Duchess Kate has ‘overhauled her make-up bag’ for a ‘dewier complexion’

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge hears from families and key organisations about the ways in which peer support can help boost parent wellbeing while spending the day learning about the importance of parent-powered initiatives

In recent months, we’ve seen the Duchess of Cambridge in Zoom calls and making some public appearances here and there. I’ve noticed that commenters always seem to be on Botox Watch and Plastic Surgery Watch recently too. I haven’t really seen that with my own eyes – there were a few photos from Kate and William’s visit to the London Bridge Jobcentre in September where I thought her cheeks looked a bit chipmunky, like she’d gone overboard with the fillers. But mostly, I think Kate just looks a bit different in recent months because she keeps changing her hair and because she’s made a few makeup changes. She always changes up her hair/wig but the color changes and style changes have been happening at a steady clip the past four months or so. But I hadn’t given that much thought to her makeup, until this completely weird article:

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.

‘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.’

[From The Daily Mail]

This reminds me so much of that idiotic article about Kate’s ghastly Peter Pan-collar blouse. They just insist on embiggening Kate to the point where she wears an ugly blouse or stops wearing raccoon eye makeup and suddenly it’s the most stylish thing ever. As for the idea that Kate has significantly changed up her makeup… I don’t even see it? Maybe she’s going more for a “peachy” look with her foundation, and maybe she’s eased up on the raccoon eyes a few times, but Kate still wears way too much makeup and she still doesn’t know how to do her own makeup properly.

Also: the basis for the Mail’s piece was Kate’s look in the “Five Big Insights” video and it was only after I screencapped some pics that I realized that Kate is actually wearing very heavy pink eye makeup. Gross.

National Service Of Remembrance At The Cenotaph

Duchess of Cambridge video message

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the London Bridge Jobcentre

Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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102 Responses to “Duchess Kate has ‘overhauled her make-up bag’ for a ‘dewier complexion’”

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  1. Seraphina says:

    This is another article to support the project titled: Make Kate Great – but not greater than Will.

    • GRUEY says:

      Exactly. They write up her makeup like it’s an actual accomplishment. Oh lord. Does this count as work for her?? They’re kinda implying it does. (Also, PS wasn’t it a certain biracial duchess whose dewiness was always being complained of as inappropriate?).

    • Ang says:

      It’s getting ridiculous. Just admit you had work done, it doesn’t make you less of a person. This whole “new makeup” excuse is just to try to refute the work done. Unnecessary

    • Bibi says:

      Yes and also i’m retaining “lift from within” yeah right… some pictures at the beginning of covid she has very visible creases on her forehead and woops! wrinkles no more! But no botox, no! It’s her new hair shade and peachy makeup that fills the hard wrinkles… all natural lol so petty.
      Lets create some drama by saying… hmmm: “But meghan looks so much younger!!!”

      • yinyang says:

        Some women colour there hair after a procedure to deflect from it, that’s what they’re doing for her here.

  2. SShehheh says:

    Those are some cheek fillers. It takes time to deflate after initial injections. Looks good, but they prop her up time and time again.

  3. Amy Bee says:

    She looks the same to me.

  4. Elizabeth Regina says:

    You have to be blind as a bat not to see what is right before our eyes. It will all come out in the wash someday. It’s sad that all the BM can talk about with regards to her is her looks. For someone so passionate about ‘Ahlli yars’ and the role the well being of the mother plays, her lack of support to her brother in law and sister in law just jars.

    • MsDiMeanOur says:

      the line that stopped me from continuing reading was that there is a TEASER about her questionnaire results… is this a movie that requires a trailer of sorts?

  5. Ravensdaughter says:

    Boring. At least she still like buttons (which I like, too).

  6. lolalola3 says:

    Looks like she finally ditched the black pencil. Thank god. It was so old fashioned looking. She looks great…but you caught me on the wig thing. She wears wigs? Ooooh show Please!

