Meghan Markle's Worst Makeup Mistakes We've Ever Seen

Although Meghan Markle typically serves absolutely gorgeous makeup, our gal has made a few makeup mistakes over the years. It happens to everyone who loves to experiment with different levels of makeup drama; once in a while, things go awry. Meghan's makeup errors are pretty understandable. The most common mistake is when her look is too heavy, where her beautiful eyes get hidden in the smokey drama of her richly pigmented shadows and liners. Sometimes her liner smudges under her eyes, another frequent occurrence we've noted. In other cases, her bronzer and blush sit too thickly on her cheeks, creating a severe line of bronzy pigment rather than offering blended, natural looking color. 

More often, Meghan Markle looks flawless when she sticks to her staple beauty look, which consists of light concealer and full, fluffy lashes with a pop of blush. The duchess is so naturally beautiful that we love to see this simple, enhancing method work so well for her. Sometimes her more dramatic makeup looks work too — even Prince Harry famously loved his wife's purple eyeliner — but at times, they can overwhelm her natural glow and inviting smile. Meghan isn't alone in this. Even her sister-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has made a few makeup blunders, and many in the same arena. Both have rocked eye liner that ends up looking goth rather than glam. So for all of us who can recount our own makeup mistakes, let's relax in the humanity of the fact that even A-listers and royals can get heavy handed with products.

In August 2018, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went to see a production of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. Meghan looked ravishing in a black, tuxedo mini dress by Judith and Charles, sporting a square clutch. She wore black heels and opted against pantyhose, one of the many ways the Duchess of Sussex broke royal rules over the years. For styling, Meghan pulled her hair back in a loose bun. Everything about the look was great, but her makeup created one problem. The product along her lower lash line smudged considerably, creating a dark shadow under her eyes. Granted, it was an evening event and the newly married couple was enjoying a night out, but Meghan's makeup took on too dark of an effect. 

Makeup is all about creating a face to connect with others, particularly as a working royal. Since she and Harry were still senior royals at this point, the main goal of Meghan's grooming was to look approachable. This means a fresh face and products that accentuate her natural beauty, in which there is an abundance, without distracting from it. With such excessive under-eye makeup at the musical, Meghan's makeup gave her a harsher edge, hiding her bright, warm eyes. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry went to Fiji in October 2018 as part of their royal tour after getting married. The trip marked one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's most special moments as royals. While there, Meghan wore a teal green dress by Jason Wu and styled the look with tonal heels. She polished things off with gold leaf drop earrings that made a statement. While the clothing was great, Meghan made a few mistakes with her makeup that day. Her eyeshadow was very dark on the lid and wasn't blended properly, so the outer corners appeared to jut out. The pigment needed to be smoothed out so that there was a seamless diffusing of the richer color as it faded toward her brow bone. 

Secondly, Meghan wore a bronze-tone blush on her cheeks that was placed far too low. Since she has beautifully shaped cheek bones, any bronzer or blush should be placed higher up on her cheeks and buffed up toward her temples to create a lifted effect. Instead, the bronzer ended very close to her mouth in a heavy application of pigment. It appeared unnatural, since this isn't where the face would naturally pick up color from the sun, nor is where one would naturally blush. The emphasis, with her face shape, should be higher to keep the color closer to her actual cheek bones.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle created a royal uproar when they announced they'd be stepping back as senior royals. Nevertheless, they returned to London in March 2020 for the Endeavour Fund Awards. It was a rainy night, and the two stayed close under an umbrella. Meghan wore a bright blue sheath dress by Victoria Beckham along with Manolo Blahnik heels. The two were all smiles as they took in the London night, and they looked happy with their choice to step away from royal duties.

