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Time and time again, up-close looks at Catherine, Princess of Wales’ makeup have proven that the MAGA ladies should be taking notes. Throughout her decades in the spotlight, Kate Middleton hasn’t fallen for makeup trends, or opted for the harsh, heavy looks associated with “Republican makeup.” Instead, a clean, simple beauty routine is what we’ve come to expect from her. Lately, though, her look has been a bit different than what she usually wears. She seems to be trying some slightly more severe approaches with what sometimes looks like sloppier application. Does she have a new makeup artist, or is her taste simply evolving? Either way, it certainly seems like something different is going on with the princess’ beauty routine — and it’s not working as well as her old style.
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Like anyone in the public eye for much of their lives, Kate’s makeup has transformed throughout the years. Through it all, though, her style has remained fairly consistent. Yet Kate kicked off 2026 with a subtle makeup mistake in Scotland; she sported all-around smudged eyeliner, which made her makeup appear uncharacteristically messy. Interestingly, this seemed to be just the beginning of her messier makeup looks. Throughout the month of March, she’s been consistently sporting makeup looks that are a far cry from her usual polished, barely-there beauty routine.
Kate Middleton’s March makeup has been madness
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On March 9, Kate Middleton headed to Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Service. The royal dressed in royal blue, but her eye makeup distracted from the outfit. She sported an oddly unblended, harsh smokey eye. While Kate opts for different eye makeup on occasion, this darker, one-tone eyeshadow was unusual for her. Paired with lower lashes coated in heavy mascara and smudged liner, this look didn’t complement her as well as her more understated looks.
Days after her smokey eye display, she headed to a royal engagement at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution with another odd makeup moment. Kate paired pared-down makeup with another uneven smokey eye and oddly thick, harsh eyebrows. Blocky brows have never been Kate’s apparent preference, so it was surprising to see her sporting them during a royal engagement.
As if these two instances weren’t enough to make us wonder what happened to Kate’s makeup bag this month, on March 17, she attended the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in more dark eye makeup. While not as severe as her smokey eye, it was, once again, dark and seemingly unblended. And, considering it’d only been five days since she sported those massive, blocky brows, her brows looked surprisingly thin. It’s unclear what exactly inspired Kate’s change of heart when it comes to makeup, but we’re hoping she gets these harsher looks out of her system in time for spring.
