Carole Middleton’s go-to trick for eye-enhancing makeup you can do in minutes

When it comes to beauty and style hacks, we're so used to getting inspiration from Kate Middleton that it's easy to forget where the Princess of Wales likely learnt a lot of her tips from - her mom.

Whether it's her take on understated party glam or argument for bringing back the skinny jeans (again), Carole brings a refined glamour and effortless touch of poise to her looks.

And this is also the case with her go-to makeup, favoring a fresh-faced look with statement eyes that help showcase how the best eyeliners can add dimension and impact to even the most subtle of makeup looks.

What Carole does that really stands out is wearing her eyeliner in the waterline - something often overlooked that could make a real impact.

Her choice of wearing eyeliner in the waterline hasn't gone unnoticed by woman&home’s Beauty Ecommerce Editor, Aleesha Badkar, who believes it gives Carole’s eyes “impact” and enhances her eye shape.

“Wearing eyeliner in her waterline adds impact to Carole’s makeup look,” Aleesha explained. “It helps to enhance the shape of her eyes and wearing eyeliner in this way is especially helpful in giving a more flattering almond-shaped appearance to the eye.”

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Aleesha also believes recreating Carole's makeup trick will help with the appearance of fuller-looking lashes. This is something that certainly shines through when Carole is pictured wearing eyeliner at special events, including at her regular Wimbledon appearances.

In 2022, she went for a bolder eye look in general and the blended waterline eyeliner helped to create this. To do this, Carole kept her base makeup and lip color even more neutral to balance it.

Carole has also shown that she’s not one to limit wearing black eyeliner in her waterline only for certain events or times of year. She’s been seen with a slightly softer eyeliner look at Ascot in 2022 and then during the winter in 2021 when she attended the Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas carol concert with beautifully outlined eyes. On all of these occasions Carole’s eyeliner drew our gaze to her eyes and gave them fabulous definition.

This makeup preference is also something that’s very popular with the royals as Queen Letizia of Spain’s eyeliner is regularly applied to her waterline too. Speaking previously with womanandhome.com about Her Majesty’s looks, Sarah Amelia Fogg, Celebrity Makeup Artist and Founder of Brows by Sarah explained that eyeliner on the waterline “softens” the lash line.

“When applied correctly, eyeliner on your waterline enhances the eyes and adds depth making your lashes look and appear fuller. It also softens the lash line which avoids your best mascara looking too harsh compared to the rest of your makeup,” she said. "To replicate the look, I would recommend opting for a high-quality waterproof eyeliner pencil in a shade that compliments your eye color and makeup style.”

Although Carole and Queen Letizia both tend to wear black eyeliner, you could also try a light brown pencil if you want to add definition in a more understated way. Whichever color you choose, applying eyeliner to your waterline could be a simple habit to adopt that will enhance your eyes and can be worn all year round.

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is Digital Beauty Editor at woman&home, where she gets to share her expertise into all the best techniques, sharpest tools and newest products - with a particular savvy in skincare and fragrance. With years of beauty product testing experience, she always knows what to recommend.