Kate Middleton, otherwise known as Catherine, Princess of Wales, is widely considered a style icon among the royal family, proving with each passing day that she and Princess Diana are more alike than we realized. Kate Middleton has undergone a stunning transformation over the years as she has grown into her royal title. Despite her royal status, folks would do well to remember that she’s only human. Middleton works hard to maintain her picture-perfect appearance in public, but even the Princess of Wales isn’t immune to making mistakes, and this includes the occasional makeup blunder.

Middleton’s natural beauty shines through even without makeup, so she isn’t someone who spends hours meticulously applying her makeup before leaving Kensington Palace. These days, when the princess does appear in public, her complexion appears fresh, rosy, and subtle. Middleton projects an air of sophistication, especially given her demure presence and understated style. However, even with all the resources afforded to someone in her position, including the many PR professionals and makeup artists, Middleton is guilty of slip-ups and has appeared with unblended eyeshadow, unflattering contour, and way too much eyeliner on several different occasions.

One of the worst makeup blunders you can make is forgoing bronzer and blush. A thick slab of foundation and powder can wash you out, creating a flat, sickly appearance. Bronzer and blush revive your skin, giving it the life and dimension it needs after evening out your complexion. So, when you forget to reintroduce color back to your skin after applying foundation and concealer, it produces an unflattering ghostly pallor, and this is precisely what happened with the Princess of Wales back in 2014 during a visit to the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem, New York. 

Kate Middleton brought smiles to many faces as she helped volunteers wrap gifts for children ahead of Christmas. Her outfit was fit for a princess, but her muted makeup left much to be desired. The flash of the camera did her no favors either and only highlighted her lifeless complexion. A light dusting of bronzer across her cheekbones and temples would have added some much-needed depth here.

In December of 2020, Kate Middleton attended an event in Windsor to thank British charity and NHS workers who volunteered to help out over Christmas during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Princess of Wales thanked volunteers in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle, cameras captured a case of poorly blended eyeshadow over the top of her mask. This unmistakable slip-up was easy to spot due to the festive red shade and dark eye makeup. The fact that her eyes were the only visible feature on her face didn’t help, of course.

Messy eye makeup is an unintended side effect of hasty makeup application and is certainly one way to draw attention to your eyes. We don’t blame Middleton for rushing during the chaotic holiday season, but one of her many employees should have pointed out the over concentrated sparkly cherry-red eyeshadow sitting at the inner corners of her eyes. Middleton would have benefited from a fluffy eyeshadow brush to diffuse the harsh edges and create a more natural look.

Heavy eyeliner is one makeup trend that everyone ditched this past decade, and we’d like to keep it that way. However, Kate Middleton clearly didn’t get the memo and her wedding day makeup proves as much. Middleton married William, Prince of Wales, on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey, and to prepare for the big day, she opted to do her own makeup, rather than rely on a makeup artist. She looked lovely with a rosy blush and matching lippie, but she was a bit heavy-handed with the eyeliner.

By applying a thick layer of liner on her lower lash line, she made her eyes appear smaller. The overall effect was eye makeup ill-suited for a royal wedding, especially when paired with her smokey eyeshadow. Middleton’s penchant for dramatic eyeliner has not gone unnoticed, either. British designer Vivienne Westwood even told The Sunday Times magazine, “I think she’s got a problem with eye makeup. The sharp line around her eyes makes her look hard. Either she should be smudgy or wear none” (via Daily Mail). For her wedding day, she should have swapped her signature double liner with winged or kitten eyeliner, which would have looked much more clean and elegant.

Kate Middleton accompanied the late Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the East Midlands back in 2012. While taking a stroll in Nottingham, onlookers got the chance to witness another of the Princess of Wales’ rare makeup mistakes. Kate Middleton’s harsh contour underneath her cheekbones accentuated her jaw structure, but looked much too striking under the natural lighting. The sharp contour and saturated blush resulted in an incohesive complexion that stood out in an undesirable way. 

The bronzer and blush took over the rest of her look, drawing attention away from her eyes — a nearly impossible feat given her love for thick eye makeup. With so much focus narrowed in on that one region of her face, it’s easy to pinpoint her error. We’re sorry to say that only Grace Jones can pull off this much bronzer. In this case, remember to use proper lighting when adding warmth to your skin and to use a light hand. It’s safer to add more layers, rather than risk dislodging the makeup underneath when you need to remove excess product. 

Kate Middleton is a child of the ’80s and, at times, this comes across in her style and makeup. She shows a clear preference for outdated makeup trends, including heavy eyeliner and Grace Jones-esque contour in particular. Middleton can add another makeup crime to the list with her inexpert smokey eye technique. During a trip to a London primary school as part of a Royal Horticultural Society gardening campaign in 2017, the Princess of Wales donned a practical fall ensemble and tied it together with simple makeup. Her petal-pink blush and lipstick aligned with the garden theme, but she lost us with the smokey eyeshadow and the layer of mauve on top. The purple-gray combination is an outdated color pairing and gives away her age.

Additionally, blending in the different shades might have saved her here, but this is another instance where Middleton’s failure to blend in her eyeshadow spoiled the look. All the makeup girlies know that skipping this step is one of the biggest mistakes to make with smokey eyes, as it creates a sunken-eye effect that detracts from the otherwise dainty makeup theme.