Inside Meghan Markle's beauty secrets - from her affordable go-to mascara to the hair mask she uses 'religiously'

The Duchess of Sussex always looks fantastic and is clearly a woman who spends time looking after her hair and skin, as well as somebody who has got her signature make-up look down to a fine art. 

If you’d like to recreate her signature glow, you’re in luck, as some of Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets have been made available to the public over the years by the duchess herself as well as members of her glam squad. 

Not only did Meghan share some of her beauty favourites on her lifestyle blog, The Tig, but during her time as an actress she discussed her hair, make-up and skincare routines in several interviews. To that end, we’ve done extensive research on the subject to put together a list of the beauty tips relied upon by the Duchess of Sussex, including her favourite moisturisers, her go-to blushers and so much more. Here’s what you need to know about her routines…

32 of Meghan Markle's beauty secrets

Always wearing fragrance

An invisible but important part of her routine, Meghan Markle has revealed she wears perfume every single day. Per a 2016 interview with The Express, she said, "Fragrance is my favourite thing – so much so that if I leave the house and I don’t put any on, I’ll turn around and go back home." 

If you’re wondering what her signature scent is, you're in luck as she’s previously shared that exact information with fans. Two of the best Jo Malone perfumes hold that accolade – namely Wild Bluebell and Wood Sage and Sea Salt – as well as Oribe’s Côte d’Azur.

Have a signature lip colour

Everybody has their go-to shade of lipstick, be it the best red lipstick or a more neutral shade, and the Duchess of Sussex is no exception. In the aforementioned Express article, Meghan said that she loves Charlotte Tilbury’s lipsticks (don’t we all) and that her favourite shade is Very Victoria, which is a browny-pinky nude colour. Fun fact: this shade was named after none other than Victoria Beckham.

Lightweight foundation

When it comes to make-up, Meghan likes her freckles to be visible, telling Allure that it’s one of her “pet peeves” when they are airbrushed out. Her solution? To reach for one of the best lightweight foundations.

Her former make-up artist Lydia Sellers told Refinery29 that she often used Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk with a beauty blender to get sheer, natural-looking coverage. 

Don't neglect body care

Many of us have our skincare routine nailed but may not put quite as much effort into our body care routine. Not the Duchess of Sussex – and one of her go-to body lotions is a bargain. In an interview with Beauty Banter, Meghan explained that she uses Nivea’s Q10 Firming Body Lotion “religiously”. 

Face exercises

“I do facial exercises from one of my favorite aestheticians, Nicola Joss, who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out,” Meghan said in an interview with Birchbox. “I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are waaaay more sculpted. There’s a reason she is in high demand around awards season when every actress wants to look A-plus.”

Maintain your brows

The eyebrows frame the face and maintaining their shape makes a huge difference. Sherrille Riley, founder of Nails & Brows Mayfair, told PEOPLE that Meghan has The Audrey Brow treatment, which is inspired by Audrey Hepburn. This consists of shaping and tinting, ending with the application of brow makeup.

This smart lip liner trick

According to Popsugar, it looks like Meghan makes use of an easy lip liner trick that perfectly accentuates their shape. The trick is to over-line the centre of the lip but not the sides. "Choose a lip liner one shade darker than your natural lip colour," make-up artist Nikki Wolff told the publication. "[Then] with a well-sharpened pencil, draw slightly over your natural lip line, focusing on the centre of your mouth."

Curl your lashes

Curling your eyelashes before applying the best mascara is your one-way ticket to opening up the eyes and making them look longer. Clearly, the Duchess of Sussex knows this, as she previously praised the iconic Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler in her Beauty Banter interview. While her go-to curler clocks in at just under £30, many of the best eyelash curlers retail for around half that price, so you don't need to blow the budget to get some serious results. 

Gently exfoliate

Gentle exfoliation is another step in Meghan’s skincare regime that contributes to her signature glow, telling Allure back in 2014 that she likes to use Tatcha’s The Rice Polish, an exfoliating enzyme powder. “It just sort of foams on your face and gives you a really subtle exfoliation,” she said. 

The hair flip

The trick to Meghan's bouncy hair? “There is nothing like a hair flip!" she said in an interview with Birchbox back when she was in Suits. "When my hair is feeling a little weighted, Suanne, my hair artist on set, has me bend forward and she sprays a little Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray or nothing at all, and then has me ‘flip back hard’ to give my hair a little extra bounce.”

Bridal shimmer

Meghan’s make-up always looks fantastic, so we expected nothing less on her wedding day (and she didn’t disappoint). Daniel Martin was the MUA behind her wedding day glow. "Meghan likes a shimmery look, so when I did her makeup for the royal wedding, I used the Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette, a powder blush and highlighter," he told Harper's Bazaar. "Then I tapped Honest Beauty Magic Balm onto her cheeks to give them a little bounce; since it’s glossy it really pumps up the highlight in photos."

Use a nourishing hair oil

Hair oils can really help to nourish and add moisture to strands, as well as improve shine – something Meghan makes use of in her haircare routine. She told Beauty Banter that one of her favourites was the Wella Reflections Luminous Smoothing Oil for making hair “slippery and touchable”. That's welcome news to us, as it retails at around £23. 

A messy bun can work for all occassions

When she started making public appearances in the UK, the messy bun quickly became considered one of Meghan’s signature hairstyles and it’s one that she’s been pictured with almost countless times over the years. It’s a chic look that works for just about any occasion – the duchess even wore the style on her wedding day. 

Always wear SPF

Wearing SPF year-round is one of the best things you can do for your skin and, living in California, we’re sure this is something Meghan is diligent about. According to Meghan’s Mirror, she dedicated an entire post on The Tig to the subject and we’ve previously spotted her with Nivea sunscreen in public. 