While it was great to see them so happy, there was an issue with Meghan's makeup that night. It was a matter of excess. She wore a dark, copper tone eyeshadow and used dark product both on her lids and lower lash line. The final effect meant that her eye makeup was very heavy. Next, she wore a rich bronzer across her cheeks along with a highlighter, so there was considerable shine on her cheek bones. Finally, Meghan sported a glossy, merlot lip that also gave off mega shine. One of these elements would have been fine, but instead, every element of her makeup became a focal point. It was too much at once. If Meghan wanted the luminous effect of radiant skin, she would have been better off with a more subtle lip, or vice versa.

As part of their royal tour in the fall of 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went to Tonga, and were warmly received. While visiting Tupou College, Meghan wore a midi length shirt dress by Veronica Beard in sky blue and tied her hair back in a ponytail. She wore pale blue heels and simple, gold jewelry. The overall look was elegant and understated. 

However, there were a few problems with her blush. Meghan's blush was too dark for her skin tone and stood out in stark contrast from the rest of her makeup. Secondly, it seemed that part of the blush around the middle of her cheek got wiped off, because there were two separate patches of blush along the same cheek. Finally, the lower portion of blush ended far too close to her mouth. Such a dark color might work well as a contour shade, but it should only be applied to the areas of the face that are naturally in shadow. Such low placement near her mouth doesn't work as either a blush or a contour. The product needed to be higher on her face to create a sweeping effect along her cheek bones to guide the gaze upward.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got involved with Global Citizen in 2021 as part of an effort to provide equal distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. They even participated in a video for the organization called VAX LIVE to discuss the ways in which the pandemic impacted women and how vaccine equity would help in gender inequality. Meghan was poised and well spoken in the video, as she always is while speaking. So much of her presentation was excellent, so her makeup and styling mistakes were unfortunate.

For one, Meghan's eyeshadow was far too dark in the VAX LIVE video. It was difficult to see her eyes as the shadow and liner — applied heavily to both the lid and the under eye — created a very dark effect. The thick liner under her eyes was particularly unfortunate, because it made her eyes look smaller. It's helpful when viewers can connect with the speaker in a video, and Meghan's makeup made it difficult to affix attention on her message. Also, her hair hung too much in her face, shading her eyes. She would have come across as much more approachable in the clip had she pulled her hair away from her face and worn lighter eye makeup.

Even before Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, she was involved in royal moments. In April 2018, shortly before the two tied the knot, Meghan joined Harry at Westminster Abbey for the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving. The event honors New Zealand and Australia's soldiers who fought in World War I. Since it's a day of gratitude and mourning, Meghan appropriately wore an all black look by Emilia Wickstead as well as a fascinator by Philip Treacy.

The look was fitting for the event, except for one countenance detail. Meghan's under eye makeup smudged below her lash line and created a dark effect under her eyes. Makeup expert Beebs Kelley noted on YouTube that this happened to Meghan because there was likely too much liner applied below and the product sunk down. Since Meghan was about to enter the royal family as a working member, it was crucial that her makeup made her appear approachable. Too much eye makeup, particularly during a daytime event, made her appear unapproachable. Granted, it was likely just an issue of the product dropping down, but the shadowy effect wasn't as inviting as some of her lighter, fresher makeup styles.

In September 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took part in the Global Citizen Live event in New York City. The two joined the festivities on the Great Lawn in Central Park, and spoke to the crowd about vaccine equity around the world. Meghan wore a white mini dress by Valentino along with black heels and a low ponytail. For this occasion, Meghan opted for black eyeliner that she wore all around her lash line. Since her eyes were totally lined, her makeup appeared too dark and severe. Part of the skill of makeup is wearing it strategically for the event at hand. A summer event in Central Park that was all about vaccine equity didn't call for such dramatic, glamorous eye makeup. Plus, she was wearing a short, white summer dress, so the heavy evening makeup didn't work with her clothing choice. 

Not only that but the severe black eyeliner around Meghan's eyes swallowed them up and made her eyes look small and far away. Brighter, lighter makeup would have made them appear larger and would have given the effect of a more inviting look. However, her foundation and lip choice were excellent and looked fresh and natural.

