Considered the Crown jewel of the royal family, the Princess of Wales is admired and appreciated for her girl next door beauty and low maintenance makeup routine. Not one for bold cosmetics like heavy rouge, dark lipstick or colorful eyeshadow, she’s inclined to follow her royal predecessors and stick to natural, minimal makeup.

When it comes to nail care, she sometimes works with a pro and almost always keeps her nails trimmed and short. For varnish, she opts for fail-proof chalky and light rose shades. Playing with the ‘lip gloss nails‘ trend, her polish always look supple and shiny. 

Relying on pale pinks, neutral nudes and clear glosses, she regularly wears soft hues on her fingers. 

Here are 4 of Kate Middleton’s Favorite Nail Polishes:

1. Bourjois No 28 So Laque in Rose Lounge

The princess has such a down-to-earth approach to her beauty habits that she even created her wedding day glam look without the help of a professional. Still, even princess’ need a little guidance when it comes to their nails and the royal beauty did have assistance from a nail artist on her big day. 

Though Kate’s wedding day look was ‘less is more,’ she still had to have her fingertips painted and polished for her official nuptials. Nail artist and professional manicurist Marina Sandoval gave an exclusive interview to the Daily Mail regarding the polishes she used for Kate’s wedding manicure.

Detailing the process, the professional makeup artist revealed the nail grooming ritual performed on Kate on April 29th, 2011. The nail beauty regimen included a luxury hand soak with exfoliation, a deep tissue hand massage along with filing, buffing and polishing the princess’ nails. 

For enamel, she applied two different shades of powder pink to Kate’s freshly manicured fingers. First, she used Bourjois So Laque Ultra Shine Nail Enamel in Rose Lounge. The milky high-gloss polish offers a layer of light reflecting luster atop freshly trimmed and smoothed nail beds giving the fingers a mirrored glaze finish. 

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2. Essie 423 Allure

A favorite of brides the world over, this now discontinued shade of barely-there ivory  gives the fingers the look of a french manicure without the white tips. Offering a natural and clean finish with a streak free application, this cloudy cream provides flawless coverage and imparts a sophisticated and understated appeal on freshly groomed fingers. 

Manicurist Sandoval (Queen Camilla’s nail guru) told the Mail that her client wanted something “natural looking and bridal” and thus, she tried to match her skin color with an off-white enamel. The princess was reportedly pleased with her bridal manicure and told the nail expert she was thought her fingers looked “elegant and beautiful.”

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3. Essie Ballet Slippers 

A favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth, this lustrous lacquer is considered the reinvented shade of the formerly sold ‘Allure’ polish. The salon-quality varnish is a soft cotton candy pink color with a slightly opaque finish. Delicate and demure, the classic light rose enamel is touted as “the perfect summer manicure color.”

Known for their chip-proof technology, this vegan polish is popular with celebrities and the brand’s colorful nail polishes have been worn on the red carpet by Lady Gaga, Emily Blunt, Jennifer Lopez and Mandy Moore. 

The late Queen Elizabeth II was so enamored with the neutral pink color that her hairdresser personally sent a letter to the brand’s founder Essie Weingarten; the monarch requested the soft pink polish be delivered directly to Buckingham Palace. 

The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex are believed to have both subscribed to the Queen’s polish program. As Kate rarely deviates from simple and classic pink polish, it’s likely that she has applied L’Oreal owned brand Essie Cosmetics Ballet Slippers frequently on royal duty. 

4. Seche Vite Fast Drying Topcoat

Worn on her wedding day as the finishing touch on top of her freshly manicure bridal nails, Hello! Magazine said Kate’s digits were topped with this award-winning gloss. Favored by the world’s elite nail spas, this high-sheen topcoat promises long lasting shine. 

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Made in the USA, the slick and clear coating gives nails the appearance of gel glazed (or glazed donut) fingers without the need for a UV or LED lamp. 

Applauded for covering imperfections and preventing polish from fading, this clear gloss is celebrated by nail technicians all over the world for its beautiful and brilliant coating and dull-free sheen. In addition, the special polish acts as armor on top of nails with its self-leveling properties and smooth shield over fingernails. The strong enamel also prevents nails from dulling, chipping or staining.


Meghan Markle’s Favorite Nail Polishes

The Duchess of Sussex also loves neutral nails with a glossy finish. For her bridal day nails, the duchess reportedly wore one coat of non-damaging nail color from CND called the Unmasked Shellac. And on top of the the shiny polish, her manicurist used two coats of ivory shaded CND Shellac Negligee. The gleaming gel polish provides a crystal shine along with 14 days of wear and vaguely mimics the look of Princess Diana’s pearlescent or frosted nail manicure. 

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According to Marie Claire, Meghan also previously wore both the cloudy white ‘Marshmallow‘ and chiffon soft pink ‘Limo Scene‘ by Essie for royal engagements.