    • BayTampaBay says:

      I think she wears “enhancement” pieces to make her hair look fuller and more lush.

    • Heather H says:

      I never see the evidence of wiglets myself, every time it is referenced I feel like I must be blind or something

      • Becks1 says:

        I don’t think she always wears one, and sometimes its harder to tell, but sometimes its SUPER obvious. And one time where it was attached (by a comb? I don’t know how those things work lol) you could clearly see it and the palace said it was a “childhood scar” which….no one believed.

        ETA except I just googled and apparently she did have an emergency operation while at Marlborough, so I stand corrected.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        Her hair length often changes in a short space of time – shorter, longer, shorter and thicker/thinner etc.. and its not because her hair miraculously grows so quickly.

      • Nic919 says:

        There was a post with pictures of Kate when she was younger and you can see that her hair had far less volume then. Since your hair gets thinner when you age, she’s obviously adding volume especially when it’s down.

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        Heather
        Back in the early years of her marriage the wickets were more obvious. Her hair went from lovely and normal to an explosion. On some photos and videos you could see the color separation and as she played with her hair there showed an actual texture and color separation. A while back she changed stylists after they confirmed she was a client and it was less obvious.

        LAK would say once you see it it cannot be unseen

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Besides the comments on wearing wiglets for volume, she sometimes wears simple extensions too. She clearly had some for the Sussex wedding; less than a month beforehand, her hair was notably shorter when she gave birth to Louis. It was back to shoulder length when she took George and Charlotte to a polo game a month after the wedding.

    • Dani says:

      I doubt she wears a wig. I have very similar hair – it’s not a wig. It’s just thick and full and runs in my family. My girls have more hair than Rapunzel by the age of 3.

      • CrystalBall says:

        Yet she had much thinner hair before marrying into the RF, lol. Look at Pippa and you will see Kate’s natural hair volume. It’s wiglets and extensions all the way for the top CEO of the royal franchise.

    • molly says:

      Yes she occasionally wears extensions and pieces, but so do millions of boring, midwest, suburban women. This GOTCHA! about identifying someone with fake hair is so unbelievably tiresome. It’s almost 2021. We ALL have access to fake hair.

      • Nic919 says:

        She made it a point to send a press release denying the use of extensions. It was the first thing she ever sent out as Duchess of Cambridge. Not anything about a charitable project, but denying she had fake hair.
        It’s not gotcha but pointing out her hypocrisy over the years. Had she said nothing it would be a non issue.

  7. CC. says:

    Her makeup was dated as far back as I can recall. Terrible wedding makeup but she improved overtime.

    I don’t think I notice a difference between Kate now and Kate last month.

  8. Sofia says:

    I’m just glad she’s ditched the under eye black eyeliner. Some women can rock it and some races (particularly South Asian woman) have been wearing it for years and they look but it doesn’t look good on everyone, including Kate.

    • February-Pisces says:

      Eyeliner looks good up until a certain age. In my twenties I lived for my eyeliner, but after 30 it just makes me look a wreck. I think softer medium brown eyeshadow is a great substitute. I’m glad kate ditched the kohl. Now all we need is for Britney to do the same.

      • Jaded says:

        Absolutely – the older you become the more toned-down makeup should be, it just looks harsh. At 68 I’ve taken to just using brown or grey eye shadow close to my eyelash line instead of liner and that works just fine.

      • Mac says:

        I am way too old for pencil eyeliner. I use eye shadow pencils to line my eyes. Very soft and subtle.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        I only use liner on my upper lid when I want to bother, and then it’s usually a softer color (Juniper by colourpop is a fantastic liner). If I feel the need to do something to my lower lash line, it’s usually a shadow applied with a smudger brush. As I age, my makeup has gotten softer (I can still rock a wing, but only for super special occasions and in 2020, there’s no such thing). Now, I usually just do my eyes with pinky neutrals, toss on a bb cream (I love the e.l.f. bb cream) or a serum foundation, a little stila convertible color blush (or the newer e.l.f. putty blush), maybe a sweep of highlighter, a colored lip balm, and call it a day. I can be done in like 4-5 minutes.

