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Fun fact: Daniel Martin did not do Meghan Markle’s makeup for season one of With Love, Meghan. Though Martin has been Markle’s trusted makeup artist for years, he took a back seat and instead enjoyed simply being a guest on the Netflix series. But for season two, which premieres today, he’s not only back in front of the camera for another guest appearance but behind the scenes as well, taking the helm of Markle’s beauty look. The theme for her makeup this time around? Less is more.
“I just kept thinking about what my girlfriends would do if they’re hanging out,” Martin tells Vogue. “Her makeup overall is a lot lighter than last season.”
To strike the perfect balance between a casual “just hanging with my girls” vibe and a polished look, he focused on the essentials. Markle, he says, has dry skin, so employing skin care to hydrate and boost radiance was key. He used Tatcha’s new Longevity Serum (she was one of the lucky few to preview the product before its official launch) and Dewy Milk Moisturizer.
Makeup was kept minimal—which tracks from what we know through her curated ShopMy routine. He reached for the Orcé Come Closer Serum Foundation and the Sarah Creal Face Flex Concealer Complexion Enhancer, making sure that her skin looked as natural as possible. A structured and defined eye was thanks to a Make Up for Ever eye palette with tonal browns and subtle shimmer. A lifted (but not overly sculpted) cheek came by way of the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream and Live Tinted’s Blush Crush Liquid Blush. He finished the look with a polished brow, a neutral lip, and strategic powder placement on her T-zone, nose bridge, and forehead. “You have to understand where you want to balance out skin tone,” he says, “where to powder versus not powder. I wanted her skin to look like skin. So it’s about having that healthy radiance but not looking too shiny or [too] matte [and] flat.”
The mood on set was calm. Martin credits Markle for being the emotional center and bringing everyone together for what he says is another fun season. (A soulful playlist of classic yacht rock and ’90s R&B during makeup prep also helped.) “Granted, it’s only one person with a rotating group of guests on her show, but she was the one who kept us all anchored,” he says. “You can feel it and see it in the work.”
And season two is gearing up to be bigger than before with its star-studded lineup. Renowned chef José Andrés, designer and Queer Eye star Tan France, and model Chrissy Teigen are a few of the guests slated to make an appearance over the eight-episode run. In his episode, Martin joins Markle, chef and Momofuku founder David Chang, and chef and Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi for lessons in the kitchen. Martin not only learned how to properly grill (use charcoal over propane, he says) but also walked away with an important life lesson we could all learn from. “We live in a time of urgency,” he says. “Grilling makes you pause.”
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