Meghan Markle's Biggest Makeup Mistakes

Despite having the world watching her every move, Meghan Markle has always managed to stay true to her personal style. Fashion-wise, her looks have remained consistent with her love of structured power suits, monochromatic ensembles, and refined minimalism. Her go-to makeup tends to reflect that tendency toward simplicity; the Duchess of Sussex often opts for sheer coverage (famously embracing her freckles at her 2018 nuptials) and prefers to make a statement with her eye makeup rather than sculpted contouring or glossy highlighter. Nine times out of 10, she slays on the makeup front (and Meghan Markle even looks flawless when she wears little to no makeup). But every now and then, she makes a makeup error that reminds us that she's only human — and, yes, we needed the reminder.

The makeup blunders that Meghan has made in the past often come down to simple mistakes that most of us have been guilty of, too. Other than perhaps Kim Kardashian, who hasn't failed to get their contour placement right once or twice? And when you take makeup risks, like wearing a bold, saturated lipstick, you're bound to slip up sooner or later. The remarkable thing about Meghan is that even with imperfect makeup, she still looks like royalty. While the stakes might not be overly high for those who are genetically blessed, the following mistakes should be avoided to let the rest of your makeup work its magic. 

This throwback photo of Meghan Markle was taken in 2011 at the Anti-Defamation League Entertainment Awards, well before her Duchess of Sussex era. That much is obvious from her caramel locks — a far cry from the raven tresses we've come to associate her with — but her makeup also hints at her pre-global-fame status. These days, Meghan's makeup is nearly flawless, so most of her makeup misdemeanors were committed in these earlier years, when she'd occasionally make blunders like forgetting to blend out her eyebrow shading. To be absolutely fair, eyebrow trends do come and go, and a defined outline with lighter shading was particularly en vogue following Kylie Jenner's pop-culture explosion in 2015. But given this photo was taken four years earlier, it seems that Meghan simply forgot to blend out that color, resulting in a thin but harsh line visible beneath both eyebrows that threw off her look. 

The good news is this makeup error is easy enough to avoid nowadays, as many eyebrow pencils and kits come with their own blenders, brushes, or spoolies, like the Maybelline Total Temptation Eyebrow Definer Pencil. Truthfully, 2024's beauty trends have revolved around subtle, soft eyebrows, so this is definitely a blunder you want to avoid in the modern era. So, unless 2015's Instagram-brow trend makes an unexpected comeback, make sure you buff out all obvious lines in your brows.

Even while committing makeup offenses, Meghan Markle still looks stunning, and few people can say that when they royally mess up their blush and contour. To the Women in Cable Telecommunications Signature Luncheon in Chicago, Illinois, in 2015, Meghan looked radiant in a mauve 'fit with her dark locks flowing from a side part, but her blush and bronzer were all wrong. The biggest issue is that the products weren't well-blended, so they stood out (not in a good way) and ended up being the first thing you noticed. This effect is emphasized by the low placement of the products. If you zoom in, you can see color seeping down below her cheekbones so that the shading is level with her lips, and this drags her whole face down. 

Beauty gurus recommend contouring above the cheekbone to create a lift, and Jennifer Lopez is one of the celebrities who — just like us — loves to use this makeup hack. This makeup hack went viral on TikTok in 2023 and was dubbed the "supermodel face lift," but it has staying power because it elevates your makeup. Meghan wasn't to know this back in 2015, but if you aren't going to apply contouring higher than your cheekbones, it's still important to ensure it's not bleeding under toward your jaw. The ideal blush placement is determined by your face shape, but it's always between the boundaries of the apples of your cheeks and the outer corner of your brows — never lower. And regardless of where you place your products, remember to blend them for a seamless final result.

Throughout all the chapters of Meghan Markle's public life, from "Suits" star to active member of the royal family and post-royal life in California, she has gravitated toward heavier eye makeup. Her dark eyeliner was particularly dramatic in her famous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, which she did with hubby Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. Here, she created definition by tightlining her eyes in black and finishing them off with a set of thick falsies on top of her signature deep-bronze eyeshadow. Falsies (or excessive mascara) and black liner have been Meghan's go-to for years, but this effect was overlooked at the 2014 NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfronts, where her under-eye shading was a little too liberal. Here, Meghan wore a swipe of eyeshadow beneath her eyelids to enhance the smoky-eye effect, but too much product was applied in a crescent shape, which unfortunately ended up resembling more of an eye bag than a smoky eye. When you're going for under-eye shading with a dark color (rather than, say, a shimmery gold), be careful not to drop the product too low. It could end up looking unintentionally smudged. 

Other than the under-eye shading, Meghan's makeup is gorgeous here; she avoided tightlining and only applied liner to the outer edges of her bottom lids, creating a flattering almond shape. She also did the same with the top, avoiding applying liner to the inner corners, which made her eyes look brighter and more open. She still looks divine, even with the excessive color beneath her lids, but this is a blunder that most of us will want to avoid, especially if you're looking to create a perfect and subtle daytime smoky eye.

Meghan Markle tends to favor subtle and neutral lips over bold hues, but she's been known to occasionally explore the world of lip color. She's often pulled off a bright lip immaculately, but this look from the Tory Burch show at the 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City was much less forgiving. The cool-toned pinky-red color might have worked if Meghan hadn't paired it with a warm blush, which created quite the clash. We'd say the lippie is the culprit here since this bronze shade of blush is similar to the color that Meghan usually wears. A warm blush suits her warm skin well, so the cool lipstick is the odd one out (though the bright pop of color did work well to liven up her monochromatic black outfit!).

Red lipstick is always a good idea, but there are guidelines to consider. The best red lipstick shade for your skin color comes down to your undertone, and this is also true for your blush and bronzer. Warm undertones, like Meghan's, pair best with warmer shades. While she nailed that logic with most of her makeup, the cool lipstick is a little jarring. In hindsight, she would have been better off wearing something like the e.l.f. Cosmetics O Face Satin Lipstick in the shade Spicy, as it has a warmer, orangey base. 

Fast-forward to Elle's Women in Television Dinner in 2016, and Meghan Markle had the red-lipstick thing down. This deeper, warmer shade not only suited her undertones and blush better but also paired well with her crimson outfit. It kills us to include this look in the list of her biggest makeup mistakes, but there's one crucial element that Meghan seemed to forget (even if she nailed the color choice). Even with a lipstick shade tailored to your skin and makeup, the result will fall flat if you don't prep your lips first. As we can see from this throwback photo, Meghan has a dark line in the middle of her bottom lip where the color settled unevenly. It probably wouldn't be noticeable on a nude or light-pink lip, but with a bold red, not even the Duchess of Sussex can afford to make mistakes like this.

Creasing like that is often caused by rushed prep or rushed application. On the preparation side of things, if you don't exfoliate your lips properly and ensure they're hydrated and moisturized, the pigment can catch on the drier parts of your lips, especially if you're preparing your lips for unforgiving matte lipstick (we've got tips for that). This is usually fixed with a simple scrub, like the Dermasuri Lip Exfoliator Scrub and Moisturizer. It also helps to ensure you're drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to wearing your lipstick, and if they're feeling extra dry, be sure to apply a moisturizing lip balm or primer, like the MAC Prep + Prime Lip. You can also end up with uneven creasing if you forget to blot away the excess lipstick. Once you've applied your lipstick, put a folded tissue between your lips and and gently press down. Any leftover product will end up on the tissue rather than sliding around your lips and settling in unwanted areas.