Meghan Markle’s Makeup Artist On Creating The World's Most Famous Wedding Beauty Look

Can you believe it's been a year since the royal wedding? We are looking back on the day and the impact Meghan Markle had (and continues to have) on bridal style.  On her wedding day The Duchess of Sussex didn’t just ignite a trend in bridal fashion with her elegant and minimalist Givenchy wedding dress, she also made a major beauty statement with her fresh, beautiful and unfussy wedding day makeup. Her glowing skin (with freckles on full display), softly smoked eyes and flawless pink-nude lip instantly became the new standard for bridal beauty.

Meghan’s longtime friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin, who is a Dior brand ambassador and Honest Beauty creative colour consultant, was the architect behind her now iconic wedding day look and we had a chance to chat with him about how the two decided on her bridal makeup and how you can easily emulate her gorgeous no-makeup makeup look for your wedding day.

Can you describe Meghan's wedding makeup look? What was important for Meghan and for you? “Meghan’s look was about pulling out and showing the world what her internal beauty represents: a confident woman comfortable in her own skin.”

Meghan’s wedding look has been described as the 'no-makeup wedding makeup.' As the architect of this now famous look, did you know when you were creating it that it would become so iconic? “The only concern I had about her makeup was that she feel comfortable and confident in it. When you're comfortable in your own skin, wearing makeup you feel beautiful in, that confidence shines through and that’s what resonated with so many people around the world. Her makeup was effortless but truly captured the essence of who she is rather than a mask covering up what’s underneath.”

Can you describe the techniques for the look? How did you create glowing skin? Lush lashes? The perfect nude lip? “For Meghan's look, I focused on selectively buffing in her foundation allowing her natural skin to come through. Cheeks were flushed with a wash of a cream blush as was the highlighting to achieve her glow. Corner lashes were added to create the depth in her eyes and the her lip was a sheer lipstick.”

For brides (and makeup artists) who want to emulate the look, what are the key things to consider? “Focus on understanding the skin and finding their favorite feature to accentuate! By doing this, it creates a 'safe zone' for the makeup wearer building their own confidence around your work."

What are the five key products you believe a modern bride needs for her wedding day? “My top five favourite products for any bride are very similar to what I would use for an actress for red carpet because the two are very similar. You're dealing with long wear and budge proof makeup. I love Dior Backstage Foundation; Honest Beauty Everything Matte Primer; Tatcha Original Aburatorigami Japanese Blotting Papers; Diorshow Waterproof mascara; and the Surratt Beauty Relevée eyelash curler.”

How important is it that a bride have a relationship with her beauty team before the wedding? “Its extremely important for the bride and her glam team to understand one another and her needs and wants. This is a moment in time you will always remember and you want to look back at your wedding photos with pride, rather than be shameful of a trend that dates you.”

Finish this sentence: A bride’s perfect wedding day makeup needs to… “… represent her true self!"