Kate Middleton's Biggest Makeup Mistakes Of All Time

Catherine, Princess of Wales, is usually one of the most put-together women on the planet. She makes things look so good that she's sparked a term — the "Kate effect" — to capture the Princess of Wales's economic influence. However, despite her almost flawless delivery, Catherine has sported some outdated trends here and there. She's also had a few fashion mishaps that caused international talk. 

There's also been a lot of attention paid to Catherine's makeup and beauty choices. Like her fashion, Catherine's hair and makeup styles have the power to sway taste worldwide, and people have been attentive to the changes that Catherine has made to her beauty regimen over the years. Even when she doesn't wear any makeup, Catherine still glows. However, there has been the odd moment here and there where her makeup wasn't flawless. Hey, no one aces a glam every time! But it's tough when you're one of the most photographed women in the world. At least it shows the rest of us that blending mistakes, getting a little heavy-handed with the eyeliner, and all the other makeup flubs we all make happen to royals too. 

Following Catherine, Princess of Wales's wedding, the young royal wore very heavy liner under her eyes. While she always looked pretty, many felt the jet-black liner along her lower lashes was too severe for such a young woman. Even fashion icon Vivienne Westwood spoke about it to the Sunday Times Magazine, saying: "I think she's got a problem with eye make-up. The sharp line around her eyes make her look hard. Either she should [wear it] smudgy or wear none," (via Express). It seems like Catherine took note of this feedback, and has softened her eyeliner considerably.

In late November 2022, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Prince William arrived in Boston for the Earthshot Prize Awards. Catherine looked dazzling for the event, wearing a bright green column gown by Solace London that was rented through the website, Hurr. We loved all of the outfit details, including the fact that Catherine wore Princess Diana's famous choker for the event. The only hiccup was Catherine's eyebrows, which were over-filled and looked heavy. Normally, her eyebrows have a lifted arch to them, but in Boston, they looked waxy and thick, distracting from the otherwise lovely makeup she rocked for the awards. 

For the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023, Catherine, Princess of Wales, went with a more dramatic makeup than we normally see her wearing. For the momentous occasion, the princess wore a rich, dark brown smoky eye and pink lipstick. All of this looked lovely, but the feature that was too heavy was Catherine's cheek contouring. It looked like she went in with a bronzer and added a pop of blush on top. However, the two might have been applied with a heavy hand, or they simply weren't blended enough. Whatever the case, the final result was too harsh of a line along her cheekbone. 

For her Together at Christmas concert in December 2023, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a lovely white pantsuit with a long matching jacket for her arrival at Westminster Abbey. She looked festive and happy, and there was so much to enjoy about how she created her Christmas ensemble. However, we noticed that in the last few years, Catherine has started wearing a heavier eyeshadow that takes on a winged shape at the outer corners of her eyes. While it's certainly dramatic, it can sometimes look too heavy along the brow bone. We wished that she had blended the shadow a little more for this event.

For the Royal Variety Performance in 2023, Catherine, Princess of Wales arrived in a resplendent blue Safiyaa gown. She sported Farrah Fawcett-style bangs and her hair was big, voluminous, and glossy. We loved everything about her look, except the blush; Catherine went a little heavy with the apricot-toned blush on her cheeks. However, the rest was spot-on. Her eye makeup was dramatic without looking heavy, and her lipstick was a lovely warm shade that complimented her blue gown.