    • Ann says:

      I never used much eyeliner, and now that I am 50 I only do it for a special occasion. Never black….I’m fair-skinned so that looks terrible on me. In fact I have similar coloring to Kate. Soft brown, maybe, and only a little of it. I think it just looked harsh on her. In fact I think she looks pretty harsh in general, a lot of the time.

  9. Beach Dreams says:

    Her new look doesn’t scream “modern, radiant, and fresh looking” to me at all; the exact opposite in fact. Maybe it’s the eyes that are giving me a different impression.

    • L84Tea says:

      Her eyes look exhausted. That is what my eyes look like right after I roll out of bed and my children descend upon me to make them breakfast or play trains on the floor with them before I even have a chance to pee. In that Twitter still and the third picture down, she looks like death warmed over.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yeah, she stopped doing the heavy eyeliner on her bottom lids/lashes which I always thought explained how tired she looked but she still looks exhausted, which is okay obviously, many of us are exhausted, but she always looks that way recently.

    • MsDiMeanOur says:

      because her smile is NOT from within

      no matter how exhausted you are, if you smile from within you
      because you want to
      and not because you have to

      your eyes will portray some happiness

      her’s are just empty.

  10. equality says:

    I feel sorry for her because even those who claim to love her focus mostly on her looks. That makes it difficult for her not to be hyper-focused on looks, so she will always be chasing after facial and hair treatments.

    • JT says:

      Even Kate only focuses on her looks. She gives the press nothing else to work with so in that respect I don’t blame them. She has so many resources at her disposal to improve herself but she doesn’t because she doesn’t care to. So all anyone has left is a dozen articles talking about her new highlights.

      • Becks1 says:

        Richard Palmer made this comment once and it stuck with me. He was trying to insult Meghan (of course) but it was something along the lines of how Meghan should interact with the press more at engagements – that if she never talks to them* or they never get a good quote from her, the only thing to focus on is going to be her clothes, which is all they have to talk about re: Kate – and it struck me as so on the nose. They focus on kate’s appearance because its all there is to talk about.

        *I wonder how much the Queen talks to the press……..

      • Nic919 says:

        During the years prior to getting engaged and post university Kate did nothing but party and travel. She didn’t work for more than a few months and she didn’t spend any time doing charitable work. Her shallowness was obvious then and nothing has changed despite the larger platform. What is the difference between Kate and a socialite like Paris Hilton? Not very much. But the UK media pretends there is more and there really isn’t.

      • Cairidh says:

        Paris Hilton built up a million dollar business based on her brand. She made millions. Ok she wasn’t starting from scratch with pennies in her pocket. But she worked hard.

    • Myra says:

      I honestly have been finding it hard to comment or read about her. Everything is so superficial, especially after reading the recent op-ed from Meghan. She has got it good on the back of someone else’ personal suffering. I don’t feel sorry for how she is portrayed, she likely revels in it. Hilary Mantel made the most poignant observation on her and her observations still ring true today.

      • Nic919 says:

        Exactly. This is an empty woman and while she may be a useful tool for the UK media establishment she is irrelevant and for almost a decade has done nothing of value despite the PR spin trying to pretend otherwise.

      • February-Pisces says:

        Meghans piece resonated with so many women. Seeing how much depth and thought went into it and then seeing an article bout Kate’s make up is just so jarring. I don’t know if pointing out how Kate’s make up has changed (even though she looks the same) Is suppose to be apart of the “she’s coming into her own” narrative, cos If it is, then that’s just very sad. They do the same with her clothes. It’s so superficial, but then again so is Kate, there is no depth there at all.

