
  • Celebrity make-up artist Olivia Todd says the royal has ‘revamped overall look’ 
  • Radiant make-up look is the result of ditching dark eye make-up and harsh blush
  • Kate swapped old look for peachier blush and softer tones on eyelids and brows

It’s not just her lockdown locks that have undergone a radiant makeover – Kate Middleton also appears to have overhauled her make-up bag. 

In recent appearances, the Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has debuted a more subtle look and a dewier complexion, most recently in a video filmed at her home in Kensington Palace, in which she teased the results of her Early Years survey. 

Celebrity make-up artist and beauty expert Olivia Todd told FEMAIL that the mother-of-three has swapped her usual matte, rosy complexion for a more modern and fresh appearance.

Her more ‘radiant’ make-up look is the result of ditching dark eye make-up and harsh blusher and using softer shadows and brow pencils and peachier tones in their place. 

Earlier this month the royal showed off a lighter ‘bronde’ hairstyle, a midway point between blonde and brown, which Olivia claims creates a ‘more youthful look’ to frame her face. 

The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, has been showing off her dewier appearance in recent weeks, stunning royal fans yesterday in a video filmed at her home in Kensington Palace

Celebrity make-up artist and beauty expert Olivia Todd told FEMAIL that Kate, pictured in February this year, has ditched her usual dark eyebrow pencils and pink blush tones 

It’s clear to see that Kate has certainly revamped her overall look when you make a comparison between her recent and past appearances,’ said Olivia. 

‘Her make-up at present is far more modern, radiant and fresh looking, much different to her very matte, rosier complexion in the past. 

‘This could be the result of being makeup-free and indulging in skincare and treatments during the lockdown period. 

‘However, my knowledge tells me that her ultra-dewy, expensive looking “lit-from-within” sheen is something that is very hard to achieve without a helping hand from make-up and beauty products.’ 

Here Olivia explains how Kate has likely achieved her radiant new look. 

The Duchess’ lips are more of a nude pink tone and look fuller, which may be due to a more hydrating and plumping lipstick. Pictured: Kate earlier this month thanking those who entered her the ‘Hold Still’ project

Primer and foundation 

To achieve this look, it’s likely the Duchess applied a primer with light-infused particles before applying a base.

How Kate’s new ’90s supermodel’ hairdo has revamped her look 

The lighter tones in Kate’s hair create a more youthful look. 

She looks as though she has had face framing, which is a highlighting technique which mimics the natural, sunkissed look of youth. 

Her hair is in far better condition than in older photographs and this could be due to Kate taking the time to give her locks a holiday from heat and styling products and indulging in treatments during lockdown. 

There is no better time than now to get your hair into peak condition. Leaving a treatment on overnight or all day can be truly transformative for your hair. A great at-home treatment to repair and restore is Olaplex No 3.

The style of Kate’s hair is like that of a 90s supermodel. It’s full, bouncy and luscious and something that can only be described as a very ‘couture’ look – a modernised version of the classic style she is renowned for. 

Her hair has been given a true royal blowout. A product that may have been used to create these sleek, bountiful curls is Oribe’s signature styling spray called ‘Royal Blowout’ – it’s a sleekened blowout spray with heat protection.

A product I love for achieving this effect, as well as miminising dehydration lines and leaving you with a youthful glow, is Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow Face Primer, which contains lightweight radiance boosting ingredients and bridges the gap between skincare and make-up as it can be applied solo or added into your moisturiser. 

I love to mix in with my moisturiser though, as the more hydrated your skin is, the more radiant it will look. 

Kate’s cheekbones have also been further enhanced with a highlighter, which can be achieved with a cream product to deliver a brightening and luminous effect.

I can see that Kate’s glow is shining through on the tops of her cheeks, forehead, chin and nose which are often areas that many make-up artists would choose to matte down or powder over. 

But personally I have always loved to create skin that truly looks like skin and part of doing that is to not take away some of the shine. 

Contour and blush 

It’s likely the Duchess used a subtle peach cream blush to create her more fresh-faced look. In older photographs of Kate the blush is much stronger which can often look quite dated.

Her cheekbones are contoured with a matte bronzer which has been blended well to create a natural looking definition. 

Her eyebrows have also looked more natural in recent appearances – a sign she’s opted for a lighter, softer shade of brow pencil to create a more full, natural-looking appearance.   

The Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil is great for achieving a natural yet full-looking brow, and Soap Brows is a fantastic product to set all of the hairs in place to avoid any unruliness.

Eyes and lips 

Kate’s eyes appear to be more lifted and arguably bigger due to the warm brown tones of her eye shadow, which add a subtle contour and could possibly have been achieved with her bronzer. 

The swooped out elongated shape give the eyes more dimension without the need for any dark heavy colours.  


Kate’s eyes appear to be more lifted and arguably bigger due to the warm brown tones of her eyeshadow recently (right last month), rather than harsher darker colours (left in January)

Her eyeliner also looks like a rich, decadent chocolate brown kohl liner rather than a heavy black applied onto the lash line and has definitely been blended and smudged out for a more perfectly, imperfect liner. 

To create a more natural looking definition on the eyes, a technique called tightlining may also have been used where the upper water liner is filled in with a kohl liner – this can also create the illusion of fuller lashes. The result is a very soft, sultry and feminine look.

Her lips are more of a nude pink tone and look fuller, which may be due to a more hydrating and plumping lipstick. 

Often a lipstick that contains Hyaluronic Acid gives the lips this fullness. One I love is the Chantecaille Lip Chic Lipstick.

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