It’s been almost a year since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry got married, and yet her make-up (and, lets be honest, her dress) continues to be the topic of most conversations we have here on the Stylist beauty desk. 

The Duchess of Sussex kept her wedding make-up beautifully simple, deciding to keep things minimal in order to allow her skin, freckles and natural beauty to shine through.

It’s no secret that make-up artist Daniel Martin was the man behind the look, and he’s famous for making women look and feel like the best version of themselves, which is what everybody wants – especially on their wedding day. 

Although Martin has previously spoken about being privileged enough to do Meghan’s make-up, until now he’s never really opened up about how he created it or the skincare prep that happened before the big day. But, speaking this morning at a Net-a-Porter event, he did exactly that. 

When asked about his basis for creating incredible make-up that looks natural, Martin said he was going to spill some tea. “Meg actually saw [facialist] Sarah Chapman the day before, so she had this incredible facial. A lot of my work is actually dependent on the esthetician, whether that’s backstage at fashion week or in real life, so knowing that she was having this time with Sarah made me think, ‘OK, great – I don’t have to worry about anything.’”

And up until that point, Martin hadn’t actually seen the duchess face-to-face to discuss – or even trial – the look. “I didn’t have time to see her, so knowing she would be in good hands and have her skin taken care of meant my work was pretty much done,” he added.

“But I did have to think about her face in the car, in the church, outside the church and outside again, along with the fact the wedding was being televised and that she’d be photographed,” he said. “So I knew I couldn’t put too much on her skin because in that time you’d see a transition – and you do see it in the photographs – when she’s in the car with her mother it looks darker and heavier, but in the church it’s much brighter.”

That means Martin really had to think about how much – and what – he would put on her skin to make sure she looked perfect in every light, especially around lunchtime when the sun would be bright. “She does have incredible skin though so I knew it would be easy, but thinking about the light, where you’re going and how it’s going to hit your make-up is really important. If you keep your skin looking like skin, people won’t notice it and instead they’ll notice you – and that’s what everybody wants.”

And that’s one of the most important beauty lessons to learn: less is definitely always more when it comes to foundation, and skincare is key. Martin also said that it’s important to keep the base of your skincare the same as your foundation base.

“A lot of people don’t realise that water works well with water, so I like to use water-based moisturisers followed by water-based foundations, especially for long-wear. Because what happens is any kind of oil will interrupt the synergy, meaning make-up kind of just disappears over time. So if I’m getting somebody ready, I will use water-based moisturisers and serums so the compatibility of foundations is locked down.”

While the exact products used on Meghan’s face have never been officially confirmed, it makes sense that Dior’s Backstage Face and Body Foundation, £29.50, could have been used. The water-based formula is super lightweight yet waterproof, and is designed to be able to last through extreme conditions and bright lights. 

Consider us taking every little piece of advice on board. Our make-up is never going to be the same again.

Main image: Getty