In September 2023, Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry in Dusseldorf, Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games. The two watched the wheelchair basketball finals, cheering on from the sidelines. For the occasion, Meghan wore black skinny jeans by Frame, a black tank top, and black heels. The look was muted and subtle, a clear nod that the focus was on the players. 

While all of this was fine, Meghan's makeup garnered more attention online than she would have liked. Her blush and bronzer was very heavy on her cheeks and looked too caked. Less product would have been better, and what was there needed to be blended in better. Meghan's eyebrows were filled in much too darkly and looked heavy on her face. She also over-lined her lips, making them appear much larger than we're used to seeing on her. 

The overall effect was overwhelming. The duchess looks fresher when she goes for a natural finish. Using less product in general would have been a better move here. To be fair, she was traveling and as many of us know, when we're out of our usual routine and away from our usual stash of products, mistakes are more likely. She might have been rushed or jet lagged and didn't have the normal tools she uses for her healthy, flushed glow.

Meghan Markle had a very relatable makeup mistake in November 2019, back when she was a working royal. The duchess was greeting people outside of Westminster Abbey for the Poppy Factory's Field of Remembrance. She hugged 99-year-old veteran William Allen, who fought in World War II, and as she brushed up against his coat, she left a small foundation smudge. Anyone who loves wearing some coverage knows how common it is to leave a little product transference on someone else's clothes after a hug. It happens to all of us! Adorably, Allen was tickled by the funny makeup moment and told Rebecca English of the Daily Mail, who later tweeted, that Allen would treasure the smudge. "I'm never washing that," he said of his jacket. 

However, since Meghan was in the spotlight, and it was common for her to interact with members of the public, it might have been wise to use a setting spray to prevent future transference. A waterproof makeup setting spray is a great product to use after foundation application to keep the product from smearing on fabric.  

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey in an epic interview that aired on March 8, 2021, the sit down caused such a stir that the Sussex couple became dominating figures in the 2021 news cycle. Meghan wore a black Armani dress that featured lotus flowers on one side of the chest. The frock also doubled as maternity wear, since Meghan was pregnant with her and Harry's second child at the time, daughter Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, who was born on June 4, 2021 in Santa Barbara, California.

Meghan's choice of dress was suitable, but her makeup didn't serve her during the interview. Both Harry and Meghan no doubt wanted to appear vulnerable during the sit-down and connect with viewers. They were sharing about their struggles within the British royal family, and knew they were doing something that would come with serious backlash. So part of the styling for this particular moment should have been all about appearing relatable to the audience. Meghan's eye makeup was heavy and black, and rimmed the entirely of her eyes. It made her eyes appear farther away and smaller, and made it hard to see them. Since eyes are the most critical element in connecting with someone, her heavy eye makeup created an alienating effect. It was too harsh in a moment where she needed to appear more vulnerable.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry returned to England to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. The pair arrived at Westminster Abbey in London both suitably dressed in mourning clothes. Meghan wore a black cape dress by Stella McCartney and a wide-brimmed hat. While the clothing was appropriate, Meghan's makeup wasn't right for the occasion. Her eye makeup was very dark and heavy, including both a smokey eye along her lids, followed by heavy lining and smudging under her eyes.

Some felt that the excessive eye makeup drew attention away from the late queen; no doubt sensitivity was higher since Harry and Meghan's decision to leave as senior working royals was a tremendous upheaval for Buckingham Palace, and people might have felt more touchy about Harry and Meghan's dynamic with the royal family at this point. On YouTube, someone commented on Meghan's makeup. "I was so shocked at the amount of eye makeup she wore at Queen Elizabeth's funeral — WOW," they began. "Such a theatrical dark smoky eye, not at all appropriate for a funeral let alone a funeral for such a beloved FAMILY MEMBER." Some felt it drew the attention to Meghan rather than keeping the focus on mourning the monarch.