Scroll down to the bottom of Meghan Markle’s Instagram to a time before her life became a hyper-curated feed of glossy sunsets and candid photos with Justin Trudeau, and you realise that becoming royalty does not necessarily change a person.
Not if you are Meghan Markle, Hollywood star, humanitarian, UN Women’s Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership, former lifestyle editor and first-ever HRH The Duchess of Sussex.
The photos may be less polished, the life more diverse, but what remains constant is her glowingly healthy outlook on life. It’s the same radiant skin, the supple body, the slim frame that smiles out to you from 2012 that was on display at Windsor Castle today.
Becoming Duchess of Sussex has changed a lot in Meghan’s life (the fact that she can no longer sign a second name being just one of them) but her love for fresh, clean eating, constant need to keep moving and impeccable skincare routine are part of what’s always been her.
And love her or hate her, one thing you can’t ignore is that Rachel Meghan Markle, newly consecrated royal, is one super-fit, super-healthy, super-glowy woman who’s beauty book is something we can all take a leaf from.
So, ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you Meghan Markle’s health and beauty secrets. They may not have you bag a prince, but they will definitely make you princess-worthy.
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: Talking of avocados…
Having grown up with fig and Meyer lemon trees in her backyard, it’s not surprising the former Suits star eschews processed, packaged food in favor of fresh produce: think açaí bowls, freshly baked bread smeared with briny French butter, sautéed broccoli rabe, grilled fish tacos, sushi and blueberry johnnycakes. One of her favorite food memories is hand diving for sea urchins in Jamaica and eating them fresh from the ocean!
And while being a self professed lover of French fries, she knows the power of balance: good proteins and lots of vegetables but also room for a treat. As she told Delish, “Because I work out the way I do, I don’t ever want to feel deprived. I feel the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. It’s not a diet; it’s lifestyle eating.”
She swears by Prescription for Nutritional Healing and tries to eat vegan on weekdays. Her “filming diet” (and now, I assume, her wedding diet) starts with hot water and lemon first thing in the morning, followed by steel cut oats with bananas and agave syrup for breakfast.
Lunch is a protein-based salad, while apples with almond butter and sea salt make up the usual afternoon snack. Dinner is typically soup, or pasta with her “filthy, sexy” sauce made by slow cooking courgettes with water and bouillon.
And once a week, she whips up a mean dish of roasted cauliflower with chickpeas and hot curry powder. Perfect for salads, side dishes or snacking!
What will you always find in her larder? Maldon sea salt, Meyer lemons, fresh olive oil, and Terroni marinated chillies.
And in her refrigerator? Hummus, carrots and chia seed pudding.
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: The green juice
Meghan does love her cuppa but swears by green juice as a better pick-me-up for that late afternoon slump (and a whole load of nutritionists agree). Her go-to-smoothies come in the following combinations:
- Apple + kale + spinach + lemon + ginger
- Frozen mango + a squeeze of lime + pinch of turmeric + coconut water
- 1 packet of shake powder + ½ cup frozen blueberries + 1 tsp of cinnamon + some chia seeds + ½ cup almond milk + ½ cup of coconut water
Take your pick!
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: And loads of water
Meghan’s drink of choice remains pure H20. As she told Shape.com: “People always say it but it’s so true – hydrate. Hydrate all the time. Your skin will look better, everything will look really good.”
And she calls it a “constant battle”: the “seemingly impossible” task of ploughing through two litres of water a day.
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: The wine effect
But this Duchess-in-waiting does love her vino. Which, we all know, is a tipple that’s super-packed with health and beauty benefits. A fan of rosé and reds (think Californian Cabarnets and Argentinian Malbecs), a special corner of her heart is reserved for the Italian Tignanello (her now shuttered website – The Tig – was actually named after it). Hope Harry is stocking up!
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: Alternate healing
And she loves holistic medicine. There’s a “healing cabinet” of sorts that travels with her everywhere, stocked with The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Oil, Yoga Balm, and the Honest Company’s Organic Healing Balm. She also takes at least four supplements a day – including magnesium, B12 drops, multivitamins, Cortisol Manager and, occasionally, ashwagandha. And once a week she will sit in an infrared sauna to sweat out all the toxins.
