I’m a beauty expert – how Kate Middleton secretly transformed her look to seem younger using clever makeup techniques
WHETHER baking cupcakes, entertaining Louis or perfectly poised on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, Kate Middleton was regal and radiant over the Jubilee weekend.
Lynsey Hope reveals her beauty secrets – and how in the year of her 40th birthday she has transformed her look and become every inch the future queen.
THICKER BROWS
AS we age, brows tend to get more sparse. But Kate’s have done the opposite, giving her a more youthful appearance.
Amy Bates, hair stylist, make-up artist and founder of thebeautyrebellion.co.uk, says: “If you have lines and wrinkles under the eye, the right brows can draw attention away from that area and make it less noticeable.
“In her younger years, Kate’s brows were thin and heavily plucked but now they are growing back thicker.
“I imagine a specialist has helped her using a technique such as HD Brows, where the natural brows are tinted and shaped.”
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NO MORE BLACK EYELINER
COMING of age in the Nineties and Noughties, it’s no surprise Kate was a fan of black kohl eyeliner.
Amy says: “Kate is still wearing eyeliner but it is much softer and not too dark. She now prefers smoky brown and bronze hues, which are more flattering.
“Thick lines can make people look older and Kate understands this.
“Many women have the same make-up for years but it doesn’t necessarily work with a more mature face. Going easy on the concealer is also important.
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“Sometimes if people are trying to cover fine lines, they wear more make-up but this can actually enhance them. Kate knows less is more.”
DITCHED THE BRETON
FABULOUS fashion writer Abby McHale says: “As well as her kohl eyeliner, in the past Kate has often stuck to safe, classic styles.
“This has been the case even on more casual occasions and Breton stripes have famously been one of her go-to looks.
“However, during Jubilee weekend footage of her at home baking with her three children, George, Louis and Charlotte, Kate wore an on-trend gingham collar shirt from British brand Brora.
“The pink shirt with statement collar was worlds away from the nautical tees we are used to seeing on the 40-year-old, and the colour boosted her skin tone.”
MIDDLE PARTING
SINCE her late twenties, Kate has favoured a bouncy blow-dry. But this year, she’s gone for far more laid-back hairstyles.
There’s the age-reversing middle-parting, with hair straight, tucked behind her ears and falling down her back. This creates a youthful appearance by showing off her bone structure.
And during the Jubilee celebrations she wore a girlish high ponytail on her visit to Cardiff Castle – far less fussy than her outdated blow-dry. Amy says: “Wearing the hair up can take years off you.
“It elongates the neck, creating a youthful look. With Kate, it draws attention to her perfect posture.”
NUDE LIPS
YOU rarely see the duchess in a bold lip colour.
She tends to choose natural shades, continuing her “less is more” approach to make-up.
Kate has previously been spotted at Wimbledon with the Clarins natural lip protector (£19.50, clarins.co.uk). It is sheer but has a very slight colour and leaves lips looking shiny and healthy.
This comes in a variety of shades but it is thought the duchess wears Rose Shimmer. Amy says: “It really just enhances the colour of her lips.”
PERFECT POSTURE
GOOD posture is vital if you want to stay youthful.
Physiotherapist Sammy Margo says: “Kate holds herself really well. If you look at photos from a decade ago compared to now, she is standing taller than before and holding herself much better.
“This gives her a very pleasant allure and makes her appear younger than 40.”
And it’s not just down to her exercise regime, said to include yoga, cardio exercises and strength training. Sammy says: “It’s also what you do the rest of the day.
“We often see photos of her standing or sitting at events. She never slumps.
“When you are sitting or standing, you are still working your muscles. Kate is clearly making an effort to engage her muscles during the day.”
DECOLLETAGE DRESSING
IN true regal fashion, the Duchess of Cambridge is careful about flashing too much flesh.
But one area she does expose is her toned, tanned decolletage.
Abby McHale says: “In the Roland Mouret off-the-shoulder dress that Kate wore for the Top Gun premiere, she hands-down stole the show.
“Kate has found her fashion mojo as she’s reached her forties and is more confident wearing slightly daring styles, without breaking royal protocol.
“On other occasions, such as a state dinner in the Bahamas, she had a lower-plunging neckline. Making your neckline stand out, but keeping the rest of your outfit effortless and simple, is a trick used by the French to incorporate some sex appeal.”
ROSEHIP OIL
WHEN Kate’s skin is on show – such as her chest, collar and shoulders – it is flawless.
Amy says: “This is an area many women forget to look after.
“The decolletage along with your hands, is an area often exposed to the sun, so needs to be looked after in the same way you would look after the skin on your face.
“Kate won’t have forgotten. She’ll have a top-notch skincare routine to keep these areas looking fantastic.”
Kate’s great skin is said to be down to Trilogy’s organic rosehip oil (34.99, hollandandbarrett.com). Victoria Beckham is also said to use it.
It contains vitamin C and fatty acids to help reduce wrinkles. It’s also rich in antioxidants.
FAN OF GRADUAL TAN
THE duchess has now got her subtle glow on point – and the secret to a good tan is in the preparation.
Amy says: “You need to exfoliate and moisturise regularly to get rid of dead skin and to keep the skin hydrated.
“Kate is lucky enough to have some natural pigment in her skin and she has a nice skin tone anyway.
“I imagine she uses a product such as Decleor Gradual Glow Tanning Lotion (£35, lookfantastic.com) where the tan builds up gradually, rather than using a self-tan.
“This keeps your tan healthy, less over-the-top, and not so streaky.”
STYLING TRICKS
“KATE has quite an athletic figure,” says Abby.
“But as she has turned 40, she has found clever, subtle ways to enhance her shape and add curves.
“For example, her yellow Emilia Wickstead dress she wore over Jubilee weekend saw a cross of fabric across the middle.
“And the figure-hugging gown she wore to the Top Gun premiere had a fishtail skirt. Both of these gave the illusion of an hourglass shape.”
Make-up artist Amy adds: “Kate really knows what works for her – and she never does anything more.
“Often it is about accentuating features she already has and that is how she defies her years.
“Kate is having a style revolution in her forties.”
NATURAL BOTOX
AMY says Kate does not look as if she has had Botox, and adds: “Her face still moves in all the right places.”
But Kate is said to be a fan of the brand Biotulin Supreme skin gel (£39.99, amazon.co.uk) which has been dubbed a natural alternative to Botox.
It is applied as a smoothing lotion but won’t numb your face or restrict facial expressions. Effects last around nine hours, so very handy to use before an event.
Kate is also said to enjoy bee venom facials and sculpting facials by skin expert, Nichola Joss. The sculpting technique targets sagging muscles with a lymphatic massage, making skin appear more contoured.
FLANNEL + £4 MOISTURISER
KATE apparently cleanses her face with a flannel.
Her wedding day make-up artist Arabella Preston says this is actually the best way to remove make-up and dirt from your skin while gently exfoliating, and is preferable to any brush or your hands.
Fans of the duchess also say they once spotted her buying a tub of Nivea while shopping at Boots on the King’s Road in Chelsea.
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The all-round moisturiser Nivea Naturally Good Day Radiance Cream claims to provide 24-hour hydration and nourishment.
Better still, it costs only £4.01 at nivea.co.uk.