All The Need-To-Know Beauty Secrets Behind The Crown’s ’90s To ’00s Era

Given this year's nostalgia for '90s beauty trends, it's of little surprise that The Crown's sixth and final season has so far proven such a talking point in the hair and make-up arena. Elizabeth Debicki's transformation into Diana, Princess of Wales first made headlines when Netflix dropped The Crown's fifth season last year and the dialogue continued this November when Debicki's '90s French manicure (more on that later) and that diving board moment made its debut on screen.

As viewers eagerly await the second half of season six (due for release on 14th December), anticipation builds for breakout star Meg Bellamy's portrayal of Kate Middleton (now the Princess of Wales). We meet Bellamy's The Crown character during her St Andrews days. Legend has it that Prince William first laid eyes on the now Princess of Wales during a university fashion show, when she strode down the runway in - what is now a pretty iconic - sheer, strapless dress. Those who devoured updates on the soon-to-be royal couple in the noughties will know, though, that Kate's everyday university style more often than not exuded 'country casual' rather than 'runway ready', and her beauty choices followed suit - read: loose, un-styled waves, barely-there make-up and rosy cheeks. A princess in the making.

So how to recreate these monumental moments in history for a modern audience? Here Grazia speaks exclusively to The Crown's hair and make-up artists Cate Hall and Emilie Yong, and reveals some of their best kept on-set beauty secrets...

1. The team used five different eyeliners to achieve Diana's iconic kohled look

Yes, according to both Hall and Wong, Diana's iconic eyeliner was a huge focus for the hair and make-up team. 'Can I just say that this is the eyeliner queen, who used no less than about five eyeliners,' says Hall, all but bowing to Wong. And there was an emphasis on shaping too. 'Elizabeth has very feline-shaped eyes,' explains Wong, 'but Diana had beautifully big doe-like eyes, so I concentrated on building depth at the centre of each lash line to round them.' According to Hall, Wong wrote prescriptive eyeliner notes for each character, so that every member of _The Crown'_s extensive hair and make-up team had the full brief. So, which ones made it into the Diana kit?

'We used MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as a base,' says Wong, 'MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork along her lower eyelid, just above the crease.' And the eyeliners? 'MAC Eyeliner in Teddy, NARS Longer Eyeliner in Mambo, MAC Eyeliner in Prunella and MAC Brushstroke Liner in Brushblack were all layered towards the centre of Elizabeth's top and bottom lash line,' says Wong, 'then we applied MAC's Technakohl in Risque (a peach-toned liner) to her inside lower to really open up her eyes.'

2. Kate Middleton's St Andrew's lip look involved two high street lip balms

Kate's St Andrews days involved a pared-back make-up look and the team turned to a couple of high street staples to dab on a hint of gloss, the sort many of us used to carry around in our pockets at school back in the day no less. 'We went for Dr Paw Paw Rich Mocha Balm mixed with Vaseline's Lip Therapy Lip Balm in Rosy Lips,' reveals Hall.

3. The make-up team revived two '90s make-up classics for the sixth season of The Crown

'We went to MAC and to those colours that we used ourselves in the '90s and early '00s,' says Hall, 'and went so far as to use these on the supporting cast too, it felt very authentic, to stick closely to those classic colours that we'd been faithful to in our youth, MAC's Lip Pencil in Spice, for example, featured heavily, as did Rimmel's Heather Shimmer Lipstick.' What a combination.

4. The make-up department turned to a Grazia Beauty Award winning gel nail brand to mimic Diana's iconic frosted manicure

'We went for gels because this was more practical than factoring regular fresh manicures into the filming schedule,' says Hall, 'but no one had gel manicures back then and the finish is quite different to a regular nail polish, so we had to search out a good match.' The team applied a new set of gels to Debicki's nails every week and a half. The brand? none other than Grazia's Nail Innovator of The Year, The GelBottle Inc. 'We used their Nude BIAB Gel in shade Dolly as a base and a mix of shades Daisy and Almond for the tips,' says Hall, 'when it came to a top coat we used a mix of their Matte and Shine ones, so the finish didn't look too shiny or noticeably modern.'

The GelBottle Inc more than made their mark on the UK manicure space this year as the inventors of BIAB, one of the most searched-for nail trends of 2023. Never one to slow down, the brand recently announced nail artist to the stars Harriet Westmoreland as their global ambassador and launched a brand new range of HEMA-Free gel polishes.

HEMA is a chemical present in most gel polish formulas and while not harmful to most, those who have a HEMA allergy have thus far been unable to readily book in for a gel manicure alternative - until now. Bravo to The GelBottle Inc, the brand deemed fit for an on-screen princess.

5. Gillian Anderson used a cult classic perfume to get into character and play Margaret Thatcher in The Crown's fifth season

Who could forget Gillian Anderson's brilliant turn as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown's fifth season last year? According to Hall and Wong, the actor relied on a liberal misting of a cult British scent to get her into character on set. 'She always used Jo Malone London's Wild Bluebell Cologne,' says Hall, 'it's got a very distinctive floral scent, so that always springs to mind.'

6. Imelda Staunton’s lipstick was specially created for her role as Queen Elizabeth II

The Crown’s makeup designer Cate Hall was behind the application of Imelda Staunton's velvety red lip, and, as it turns out, it was a shade specifically created for role. Enter Lisa Eldridge's Velvet Duchess, a lipstick designed to resemble the exact tone and texture of the red lipstick historically favoured by royalty.

'The journey to this moment began when Cate contacted me to discuss and test some of my lipstick shades for this series,' revealed Eldridge. 'Velvet Duchess wasn’t out yet, but I had a small batch I had mixed in the lab... and I had a feeling it could be a winner. Cut to now and I’m thrilled the makeup team confirmed that Duchess was the chosen shade!'