        Meghans piece was real growth. She spoke up about something deeply personal, even though she knew the trolls would attack. She opened up a conversation and gave women an outlet to talk about their own experiences with miscarrying a baby, As well as encouraging others to be kind to each other.

  11. Professor Plum says:

    All this to keep William?

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      William was never the prize. Living in enormous wealth supplied by taxpayers is.
      She only has to do as she’s always done. Pretend to work.

  12. Digital Unicorn says:

    I think she’s been using a professional make up artist these days instead of doing it herself. Her makeup looks great when a pro does it and she does look better – when she does it, its tragic and ages her.

  13. Justine says:

    What I love about Kate is how close she always is to getting it right.
    She looks better, but her eyes look uncomfortable, miserable, and full of sour anxiety that she has to work. She’s just not suited to this kind of work but that’s what makes her endearing.
    I don’t think she cares about how she looks, quite frankly. No one in the Royal family does at the end of the day.

    • yinyang says:

      Doesn’t care about her looks but spends tens of thousands on nips, tucks, monthly botox, fillers, unnecessary cosmetic dentistry, beauty and facial treatments, wardrobe and hair stylists, and photographer.

      • Dani says:

        I assume anyone who is only talked about in regards to their looks would go to the same great lengths to try to stay pretty/youthful. The media is treacherous and can destroy a person.

      • Becks1 says:

        That’s exactly what many of us are saying here. There is nothing else to talk about with Kate besides her looks. and 10 years into being a royal, there should be something else there.

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Eh, she clearly does care though. Her physical appearance appears to be the most important thing to her when it comes to maintaining her public image. Crafting and upkeeping the narrative of ‘perfect future queen’ is a close second.

  14. jules says:

    I hate to say it because I know I’m alone in this opinion and I’m not a fan of hers, but I thought she looked great in that video.

  15. NM says:

    She. Is. So. Boring.

  16. Aurora says:

    She looks ill In the pic with the red suit.

  17. emmy says:

    It’s notoriously difficult to judge the finish of foundation over Zoom or whatever. In general I think she looks good. She may have changed it up a little but it’s hard to say. In daylight it kinda looks the same?

    I’m just slightly younger than her and frankly, I like my makeup how I like it. If people think it looks bad, I don’t care. I was once told, rather rudely, that my new lipstick shade looked like shit. Well okay, your clothes aren’t screaming 21st century either but I keep that to myself.

    • Christin says:

      How rude for someone to tell you that about something that is purely personal preference and harms no one.

      My mindset is, “You do you, and I’ll do what suits me.” Life is too short to try to please others.

  18. HeatherC says:

    Imagine being so unmotivated that the only thing people can talk about is your appearance. She has such a platform but instead of using it to embiggen herself, or others, instead we get pieces about her wearing trousers (revolutionary!) or her make up (so fashion forward!).

    Imagine a woman pushing 40 who is not a model and THIS is all anyone can say about her.

    Combined with Future Future King Incandescent. …have fun Britain.

    • yinyang says:

      “Imagine a woman pushing 40 who is not a model and THIS is all anyone can say about her.” Exactly, she makes no money off looks whatsoever, but it’s what she gives her care to most, really says a lot about her.

    • Nic919 says:

      This is it. And the contrast even even starker with the NYT article today. Articles about Kate talk about a change in makeup or how she’s keen to do things, but she never actually does anything. What an empty life. She’s in a position to actually help and she’s wasted so much of her platform by living such a selfish existence.

    • Dani says:

      She’s probably now allowed or encouraged to be better or do much more because poor William is just as pathetic as his father and couldn’t stand the thought of his wife being merely on his level or dare I say it…better than him.

      • Nic919 says:

        She doesn’t need to remain with a man who does this to her. She could get a divorce, as Diana did. Kate chooses to stay in this situation because she is ok with doing little in terms of charity. She still gets to buy new outfits every time she leaves her mansion so if she truly cared about doing more to help, she would. But she’s been a selfish creature all her life, as proven by her failure to do anything of note pre and post marriage. This is who Kate is. She is not to be pitied. This woman has options and her choice is to remain as a pampered lightweight living at the expense of taxpayers.

