Essie 'Ballet Slippers' When Meghan Markle tied the knot with Prince Harry in 2018, she too mixed a number of nail polish shades. The bride wore one layer of Unmasked CND Shellac, with two coats of CND Shellac Negligee on top. For her pedicure, she kept it simple with CND Shellac in Cashmere Wrap.
Essie Nail Lacquer in Limo-Scene
Meghan is much more prone to experiment with nail polish colors in everyday life; she has even taken husband Prince Harry along for her pedicures.
While Middleton has donned red toe polish on several occasions, she's never worn dark colors on her hands, choosing to go with a clear or nude manicure, or in many cases, no polish at all. Most fans seemed to love the change. “My good sis Kate said: ISSA RED NAIL POLISH KINDA DAY and away she went!
He said that more acceptable colours for the nails included 'translucent or dusky pink'. These colours were favoured by the late Queen, as her preferred look was a sheer and neutral tone, with the favourite brand and shade that she regularly donned being revealed as Essie's 'ballet slippers'.
In fact, our monarch is so associated with the seashell pink, Essie Ballet Slippers, that royal folklore once suggested it was protocol to wear nothing stronger than a nude hue.
Meghan wore CND Shellac nail polish on her wedding day
On her fingernails one layer of Unmasked – a pretty nude shade - was painted, with two coats of Negligee – a pale sheer polish - on top.
Dior Vernis '999'
“She was clearly angry […] She wore bright red nail enamel, which we had never seen her do before. She was saying: 'Let's be wicked tonight. '” The red manicure is an enduring classic, a bold symbol of elegance and power.
Princess Kate reportedly loves Essie's Allure Nail Polish, and even wore the shade on her wedding day, according to Town & Country. The neutral hue is perfect for every day wear — and when you're a royal, you need a color that is as elegant as it is understated.
Kate Middleton's Most Notable Nail Moments - Grazia 2023
Many reported that she wore a mix of Essie's Nail polish in Allure and Bourjois' So Laque Nail Enamel in Rose Lounge, a product that has since been discontinued.
"And of course, the Duchess of Sussex is not the first royal to wear dark nail polish. Diana wore it, Catherine's worn it. Royals around the world have worn it. I think the tabloids are just so fixated on picking something out because they know it'll be clicked, and they don't take the time to research."
The nail polish sported by Queen Elizabeth on many grand occasions throughout three decades was Ballet Slippers, a pale pink nail polish that you can get from Essie for only $10.
Aptly named 'Ballet Slippers', this hue was the Queen's go-to colour from 1989 - when Her Majesty's hairdresser penned a letter to brand founder Essie Weingarten to request a bottle of the elegant, best-selling polish. The pretty pink shade is still available to buy on Amazon, currently retailing for just £6.40.
Before becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan told Allure magazine, “I use RevitaLash on my eyelashes, and I swear they are as long as they could ever be.” Beauty experts agree that it is a star product, and thankfully it's readily available to shop online.
The most intriguing element of her look, however, was her contrasting vibrant manicure. We're accustomed to seeing royal women sporting a more natural, nude polish, but Kate subverted tradition (and perhaps even protocol) by opting for a bold, red nail colour for the occasion.
Camel, beige, white. So I wore a lot of muted tones, but it was also so I could just blend in. "I'm not trying to stand out here. There was no version of me joining this family and me not doing everything I could to fit in," the duchess said.
According to multiple outlets, Kate's wedding day look reportedly included Bobbi Brown's lip colour in the shade Sandwash Pink. She allegedly donned the beige-pink lipstick when she married Prince William on April 29, 2011.
Orange Blossom Cologne by Jo Malone: Kate Middleton's perfume. A warm, sweet, floral scent. Kate Middleton chose Orange Blossom by perfumer Jo Malone as her favourite fragrance. The Duchess of Cambridge has worn this orange blossom scent for several years now.
It was revealed that Margaret's manicure of choice came courtesy of classic nail polish brand Peggy Sage – which still sells its popular colours today.
Kate, who also became the Duchess of Cornwall following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, opted for Diana's breathtaking pearl and diamond earrings.
While the signet ring has traditionally been worn by men, the women of the royal family are no strangers to it. Princess Diana and Kate Middleton – they all have been, time and again, spotted wearing their own versions of this ring on their pinky fingers.
Princess Diana did, on occasion, wear a reddish-orange tone, with hints of brown (a good copy would be NARS Audacious Lipstick in Jane) but more often than not, it was a much more natural lip that Diana sported. One colour we know she did wear, on an engagement shoot for Vogue, was Max Factor's Tint of Pink Lipstick.
Bright hues are not banned for the royals, but nude colors are a more practical choice for official engagements. Although Princess Kate has occasionally glammed up her toes with a bright pedicure, her bold manicure moment marked a fashion first in public.
It was the biggest day of her life and Meghan Markle didn't disappoint in the beauty stakes at the royal wedding. The bride looked absolutely incredible with a surprisingly pared-back beauty look. Her makeup, which was apparently applied by Dior's Daniel Martin, was natural, fresh and, naturally, glowing.