Her shimmery smokey eye

One of Meghan’s go-to pencils for a smokey eye is MAC’s Teddy Pencil Liner. “[It] is a really beautiful brown that has some gold in it,” she told Allure. “A makeup artist I work with often, Kayleen McAdams, turned me on to it. It's what she uses on Sofia Vergara, and who wouldn't want those gorgeous brown almond eyes?"

Use a hydrating serum

Kate Somerville is one of Hollywood’s go-to aestheticians who has counted Meghan Markle among her famous clientele. The Duchess of Sussex told Beauty Banter that she’s a fan of the Quench Hydrating Face Serum to help “maintain her glow”.  (While that specific product is now discontinued, you can still buy the DermalQuench Liquid Lift Advanced Wrinkle Treatment). 

Hair masking

Taking the time to apply a hair mask once a week or so can do wonders for its condition and nourish strands. Meghan has previously cited the Kérastase Nutritive Mask as one of her favourites, as well as the brand’s Oléo-Relax line, which she told Beauty Banter she uses “religiously”.

Glowy blusher

Using one of the best blushers instantly perks up the complexion and adds a youthful glow – and Meghan is a fan of a classic buy. In her interview with Beauty Banter, she described NARS Orgasm Blush as having “a perfect rosy flush tone that brightens the face.”

Lash serum

Using a lash serum is a great way to strengthen and help them grow longer and Meghan is a fan of the iconic RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Conditioner. "I also use RevitaLash on my eyelashes, and I swear they are as long as they could ever be,” she told Allure. 

Eye-brightening liner

The Duchess of Sussex is also thought to make use of a clever eye-brightening make-up trick. "Meghan appears to be wearing a nude eyeliner in her lower waterline," make-up artist Francesca Abrahamovitch told Femail. "I love this look and use it a lot on my clients, especially when they have super-early starts. It's a really effective way of making your eyes appear bigger and brighter [and] also hides any redness or tiredness making it look as though you've had a full eight hours sleep –even when the reality is very different."

Buccal massage

Meghan’s plump and youthful-looking skin can also be credited to, in part, the use of an unusual facial technique: buccal massage. As part of the Inner Facial™, her facialist Nichola Joss massages the muscle from inside the mouth, which she tells PEOPLE "allows the muscle to be healthier and more youthful [and] adds vitality to the muscle. It makes it softer but stronger, and obviously working from the inside of the mouth really addresses the core element of the muscle.”

Skin-smoothing gel

One of Kate Middleton’s make-up and skincare products also apparently counts Meghan Markle as a fan: the fine line-smoothing Biotulin Supreme Skin Gel. According to reports, Kate recommended the gel to Meghan (as well as Michelle Obama).

Her sleek bun trick

Over the years Meghan Markle has picked up some great hair and make-up tips, like this one that helps her create sleek updos. “For my flyaways, I spray hairspray on a small boar bristle toothbrush (a regular toothbrush also works great!) to lightly brush them down or smooth the hairline,” she told Birchbox. “This is especially good for a sleek bun when I am off-camera.”

Use a balmy highlighter

Highlighter adds instant radiance to your skin, but you may have noticed the Duchess of Sussex’s make-up tends to have a dewy rather than sparkly glow. Meghan’s former hairstylist and make-up artist Lydia Sellers told TODAY Style that the now-duchess was a fan of RMS Beauty’s balmy Living Luminizer.

Her signature loose waves

Another of Meghan’s signature ‘dos is her glossy, loose waves – AKA the perfect “effortlessly chic” hairstyle. George Northwood (the hairstylist behind many of her looks, including her wedding hair) told Vogue that the trick is to use a large barrel tong and “tong away from the face at the front of the hair, and focus on the mid-lengths”. 

Facials

We’re confident that regular facials are part of Meghan’s beauty routine and facialist Sarah Chapman, who has a clinic in London, has been credited with helping to create her glowing skin. According to PEOPLE, the duchess reportedly called in to see Chapman for a catch-up and a facial while she was in the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee celebrations. 

Her eye-brightening trick

Meghan has another trick for waking up tired eyes in her arsenal. “To open up your eyes, apply a highlighter like Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat in the inner corner," she told Birchbox. "This trick is especially good when we are filming at 3am and I need to look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Affordable nail polishes

Though Meghan wore dark nail polish to the British Fashion Awards in 2018, she is usually seen wearing a barely-there pink or nude shade. Like Kate Middleton and the late Queen Elizabeth, she is reportedly a fan of the affordable brand Essie – according to Marie Claire UK, she has previously worn the shades Marshmallow and Limo Scene for royal engagements. 

False lashes

From time to time, the duchess makes use of the best false eyelashes and has previously spoken about how much she likes Velour Lashes’ Whispie Me Away style on The Tig. Not only that, but Meghan also reportedly wore these very lashes on her wedding day.

Refresh with a mist

Using a hydrating mist is a great way to refresh the skin through the day – and Meghan’s former make-up artist Lydia Sellers noted Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Skin Mist as one of the duchess’s favourites. "This is amazing because it tones the skin and preps it for foundation while leaving it with a dewy surface. It also freshens up your makeup after a few hours of wear," she told TODAY Style. 

Her secret to frizz-free locks

Another product behind Meghan’s soft and shiny hair? According to Sellers, the Kevin Murphy SMOOTH.AGAIN Anti-Frizz Treatment was one that she’d regularly use on the now-duchess before blow drying her hair, per her TODAY Style interview. 

Her go-to mascara

One of Meghan Markle’s go-to mascaras has long been reported as being a high street favourite: Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara. One of the best Maybelline mascaras, the formula is infused with oils to nourish the lashes. MUA Lydia Sellers told HELLO! that Meghan introduced her to the affordable buy when they worked together on Suits.