  19. t fanty fan says:

    This seems a normal thing for a woman her age, doesn’t it? I guess we need another story to keep us from asking why Pedo Andy is still on the loose.

  20. Mtec says:

    Gosh she’s worked harder on her pandemic zoom revamp look than she did on her 5 Big Questions

  21. JT says:

    To me it seems that the sudden color changes comes from the fact that these videos are filmed earlier and then released later. The Cambridge’s have been known to stockpile “work” and then release them at specific times to look as if they’ve been consistently doing something. Her hair seems slightly longer, then shorter, then lighter, darker, and back light for some time now.

  22. Dss says:

    She is anything but dewy. I was leaning more towards salty or crusty….emotionally and facially

    • kelleybelle says:

      Agreed. She’s a smoker, her complexion will never be dewy. Those wrinkles on her forehead make her skin look dry. They’re still trying to compete with Meghan’s natural glow. I find it beyond pathetic that they’re actually even talking about this. I guess there’s nothing else going on aside from her promising an update on the Big Questions (har har) survey.

    • Dl says:

      Coffee came out the nose😂

  23. ABritGuest says:

    She looks like she’s been crying in this video… I actually do think per the Tatler article before the edits, she does feel under pressure and forced to ‘work’ more and deliver to the press because of the Sussexes’ exit from royal duties

    • Beach Dreams says:

      Oh definitely. With Meghan around, Kate got a new boost of support from the press and a convenient scapegoat to distract from her laziness. She probably expected to breeze through low(er) engagement numbers without complaints for the next several years. Those comments in the Tatler article oozed resentment.

  24. Mignionette says:

    I have a theory that this is just more trolling of mass proportions. The DM know that their traffic is diriven up by the possibility of engagement in their comments section so they do click-bait articles like this to encourage discourse in the comments.

    The extent of discourse / engagement in the comments then sets the stage for future articles thereby ensuring that the metrics match advertisers demands.

    I am convinced that in a few years time it will come to light that the DM mined information on the site for their own ends.

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      Yeah I agree, same goes for any click bait stories about the whole family. The Fail is all about the click bait.

  25. Florence says:

    … she looks like an oily allergic mess but go off.

  26. Amelie says:

    I haven’t noticed anything in terms of plastic surgery. She does change up her hair a lot in terms of style and her hair is noticeably lighter than it was early on in her marriage. As for makeup, her eye makeup has been lighter and not as dark for a few outings but not sure that qualifies for a whole article about her new “look” since it’s just been a few times we’ve seen it.

    The one thing I’ve noticed since she came out for Remembrance Sunday is that she constantly looks really tired, with and without dark eye makeup. I don’t know what’s going on but she doesn’t look like she’s been getting enough sleep and I’m starting to wonder if there’s something bigger going on that we don’t know about. Or maybe it’s just allergies, who knows.

    • Jaded says:

      Possibly the strain of marrying in to the BRF, a philandering rage-monster for a husband, Sussexit, covid, etc. has become too much for her and she’s on anti-depressants or sleeping pills or something? Her eyes have looked off for quite a while now – like she’s been crying or not getting enough sleep.

  27. Lizzie Bathory says:

    I see we’re still trying to make “bronde” happen….

  28. Züri says:

    That’s a combo of microneedling (like Vivace), Botox, and fillers. And maybe some new makeup applied by an artist. But that’s the type of skin you get from procedures.

  29. Harper says:

    The actual article in the Fail about this was so degrading. They had red arrows pointing to each area of her face that reflected these updates to her cosmetic routine. This is the kind of public dissection of her appearance that comes with her role via the tabs. I really wonder how much Kate hates about what she goes through, and if there is anything left in this bargain that she made for herself (beyond her children) that brings her joy.

