The secrets behind Meghan Markle’s ‘glowing’ skin

The Duchess of Sussex was inundated with compliments yesterday as she served lunch to homeless women in Melbourne on the first day of her Australian tour with Prince Harry.

Meghan was praised by one resident for her ‘glowing’ complexion and told she looks ‘like a model’, as she began the four-day quasi-royal trip by visiting a shelter run by McAuley Community Services for Women.

The woman, who was called Leah, continued: ‘You don’t have wrinkles.’

Meghan replied: ‘That’s so generous, you are so nice!’

But what are the secrets behind the Duchess’s youthful glow? Thankfully, the former actress, 44, has previously revealed some of her top skincare tips.

They include bizarre massages inside the face, an £83 Japanese longevity serum, infrared saunas and ‘trying to eat as clean as possible’.

She’s also relied on makeup tricks including contouring and using blushes such as the £35.50 Orgasm blush by NARS to add a radiant flush to her cheeks.

The mother-of-two also once enlisted the help of Nichola Joss, the London-based facialist who counts Kate Moss and Jennifer Lopez among her roster of A-list clients.

Nichola is famed for her bizarre ‘inner facial’, which costs £250 and involves her massaging the inside of her clients’ mouths. 

Speaking to Birchbox, Meghan revealed: ‘I do facial exercises taught to me by one of my favorite aestheticians, Nicola Joss, who basically has you sculpt your face from the inside out. I swear it works, as silly as you may feel. 

‘On the days I do it, my cheekbones and jawline are way more sculpted. There’s a reason she is in high demand around awards season when every actress wants to look A-plus.’

During her facials, as well as massaging the outside of your face, Joss dons surgical gloves and massages the face from inside your mouth, too. 

Meghan previously said: ‘Nichola massages your face from the inside out (yes, really), sculpting your cheekbones and reshaping your face with targeted movements to lift and brighten.’

As well as this peculiar treatment, the Duchess once credited her mother, Doria, a yoga teacher and social worker, for her complexion. It was Doria who insisted Meghan started having professional facials at 13 – a habit she is thought to have kept.

Remembering her first forays into the beautician’s, Meghan shared on her old Instagram account: ‘It seemed so silly at the time. We would drive home with my mom saying: “You must always take care of your skin.”‘

Despite her scepticism, the Duchess soon felt her mother was right, and is thought to be diligent about looking after her complexion. 

‘To feel confident in my skin requires a bit of maintenance, from drinking lots of water, to always applying sunblock, and getting a facial as often as possible,’ she said.

Elsewhere, Meghan praised Nivea’s Skin Firming Hydration Body Lotion (£13 for 500ml). ‘It’s honestly my favourite lotion… [it] makes my skin look and feel amazing,’ she once said.

Meanwhile, in 2015, she said that every week she sits in an infrared sauna – which uses heaters to emit infrared light – to ‘sweat out all the toxins’.

The Duchess also sees her diet as a weapon in her war against ageing. ‘As I’m getting older, my approach to ageing is quite different,’ she previously said.

She added: ‘I take care of my skin and body. And I don’t just take care of myself for aesthetic reasons, but because how I feel is dictated by what I’m eating, how much rest I’m getting and how much water I’m drinking.

‘I definitely try to eat as clean as possible. Mostly fish and veggies, but I am also a foodie, so on the weekend all bets are off.’

As well as a detailed skincare routine and a healthy diet, Meghan also relies on makeup to help boost her youthful complexion.

She described how she uses cosmetics to enhance her bone structure, saying: ‘I always put concealer down the bridge of my nose, a highlighter on my cheekbones, and a dab of shimmer in the corner of my eye. 

‘These contouring tricks really help to angle your face.’ 

In October 2025, the Duchess’s makeup artist, Daniel Martin, further revealed the secrets behind Meghan’s ‘radiant’ look.

For her appearance at the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week, the Montecito-based royal asked for the help of Daniel, her longtime friend and makeup artist who completed her 2018 wedding day look to Prince Harry, to master her complexion for the event.

The artist, who appeared in the Duchess’s Netflix series, used an unusual technique of combining Meghan’s foundation with a £83 longevity serum from luxury Japanese skincare brand Tatcha to create a refreshed look.

He took to Instagram to break down his technique, but first thanked his followers for their kind words. ‘I want to come on and say thank you so much for all the love and support, it’s been so overwhelming to be honest.’

Martin, Tatcha’s global director of artistry and education, continued, ‘I did my usual skin prep with her, which was a lot of Tatcha, and I’m not saying that because I’m with the brand, but it’s a skincare ritual that has been in my kit, and I [have] used on all my clients for years.

‘The switch up was that I actually mixed the Tatcha Longevity serum in with the foundation, and I think that added another layer of radiance to her makeup, which made her look even more juicy and glowy.

‘I use foundation a lot with my hands, so when I apply it, I’m applying it like a massage… I’ll go in with a brush to add more coverage, and then I’ll use a sponge to blend it out.’

He continued: ‘Regarding powder, she has powder only in the T-zone of her face. 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 the Paris Berlin press powder.

‘They’re a makeup brand local to Paris, you can only get it in Paris, I believe, and every time I’m in Paris, I always go there to shop. It’s like a theatrical industry makeup store, which is awesome.

‘Her cheek is the Tom Ford contour cream. I only use the contour; I kind of use it like a bronzer, 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, and radiant. She 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.

‘Her lipstick, I had several Tom Ford lipstick options, and the one that she chose was iconic nude, which is like this beautiful mauve-y pink, and we use Makeup Forever lip liner, and that was pretty much it.

‘Her eyeshadow was just browns, I did a halo effect, [and] mascara. I introduced her to this Mac mascara, which she loves. It’s all about beautiful, structured brows, keeping everything fresh and polished.

‘When you come from fashion like I do, it’s not about the makeup, it’s about just looking beautiful, radiant, polished.’

He concluded: ‘I would love to get her in a lip one day, Meghan if you’re watching this, let’s do a lip, I’d love to see you in a lip.’

The creative added in the post’s caption: ‘Wow – what an overwhelming reaction you all have had to this look of Meghan’s last Saturday night for the Balenciaga show!

‘It’s been a whirlwind but I wanted to just quickly give a few insights behind the skincare/makeup approach we took. Hope this helps for anyone who wants to recreate at home! Sending love.’

Prince Harry and Meghan are currently embarking on a four-day tour Down Under that some have suggested is a ‘money-making’ exercise in ‘self promotion’.

The Sussexes said they were delighted to be in the country after landing in Melbourne yesterday on a business class flight from Los Angeles without their children Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, six. 

After a visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Meghan carried out a solo engagement at the McAuley Community Services for Women, a women’s homeless and family violence shelter, where she donned a striped apron as she was photographed serving food to residents. 

Meghan wore a $1,250 navy dress from Australian designer Karen Gee, which she paired with Dior’s $1,000 ‘Dioressence’ pointed-toe pumps that she first debuted in 2023.

Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, the Duchess sported yellow gold Puffy Heart earrings by Australian Real Fine Studio, costing $1,118, a Tiffany gold bracelet, and Princess Diana’s gold Cartier Tank Française watch. 

It’s understood that Meghan handpicked the McAuley facility for the visit.

‘It’s very lovely to have attention on the whole issue of homelessness and family violence and she will bring that attention to this facility, so that’s good,’ McAuley CEO Jocelyn Bignold told reporters.

‘The women are excited to see and meet her. They’re also a little bit nervous.’

She added that some residents were aware of Meghan’s lifestyle show As Ever and looked forward to cooking with her in the centre’s kitchen.