Four ways the Duchess of Cambridge dialled up the glamour at the Bond premiere
On Tuesday night at the Royal Albert Hall premiere of the latest Bond film, No Time To Die, the stars dazzled on the red carpet. No-one more so, however, than the Duchess of Cambridge. Wearing a glittering golden cape-dress by British designer Jenny Packham and sparkly gold earrings, Kate came out in style for her first appearance on the red carpet since before the pandemic.
While her dress was incredibly beautiful, it was in the finishing touches that really meant the glamour factor was dialled up to the maximum. An intricate hairstyle that shows off a detailed neckline, and striking make-up that looks great under bright camera lights can be the difference between a good red carpet look and a jaw-droppingly beautiful one. Here are four ways that the Duchess has used beauty to best effect.
A voluminous up-do
After a year and a half of ultra low maintenance hairdos, it's a breath of fresh air to see properly 'done' hairstyles on the red carpet. Although Kate's hair is always polished and blow-dried to perfection, she often wears it down in soft waves. However at the Bond premiere, Kate changed things up with voluminous roots and a twisted chignon, with simple tendrils falling by either side of the face. It's a winning up-do for the red carpet and allows the embellishment on the shoulders of the dress to really shine.
Soft, smokey eyes
There's no other way to quickly and effectively add interest around the eye area than with a smokey eye. A trick of the trade for make-up artists, a smokey eye such as Kate's is often created by smudging a dark brown or black shadow into the lash line and buffing it out into the crease. Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadow palettes are excellent for this effect. To add more depth to the eye area, Kate has her signature black eyeliner applied close to the lash line, finished with lashings of mascara - the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eyes Mascara is a good option.
Over the years the Duchess has slowly softened her eye make-up style. Softer, more blended shades as seen at the Bond premiere are much more flattering and eye-opening. To frame a smokey eye well, the brows should be brushed up and subtly filled in. Kate got the memo.
Bronzed, glowy skin
The instant trick to looking radiant on a red carpet is with glowing skin, and the Duchess of Cambridge did not disappoint. It looks as if she has used very subtle - and very well done - self tan. Bronzer can also work a treat, too, if used in conjunction with a highlighter to bring light to the high points of the face - such as the tops of the cheekbones and bridge of the nose. With such a focus on the eye make-up, Kate has opted for a soft pink flush on the cheeks and a matching tone on the lips. It's the age old make-up trick of focusing on one feature, while muting the rest, which is the winning formula for grown up, chic-looking evening make-up.
The 'nothing' manicure
Quite apart from the fact that we will never see the Duchess of Cambridge in a loud nail colour or fancy nail art, her 'nothing' manicure at the Bond premiere couldn't be more of-the-moment. Following lockdown, there has been a huge resurgence in short, clean manicures, either left completely polish-less, or with a micro French white tip. Kate's nails look buffed clean and neat, the perfect accompaniment to the full-on glamour of her dress and make-up. In one of her most show-stopping red carpet appearances ever, Kate has well and truly nailed it.
