Sarah Ferguson's Worst Makeup Mistakes

Sarah Ferguson, who's slowly working her way back into the royal family, has had quite a wild ride as an ex-royal in-law, from her divorce from Prince Andrew to her reported feud with Prince Philip. She's been in the public eye for decades, which isn't always easy, as evidenced by all the awkward moments captured by millions — including that toe-sucking scandal back in the 1990s. 

Also on display for the public's scrutiny is her overall appearance, including any and all makeup mistakes. The redhead is a beauty, but sometimes her cosmetic looks don't land. She's in good company, because the same can be said for Queen Camilla, Meghan Markle, and even Kate Middleton. Fans know Ferguson looks stunning without makeup, as evidenced when she went makeup-free during a trip to Janakpur, Nepal in 2018. However, there have been plenty of cosmetic bumps in the road for Ferguson over the years.

Back in 2005, Sarah Ferguson attended a concert series in New York City rocking a chunky choker necklace and a scrunchy black dress, but it was her mismatched skin tones that caught people's eye. Her face appeared much paler than her body, making it obvious she applied a foundation that was way too light for her complexion.

According to Let's Talk Science, people with naturally red hair have more of the melanin called pheomelanin, instead of the other melanin type, eumelanin. Because of this, redheads appear to have a lighter skin color than non-redheads. With that in mind, Ferguson should have applied a foundation that was much closer to her skin tone. While she is naturally paler than, say, brunettes, it seems like she tried to overcorrect her lighter skin color, which instead made it look way too bright. If her dress wasn't as low-cut as it was — or if she'd worn a turtleneck sweater — the color discrepancy wouldn't have been as obvious.

To celebrate London Pride in June 2024, Sarah Ferguson showed her support as an ally for LGBTQ+ rights by wearing a rainbow headband. "Today we celebrate love, community, equality, and all of the wonderful people that are shaping our nation and our future. Above all, pride teaches us that there is no place for hate," she captioned a video post of her outfit of the day on Instagram.

However, it was the bright purple eyeliner on her under-eyes that stole the show. Presumably, she chose that color from the rainbow for Pride, but it added a little too much va-va-voom to her face for a royal, making it the only thing to notice. The thick black upper eye eyeliner also may have been a tad much, but coupled with the purple, it was definitely overkill. Purple eyeliner seems like a choice a young twenty-something would try during their first time at a club, when they're still figuring out their overall style, not something the Duchess of York applies when she's in her mid-60s.

Way back in 1986, the same year Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew, a portrait was taken of the Duchess of York that made it look like she didn't have a lot of eyebrows. While it could be a trick of the light, photos from that same time also show her brows looking kind of sparse. Interestingly, the style in the 1980s was making everything big — including eyebrows. Stars such as Brooke Shields and Whitney Houston had bushy brows, but Ferguson's looked like they got in a fight with a pair of tweezers and lost.

Now, she has lush, full eyebrows that compliment her face, but her brows had to go through their own form of puberty before truly finding themselves. In 2021, the Daily Mail spoke with cosmetic doctors about Ferguson's youthful appearance. One person theorized that Ferguson may have undergone a Botox brow lift, which smooths out any lines seen between eyebrows.

Normally, Sarah Ferguson's makeup is blended beautifully, but something was up with her look at the Cosmetic Executive Women Achiever Awards in London back in 2004. Maybe she was rushed getting ready for the event, but her under-eye concealer seemed a little over-concealed for her complexion. The white smudges beneath her eyes and at the creases brightly stand out on her otherwise nicely blended face. Either a few more dabs of a beauty blender could have fixed the problem, or the color was too light for her skin tone. 

Maybe the look was fine in person and was only exaggerated by the camera's flash, but it's also possible that's just how she looked for the event. Queen Camilla had something similar happen to her at the Sandringham Flower Show in 2022, so it can happen to anyone. Notice Ferguson's eyebrows weren't as thin here as they were in 1986, but they aren't the full brows she has that we know and love today.

Similar to what happened at the London event in 2004, Sarah Ferguson went heavy on the concealer in 1996 during a book signing for her autobiography, "My Story." But this time, the entire area around both of her eyes was over-concealed, which kind of made it look like she was wearing an eye mask, similar to a raccoon.

The eyeliner, blush, and lipstick all worked for the Duchess of York, but they were sadly overshadowed by the intense concealer, making her face look like it had two different skin tones. Again, just a few more dabs of a beauty blender would have done wonders. What doesn't help is the fact that her eye makeup looks great in the photo of her on her book's cover. Her cheekbones in that picture appear washed out, but that could be a trick of the light.