Ever since Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, countless changes have befallen her life. Aside from the whole becoming royalty thing, the sartorial swaps alone were enough to make us do a double-take. It's no surprise that in addition to the lengthening of her hemlines, Markle's beauty wardrobe has gotten a touch of royal refinement, too. Messy ponytails? Never. Dark nail polish? Not without outrage!
Now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced their plans to "step back as 'senior' members of the Royal Family" and end their full-time residence in the UK, it seems only natural that many of the stringent royal rules they've been adhering to will fall by the wayside. As you can imagine, the rumor mill is already swirling about the pair's next professional move, where they'll take up residence (signs are pointing to Canada), and what all of this will mean for the rest of the British royal family. But, being the beauty fanatics we are, we can't stop thinking about all the beauty looks Markle will be free to experiment with now that she won't be taking on as many official royal duties.
Without the watchful eye of the often harsh (and arguably biased) British tabloids breathing down her neck, we think this time might mark a decidedly more adventurous beauty period for the American-born duchess. (At least we hope so!) Ahead, check out the 10 most exciting beauty trends Meghan Markle can wear freely now that we'd be so excited to see.
Hair
We've not seen Markle rock her natural hair texture during her tenure as an actress, nor as a duchess, but now that she's unbeholden to such strict rules surrounding her hair, we'd love to see her embrace her natural tresses. More texture is one of the biggest trends hairstylists are predicting in 2020, and Markle seems like the perfect candidate to give it a go.
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We've seen a some discreetly placed braided hair accents on other royals, like Markle's sister-in-law Kate Middleton, so plaits obviously aren't a hard no over at Buckingham Palace. A full head of braids is something we haven't seen, though. We'd love to see Markle in chic cornrows, like the ones modeled beautifully here by actress Laura Harrier.
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Markle's signature barrel-curled locks are absolutely beautiful, but can you imagine how amazing a piecey, textured bob would look on her? Historically, her royal hair repertoire has tended toward more smooth and tidy looks, so we'd love to see her flip the script and show us something a little edgier.
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Makeup
Although Queen Elizabeth II is notably a fan of pastels, we can only imagine that she'd be less than pleased with a pop of bold color on the eyelids of anyone in her family. But the blue eye shadow trend is coming in hot, and Markle's lids have remained muted for long enough.
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If Markle and Middleton's go-to makeup looks are any indication, it seems that royal protocols encourage soft, mostly matte glam. There's nothing wrong with that, but here's hoping Markle fully leans into more dewy glow now that her makeup (or lack of!) may not require approval.
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Markle's trusted makeup artist Daniel Martin once shared that the duchess isn't really into red lipstick due to how "fussy" it is, but now that her social calendar might not include as many scenarios where she might get caught chatting up international dignitaries with lipstick on her teeth, maybe she'll have a change of heart. This deep berry color would look insanely gorgeous on her.
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So this one might be a bit of a stretch, and we're not too proud to admit that. But it has to be said that Markle would be the most badass duchess on the planet if she donned some graphic, colorful eyeliner. It might be a little editorial for her new, low-key Canadian lifestyle, but we'd sure love to see it.
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Nails
Barely there nail colors appear to be the name of the royal nail game, and while that's all well and good, this delicate nail art seems like it would be right up Markle's alley.
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These muted neutral nails are likely basic enough for royal life individually, but worn together they're probably a little too much for the crown. Now that Markle won't be a senior member of the royal clan any longer, maybe she'll choose to play dress-up with her nails, too.
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Short, well-groomed, squoval nails are the norm for Markle since stepping into the family. (Even though she did throw us for a dark polish loop every once in a while.) But now that she won't have to attend as many royal engagements where every cell of her body will be scrutinized, it's a great time to try her hand at a reasonably long and soft almond-shaped manicure. The look is still totally elegant, but just slightly more fun.
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Up next: These 37 Beauty Must-Haves Are Seriously on Sale RN at Net-a-Porter
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
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