Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge is arguably one of the most stylish women in the world. Oblivious to passing trends, fans and followers of Kate are rarely disappointed by her classic yet contemporary ensembles.
Last month, Kate attended the State Dinner at Buckingham Palace in honor of the Chinese president Xi Jinping. She dazzled in a tailor-made Jenny Packham cherry red gown, chic low bun and a diamond-encrusted tiara called Lotus Flower that belongs to the Royal Family. While Kate’s fairytale life may seem completely unattainable, her look is anything but. From her long lashes to her delicately swept-back low bun, here are 10 simple steps for achieving Kate’s royal look.
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1 | With clean hair down and dry, begin by back-combing the hair around your face.
2 | Make sure your hair is well-combed. Kate’s look is sleek and polished, so the last thing you want is knotted, unkempt hair. Use large clips to section off each side of your hair. Make a middle part starting at the base of your head and move forward, creating two large side ponytails.
3 | Knot the two sections of hair like shoelaces. Don’t begin too low or it won’t stay in place. Repeat this step, creating two more knots beneath the first.
4 | Tuck the ends underneath the knot and place pins as needed to keep the knot in place. Use Kerastase’s Double Force Controle Ultime hair spray to keep your style in place and minimize flyaways.
1 | Kate’s dramatic eye makeup, similar to what’s pictured above, was the focus of her look at the State Dinner. Once the lids are properly primed, start with a dark brown eyeshadow, applying it from the lash line to the crease of your lid using an angled brush. Check out Smashbox’s Full Exposure palette for gorgeous shades of brown and neutral tones. Don’t worry about perfect application; smoky eyes are meant to smolder.
2 | Use a Q-tip to smudge the shadow at your crease and along the bottom lash line. You can add depth by mimicking Kate’s two-tone smoky eye with an olive or dark plum hue of your choice.
3 | Line your bottom and top lids in a black liquid or gel liner. I recommend Benefit’s Push-Up gel for those less experienced with liquid liner. It allows for better control, meaning fewer mistakes. Make sure to cover all the way from the base of your lashes to the lid—exposed skin is never a good look.
4 | Highlight the base of your brow line and inner corners of your lids with a highlighter pen like Catrice Cosmetics’ Made to Stay Inside Eye Highlighter Pen. Your eyes will pop just like the princess’.
5 | Finish off your look with one or two coats of volumizing mascara. Bobbi Brown’s Smokey Eye Mascara lives up to its name and will let you effortlessly recreate Kate’s signature long lashes.
6 | Kate is known for her beautiful, full brows. Fill in your brows with Anastasia Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencil. It has two ends, one a self-sharpening pencil and the other a spool brush. The great thing about this pencil is that it works for both thick and thin brows. Fill in brows as needed and blend with the spool for a full, natural look.
Pictured: Kate during a visit to Malaysia
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