"As much as I love a celebrity’s style, emulating it with their exact pieces isn’t exactly in my price range. Like I absolutely adore you Zendaya, but I’d have to acquire quite a bit of cash to afford anything in your closet. Finding similar pieces is fun, but there’s nothing quite like trying something knowing your favorite celebrities love it too. Luckily for us, beauty is a much less expensive way to do that.
Celebrities—they’re just like us! And by that, I mean they also love beauty products that are easy to apply, look good in real life, and don’t make us break out. While they’re a little more likely to dish out the funds on a new $150 foundation (you know the one), they also love those same cult-favorites all of us buy time and time again at Sephora. So, I put this theory to the test: what products do celebs keep in their bags, and what can I just envision being in there? The first celebrity I took a swing at this theory with was none other than Everygirl herself, Meghan Markle. (OK, Meghan doesn’t read The Everygirl that I know of, but she is 100 percent an Everygirl in my eyes.) Her makeup style is light and natural, perfect for anyone who’s busy and loves their skin to shine through their makeup looks. However, Meghan knows how to pump it up for special events, donning smokey eyes that make her brown eyes pop.
So in a mix of research, watching about 12 videos with her makeup artist, as well as fun products I just can picture sitting in her makeup bag right now, here it is: Meghan Markle’s makeup bag, slightly influenced by me. Her MUA, Daniel Martin works with Dior as well as Honest Beauty, so we expect to see lots of those two brands in Meghan’s own beauty stash.
Meet the foundation Meghan wore on her wedding day. Normally you think full-coverage and heavy for a wedding day, but Meghan went very natural on the coverage. Her makeup artist even said that he didn’t cover her entire face with foundation that day. He added it to her T-zone and anywhere she needed to even out, but otherwise, kept the skin very light and natural. This foundation can be built up, so for days when you do want a medium coverage, this one gives it. Meghan loves to have her freckles showing, so I predict she loves to wear this quite sheer on most days.
I’ve also seen her makeup artist use Dior’s Forever Skin Glow foundation, which I think Meghan would wear for nighttime and flash photography. It’s a glowy medium-coverage foundation that looks flawless without being heavy or cakey.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel turned Meghan onto these Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balms. They’re sheer and hydrating, but they add the slightest hint of color to finish off your look. I know Meghan loves the Fresh lip balms, but I could also see her using these when she wants a bit of a shinier look, as the Fresh balms are quite matte.
Although I’m sure Meghan’s makeup artists use loose powders when she’s on set, I can see her gravitating toward a lighter pressed powder that sets and blurs during the day. This one from Pat McGrath (who Daniel was an apprentice under before being Meghan’s MUA!) is meant for under the eyes, but you can still use it in the T-zone to keep oils at bay and blur pores. I see Meghan using this just over her concealer and lightly dusting it all over the face.
First of all, I think you’ll probably find this in any celeb’s makeup bag. It’s like, the Creme De La Mer of blush. “Orgasm” is the perfect blush shade to wear every day, and Meghan Markle said in an interview with Allure that she wears it both on and off camera.
Meghan is known for her neutral eye looks that still turn heads, and the easiest way to create those looks when her MUA isn’t around is a shadow quad. Charlotte Tilbury’s quads are beyond easy to use, and the shadows aren’t too pigmented that they’re difficult to blend.
How does her makeup artist define her eyes while still looking natural? It’s all the work of some brown eyeliner. It’s not as much contrast as a jet black liner, but it still adds the dimension to her eyes. Not to mention, browns look amazing on her dark brown eyes. This one from Dior has a smudge brush at the end to smudge out your liner for a smokey look.
Meghan’s makeup artist loves creating a dewy look on her, but he does it without shimmery, metallic powders. Instead, he uses a sheer, translucent cream right on the high points of her face that looks just like a sweat or a natural glow on the skin. This one from Danessa Myricks (who is basically the queen of all things dewy!) comes in tons of colors, so Meghan might have one for day and one for night.
Meghan’s makeup artist (and basically every makeup artist ever) swears by skin prep to make your makeup look dewy, natural, and perfected. So, she probably likes to use a serum and moisturizer before applying any foundation. This one just came out a few months ago, but it’s right up Meghan’s alley. It adds a gorgeous glow to the skin while being a tacky base to keep makeup on all day long. So, she’s covered from yoga to a coffee run to lunch with Archie to date night with Harry!
Meghan’s former makeup artist has said that she loves drugstore mascaras, including this one from Maybelline. Meghan’s lashes are long and thick, while still looking polished and soft with the rest of her eye makeup. Even on her wedding day, Daniel Martin used natural false eyelashes to keep the look just like how Meghan would look on a daily basis. This one comes in waterproof and washable—I’m taking bets Meghan is a waterproof gal, but maybe that’s just me.
Meghan has said in interviews with Allure and The Lady Loves Couture her affinity for the YSL Touche Eclat concealer pen. And anyone who’s used that knows it’s basically an essential for on-the-go concealing. However, as a new mom and ex-Royal, Meghan likely wants something with a little more coverage. This one from Marc Jacobs also comes in a compact component that’s easy to take on the go. It’s a cream formula, meaning it won’t be messy. Meghan likely takes a little bit from the concealer on her fingers and pats it under her eyes and any blemishes (does Meghan Markle have blemishes? I doubt it).
(I also love this concealer, so for the rare reason that you’re here for my recommendation, this one is so good.)
Although Pillow Talk is Charlotte’s most popular color (and quite possibly the most popular lipstick in the world), Meghan has said she swears by “Very Victoria.” She swears by it, calling it her favorite lip color in multiple interviews. It’s a light taupe-y brown in Charlotte’s iconic Matte Revolution formula that looks smooth and stays for hours.
Meghan’s cheekbones are always ever-so-slightly contoured, and the easiest way to do so are these Match Stix by Fenty. They are a little drier than their cream counterpart that came out this summer, but if you put them on a hydrated base (which Meghan is, of course, doing), they blend right in. They’re easy to apply in a pinch, and the shade range is impeccable (but what else would you expect from Fenty at this point?).