    • Mumbles says:

      She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who wants a lot more than her kids and her title. There has never been a remotely interesting story about her that isn’t linked to her status from her husband. Oh, she flashed her ass once while in boarding school. I think that’s it?

      She snagged the most eligible bachelor of her generation (even though we didn’t know at the time he was a dud). I think she views herself as a winner.

  30. Honora says:

    It’s such an improvement! Idk why pink makeup is a bad thing? Seems better on her by far than whatever was going on before.

  31. My3cents says:

    So she finally started reading the comments here?

  32. Marigold says:

    I like her bronde hair and she looks pretty in they orange/red coat photo.

  33. Lizzie says:

    Waity and Melania are two peas in a pod. No other interest beside social climbing and their appearance. Also they both have a small female social circle because it’s hard to be friends with someone whose only interest is their appearance.
    My guess they each continually keep an eye out for the next rich husband.
    I get Botox but if I had a public position I would get a bit more done. I recently saw an interview with Diana’s former hairdresser and he once said she did a nice job on her hair and she could do it before engagements. Diana was horrified, she said that’s not what people want when they come out too see her. So I give Waity slack for getting professional makeup and hair.

  34. yinyang says:

    Bronde hair, complimentary wardrobe and pink make up the colour of an english rose, lol.

  35. Khia says:

    She looks nice without the heavy under eye liner. So happy cool colors are making their way back for beauty/make up. The warm colors are oversaturating the market, but this is a safe route with that pinkish eye look that would have been a horror with the liner too.

  36. Leslie says:

    Her make up is better than it was but it’s not brilliant. She has quite hooded eyes and if she wants to wear liner, a very thin, buffed out tight line at the root of her lashes would make her eyes look bigger. Zoom isn’t flattering for anyone but some soft focus translucent powder oh her t zone would soften her look.

    Room for improvement.

  37. Julia K says:

    Are we sure she is a smoker? Have never seen any picture evidence of it. Does William smoke? Also never seen with a cigarette. Hard to believe with their emphasis on a healthy environment for children that they would expose them to toxic smoke.

    • Genessee says:

      Yes.

      There are pictures of her smoking and partying.

    • Jaded says:

      She may have given it up when she started having kids but in her Waity days she was photographed numerous times smoking and with a pack of cigs in her open handbag. If she still smokes I imagine she does it outside so as not to expose the kids to it, but it’s in her bag of tricks to stay thin.

  38. Reece says:

    Dewier complexion eh?
    Someone’s caught up to 2010.

    Also WHO EDITS THEIR VIDEOS? You can cut the pauses! *rant over

  39. Andrea says:

    If given the choice, I would be friends with Meghan over Kate. Kate has nothing of substance to offer other than her dated clothes and makeup that ages her.

  40. M.A.F. says:

    I just want to fix the right eyebrow. It needs to be thinned out more; it’s too full that it makes it look shorter than the left one. Ever since I noticed it, I can’t unsee.

  41. SpankyB says:

    I think she had her eyes done. Look at how hooded they are in the Remembrance photo compared to the Zoom shots. Pink eye shadow and less eye liner wouldn’t change that look. It’s good she’s doing subtle changes like this now instead of going full face lift in her 60’s when it would be much more noticeable.

  42. Liz version 700 says:

    That heavy handed pink makes her eyes look like mine when my allergies hit.

  43. BodegaBay says:

    I think when a makeup artist says that Kate is “indulging in skincare and treatments” that pretty much means injectables. No amount of serums and facials is going to erase fine lines around the eyes as we see with Kate.

  44. Meg says:

    She is so very thin. I do wonder if she is healthy-it came out during the phone back years ago while they were dating she seemed to be constantly at the gym. Will seems to like very slim women

  45. No matter if she has a bag of dewy make up, she still looks aged.

  46. Katebush says:

    Her skin does look lovely and fresh in these photos and I’m liking her hair colour too. Uh oh What a crime!