Meghan is also a longtime believer in acupuncture and cupping. She once told The Chalkboard Mag: “I used to have debilitating migraines (hospitalized for them), and acupuncture and Eastern medicine absolute changed my life.”
But what’s even more important for Markle is her bit of downtime, as she explained to Women’s Health: “I always takes an hour to just decompress, watch mindless TV, snuggle with my dogs and enjoy a glass of wine.” Hope that doesn’t get difficult once the royal duties kick in?
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: Sweat it out
Standing tall at 5’7″ and wearing a size six (size 10 in UK), Markle keeps in shape with a mix of running, Tracy Anderson’s exercise DVDs, Pilates and yoga (especially of the hot kind). All things she’d rather do at home or outdoors. Self motivation is her mantra.
As she once told Women’s Health: “My health, my state of mind, the feeling you have after a workout; all of this things drive me to step onto my mat or go to the gym. Sometimes the idea of working out sounds absolutely dreadful, but I always remind myself of how good it will feel afterward. Euphoric, almost!”
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: The makeup
Call it the Crown Effect: Much like sis-in-law Kate Middleton, who went from party girl to English Rose, Meghan’s makeup has undergone subtle transformations since she’s met Harry. Gone now are the edgy contour and highlight, heavily pencilled brows, smoky eyes and false lashes. The overall effect is much softer and more natural.
But unlike Kate, who’s the epitome of the English country aristocrat look, Megan is more California cool, with a love for minimalist, neutral basics.
When away from the red carpet, she has become famous for her “five minute face”: a bit of concealer, YSL’s Touche Éclat to cover dark circles, flushed cheeks (NARS Orgasm), soft highlighter, curled lashes, mascara (Diorshow Iconic), a dab of shimmer in the corner of the eyes and Chap Stick.
For the night (or engagement photo calls), she amps it up with MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer, Chanel Sublimage Le Teint Ultimate Radiance-Generating Crème Foundation, Make Up For Ever HD Powder and the Beauty Edit Mayfair’s Brow Filler.
Foundation only goes on where needed, rather than being full coverage. She wears her smattering of freckles with pride and has been known to get upset when publications airbrush them away!
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: And the skincare
Of course, a minimal face means gorgeous skin and Meghan – as we have seen – is ferociously diligent about her complexion. “To feel confident in my skin requires a bit of maintenance, from drinking lots of water, to always applying sunblock, and getting a facial as often as possible,” is what she told The Daily Mail.
Skincare for her started at a young age, thanks to mom Doria Ragland, who insisted that Meghan started having professional facials at 13 – a habit she continues till now.
A particular favorite is celebrity facialist Nichola Joss in London, who’s 60-minute Bespoke Sculpting Inner Facial involves literally massaging the face from inside your mouth. This sculpts the jawline and cheekbones by stimulating muscle tone. Sounds painful, though it clearly works!
Sarah Chapman, who’s fortuitously located close to Kensington Palace, Meghan’s new digs, is fast becoming another go-to. The celebrity facialist, loved by the likes of Gigi Hadid and Victoria Beckham, is known for her bespoke facials.
At home, Meghan stocks up on Bioré Daily Deep Pore Cleansing Cloths for taking off makeup, Dr. Bronner’s Body Wash in Lavender, Nivea Q10 Firming Body Lotion, Tatcha Radiant Deep Brightening Serum, Crème De La Mer The Eye Balm Intense, and Revitalash (have you seen those eye lashes?).
Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets: Crowning glory
Lesser mortals would have wilted in the face of Kate’s iconic glossiness. But not Meghan, who’s ditched her highlights for a more classic brunette. And with hair that seems much longer and fuller, hair watchers believe she may have had extensions added to her natural mane.
Whether that’s true or not, there are two hair tricks she advocates all the time that I am totally on board with!
The second comes from an Allure interview: To battle frizz and flyaways, Markle advocates using hairspray on a small toothbrush to gently smooth down any hairs that look out of place. We’re totally trying these one!
Which of Meghan Markle’s beauty secrets are you copping onto?
flagle says
Meghan is so beaufiful and charming. I will try following her tips.