In her time in the spotlight, Catherine, Princess of Wales has gone through plenty of highs and lows, from the birth of her three children to telling the world she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy to treat cancer. Through it all, she’s basically looked flawless (though no one’s perfect, even Kate has had some makeup fails). But we’ve noticed that there seems to have been a subtle but distinct change in her look in recent years. Notably, Kate has been leaning into more of a no-makeup makeup look.

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When Kate first became famous, she never seemed to say no to some dark eyeliner on both the top and bottom of her eyes; apparently her go-to choice is Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner. But in recent appearances, she’s pulled back on the eyeliner. Instead of black, she seems to be going for a lighter brown and applied it with a softer hand. Overall, it gives her a more natural and younger look.

Kate had been slammed for her eyeliner use in the past. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood once criticized Kate’s look, saying: “The sharp line around her eyes make her look hard. Either she should [wear it] smudgy or wear none,” according to British Vogue. Perhaps she finally took the note?

Along with taking a lighter hand with her eyeliner, Catherine, Princess of Wales seems to be taking it easier when it comes to her mascara. Of course, it depends on the occasion; Kate does have more high end events to go to than most of us do, which can often mean full glam, but she appears to have eased up on this particular product, especially when it comes to her daytime appearances. It seems most noticeable on her lower lashes; Kate’s still putting mascara on, but it looks more like it was just one swipe instead of multiple. This, combined with softer eyeliner, helps keep her eyes looking bright and more awake.

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She uses neutral eyeshadows in shades of brown and mauve, going a bit darker and more dramatic for red carpet events. Kate seems to have fully moved away from the blue eyeshadow that she was seen wearing on occasion earlier in her time as a royal.

Catherine, Princess of Wales went to university in the early 2000s. This was the height of the thin eyebrows trend, and Kate was in on the style. She’s gone for a fuller look since then, but she had a few missteps along the way where she swung too far into heavy, too-dark brows. Natalie Plain, founder of the Billion Dollar Brows cosmetics brand, had some harsh words for some of Kate’s eyebrow look in 2016. “She’s used way too much brow make-up without blending. She has such fine delicate features and her brows should complement those — not be distracting,” Plain explained, via the Daily Mail. At recent appearances, however, Kate’s been able to find the happy medium where her brows are clearly defined and full but not overly filled-in. 

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Kate also embraced the early 2000s look of plenty of bronzer, and she even used to go for spray tans. But lately, she’s gone for a lighter, more natural look. Skipping the bronzer entirely, she’s bringing a touch of color to her complexion with a soft blush on her cheeks. We love seeing how Kate’s look has transformed over the years, and while we like seeing her all glammed up at fancy events, we’re hoping that she sticks with this lighter, more natural look when it comes to her makeup. It really suits her!