13 Products Under $20 Meghan Markle Doesn’t Leave Home Without
Updated: Aug. 03, 2021This royal lady no doubt packs these items everywhere she goes.
Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Soap
Meghan Markle may be married to a prince but her style is decidedly down-to-earth, including her favorite beauty items. “I am so much more low-key in real life,” she told Allure. To start her day, she loves to wake up with the scent of this environmentally-friendly, organic yet affordable shower wash. “I use Dr. Bronner’s body wash in lavender,” Meghan told Beauty Banter. “I love the smell and it lasts for such a long time. The almond scent is quite nice too if you prefer something warm and sweet. I alternate between the two.” Find out more surprisingly frugal habits of the royal family.
Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Body Lotion
After her shower, the Duchess of Sussex lathers on this inexpensive lotion to help keep her skin looking radiant throughout the day. “I use this religiously—it’s honestly my favorite lotion on the market, it’s so affordable, and makes my skin look and feel amazing,” Meghan told Beauty Banter. “I would buy a case of this at a time if I could find it.” Queen Elizabeth has surprisingly thrifty taste in beauty products as well: The Queen only wears one nail polish, and it’s $9 a bottle.
Beautyblender makeup sponge
When putting on her makeup, Meghan isn’t one for heavy foundation because she always wants to let her natural beauty show. “I’m as minimal and relaxed as it comes,” Meghan told Birchbox. But when she’s in front of cameras and needs just a little to even out her skin tone, she uses a damp sponge to make her foundation sheerer. “Only apply foundation to the spots you need it and spread it with a beautyblender,” she told Birchbox. “I never want to cover my freckles, so we just do a ‘wash’ of foundation in certain sections instead of over the entire face.” Although the price point might seem expensive for a sponge, it’s washable and can be reused for months. Read about why airbrushing her freckles is the pet peeve Meghan Markle has about her portraits.
Aquaphor
Meghan’s skin always had a healthy shine even before she was pregnant. Highlighters, makeup that attracts light, can help get that appearance—but Meghan’s longtime friend and wedding day makeup artist Daniel Martin says he used a more natural, and cheaper, way to get the same look. With her love of a simple and easy beauty routine, Meghan certainly approved. “A lot of my highlighting is done with skin-care,” Martin told E! News. “Before highlighters, you would do highlighting with Aquaphor, which will give you that same texture [when applied] on the high points of the face.” Just a couple of dabs of this skin ointment on the cheeks brightens her whole face. Find out what else you missed about Meghan Markle’s wedding look.
Tatcha Skin Mist
Meghan’s overall makeup rule: To allow her true appearance to shine through. “That was really important to Meghan—to always feel and look authentic and natural,” her former makeup artist Lydia Sellers told People. So, she chooses products that will illuminate her skin. “She loves Tatcha—they have a great, dewy skin mist that you spray on after makeup application to give a really unique, fresh glow,” Sellers says. Her makeup may be subtle, but here’s how Meghan just broke royal fashion rules in a big way.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara in Very Black
Meghan is known for her amazingly long lashes, and she has two tricks for getting them. “I would never be able to live without my eyelash curler,” she told Birchbox in a video. “If your lashes are like that [mimics open eyes] you suddenly look a bit more alive.” Secondly, she uses this inexpensive mascara to make her lashes look even fuller, as Sellers told Hello! magazine. “Meghan actually introduced me to a drugstore mascara, Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara,” she says. “This mascara really helps to amplify your lashes and polish off the entire look. It’s great for full volume and lengthening, the formula is super hydrating.”
MAC Eye Kohl eyeliner in Teddy
Although Meghan usually goes for a natural look on her skin and lips, she has been known to rock a smoky eye. Luckily, her favorite eyeliner is totally affordable. “If I’m going to amp it up for night, then I use MAC Teddy eyeliner, which is a really beautiful brown that has some gold in it,” she told Allure. Find out the one color you’ll probably never see Meghan Markle wearing.
Wella Oil Reflections
Meghan’s hair routine is just as simple as her makeup one: She often throws it up a low (and low-maintenance) bun so when she takes it out, she has loose, natural waves. But Meghan does indulge in one pre-styling product that makes her hair smooth—plus, its stress-relieving smell takes her back to relaxing on the beach. “Wella has a hair oil that I am obsessed with,” she told Beauty Banter. “It smells like vacation and makes your hair slippery and touchable. I love this stuff! It also doubles as a pretty amazing body oil post-bath.”
Boar bristle toothbrush
No, Meghan doesn’t actually brush her teeth with it—this is one of her practical beauty hacks. “For my flyaways, I spray hairspray on a small boar bristle toothbrush—a regular toothbrush also works great!—to lightly brush them down or smooth the hairline,” she told Birchbox. “This is especially good for a sleek bun.” Another of her easy tricks for great hair? For extra bounce, “there is nothing like a hair flip!” she says. Her new haircut was one of the signs you probably missed that Meghan was pregnant.
Derma E Hydrating Mist
According to Birchbox, this was one of the products Meghan fell in love with while curating her own box of beauty items for the site. Just as she likes to keep her body hydrated, which is especially important in pregnancy—”Drink lots of water, as we all know,” she told Beauty Banter—she keeps her skin hydrated throughout the day with this portable pump mist. Find out the workout that keeps Meghan Markle looking like royalty.
ChapStick
You can’t get more laid-back than this drugstore mainstay when talking about your beauty routine! Although Meghan says she “doesn’t go totally bare,” when not in front of cameras, “I will only wear tinted moisturizer, mascara, blusher, and a ChapStick for my lips,” she told Express. “My routine is very simple—I call it the five-minute face,” she told Allure, reiterating ChapStick, mascara, and blush. “That is my favorite kind of look.” Read about all the times Meghan Markle channeled Princess Diana.
Tea tree oil
Meghan takes this great-for-everything essential oil everywhere she goes—but because it’s not recommended for use in early pregnancy, she likely had to put it on hold until she enters her second trimester. (If you’re pregnant, ask your doctor before using essential oils.) “The one thing that I cannot live without when I’m traveling is a small container of tea tree oil,” she told Allure. “If you get a cut, a mosquito bite, a small breakout, no matter what it is, it’s my little cure-all. It’s inexpensive, it’s small enough to carry on, and I bring it with me all the time.” Find out the royal pregnancy rules Meghan Markle will have to follow.
Bioré Daily Deep Pore Cleansing Cloths
We all have those nights when we don’t feel like washing our face before bed, and Meghan is no different—especially after a busy day of royal engagements. She told Beauty Banter she stocks up on these wipes, which are also handy as on-the-go refreshers. “Bioré cleansing cloths are great to keep in the car, and on your nightstand when you have those horribly lazy nights that the thought of getting up to actually wash your face seems unbearable,” she says. Here are more British royal family travel secrets you never knew.
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