Meghan Markle’s Makeup Artist Details “Switch Up” He Used for Her Surprise Appearance at Paris Fashion Week

Though Prince Harry didn’t appear to accompany wife Meghan Markle to Paris, she had longtime friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin by her side—who, after the trip ended, graciously broke down exactly what products he used to give the Duchess of Sussex a look fit for Paris Fashion Week.

Speaking to Hello!, Martin said he was “overwhelmed” by the praise heaped on the look he gave Meghan for her appearance at the Balenciaga show on October 4. “It was interesting, because I hadn’t had a reaction like that since her wedding,” he said. (He was on hand in May 2018 for Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding, and has worked with the As Ever founder numerous times since.)

Martin called his visit to Paris “truly an inspiring trip,” and broke down his process with Meghan—which involved skin prep with Tatcha. (It’s worth noting that Martin is Tatcha’s global director of artistry and education.)

“The switch up was I actually mixed the Tatcha Longevity Serum in with the foundation, and I think that added another layer of radiance to her makeup that just made her look even more juicy and glowy,” he said. “I use foundation a lot with my hands, so when I apply it, I’m applying it like a massage, like I do with my skincare. I’ll go in with a brush to add more coverage, and then I use a sponge to blend it out, but I never apply foundation with a sponge, and I never apply foundation directly to the brush to the face.”

Regarding powder, Martin added, Meghan “has powder only in the T-zone of her face,” he continued. “There’s no loose powder all over. I just wanted to knock out the shine that happens in the middle of her forehead and around her nose. And the powder I used was a Paris-Berlin press powder.”

The makeup pro used the Tom Ford contour cream for Meghan’s cheeks and used it “like a bronzer,” he said. “And on top of it was the Tatcha Serum Stick, so it gave that added radiance to that.”

“We just wanted to keep everything light, fresh, radiant,” Martin said. “Just flew in and your skin gets dehydrated from the plane, so I just wanted to bring some hydration back into her skin and just bring some life to it.”

He presented Meghan with a selection of Tom Ford lip colors, and she chose Iconic Nude, Martin said, describing it as a “beautiful, mauve-y pink.” He used browns for her eyeshadow, MAC mascara, and focused on “beautiful, structured brows” and “keeping everything fresh and polished.”

For her day in Paris on Saturday, Meghan wore head-to-toe Balenciaga—both a white look worn to the show and a black look worn later. The Duchess of Sussex attended the show in support of friend and designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who was named the new creative director of the house in May. “This marks her first time back to the shows in over a decade,” a spokesperson for Meghan said—but this also marks her first Paris Fashion Week appearance.

Meghan “has worn a number of designs” by Piccioli over the years, and “They have worked closely together collaborating on design for key moments on the world stage. She has long admired his craftsmanship and modern elegance, and tonight was no different.”

Prior to his appointment at Balenciaga, Piccioli was creative director at Valentino from 2008 to 2024.