Old School Beauty Tips From Princess Diana You Can Still Use Today

Among the contemporary members of the royal family, Princess Diana remains a shining star, even decades after her untimely death. Her legacy is unmatched, from her philanthropic work to her classy quips in interviews. But she's also known as an elegant fashion queen, as Princess Diana regularly walked out in her most iconic royal rule-breaking outfits with her head held high. Although she'd cracked the code for delivering outfits that were full of hidden meaning, she also bewitched the public with her natural beauty and undeniable charm. 

Naturally, this leads many to wonder exactly how the late Princess consistently looked her best, both at fancy galas and dinners, and out on the town in her most casual garb. And when you live a majority of your life before the eyes of millions, you become quite aware of what works and what doesn't. From all her expertise, naturally, her beauty habits have stood the test of time, and are just as practical and effective as they were during Princess Diana's heyday. 

It goes without saying that for makeup to look good on any base, it's essential to take really good care of your skin. This is something that, unsurprisingly, Princess Diana swore by. In an exclusive interview with Stylist, the beloved royal's former makeup artist and close friend, Mary Greenwell, laid it all out in detail. "Diana was very aware of her beauty [regimen], cleansing, toning and moisturizing twice a day," Greenwell recounted to the publication. The seasoned makeup artist added that the late royal was so conscious of skin health that she bet Diana would be a huge proponent of serums and sunscreens were she alive today.

Greenwell then noted that the late Princess was particularly careful to take care of her skin, especially after using makeup. Princess Diana was definitely against sleeping with makeup on (trust us, it's not worth it), and she wasn't a fan of putting on makeup on a dirty, unwashed canvas. It's a practice that all makeup lovers should adopt if they haven't already.

It's not enough to merely have a good skincare routine — the late Princess was also incredibly health-conscious. She was very careful about what she put into her body and largely avoided unhealthy meals. What's more, to keep her skin in tip-top shape, Princess Diana avoided smoking and kept her drinking to a minimum. It was very much a "moderation" mindset when it came to the late royal's lifestyle, as described by Mary Greenwell. 

But the most important detail of all for Princess Diana was getting enough sleep. "Lots of sleep is also essential," Greenwell firmly said to Stylist, "Women today need to take care of themselves the same way. If you smoke, drink, or do anything to excess, you will destroy your most important beauty asset — your skin." It seemed that Princess Diana was not only a role model when it came to her compassion and charitable works, but was also a blueprint for other women to refer to when it came to matters of self-care.

Before Princess Diana became an established taste-maker in the fashion and beauty space, she understandably made some mistakes. But they were still undeniably her. Before meeting Greenwell, the late royal was a huge fan of blue eyeliner. While other royal women were more understated and opted for neutral colors in their makeup palettes, Princess Diana was certainly taking risks, having been snapped in photos wearing bright blue eyeliner to official dinners and other posh events. Considering the former Princess of Wales had blue eyes, you would think that blue liner would be the natural choice. 

Yet Greenwell said that this move was a big makeup misstep for the late Princess. In fact, she declared that all women should avoid matching the color of their liner with that of their eyes. "Blue eyes should never wear blue pencil or shadow — it dulls your eyes!" Greenwell advised. It was clearly good advice, and Princess Diana took it to heart, dumping the blue for black, as well as exploring other colors that might suit her better.

The '80s were rife with voluminous hairstyles that went past the shoulders. But Princess Diana took a look at that and went in a completely different direction. In fact, the beloved royal deferred to the judgment of her hairstylist, Sam McKnight, when it came to what would suit her best. In an exclusive sit-down with British Vogue, McKnight detailed that it happened during a 1990 Vogue shoot. "At the end of the shoot she asked me what I'd do to her hair if I could do anything I wanted," McKnight divulged to the publication, "and I said, 'well, I'd just cut it all off and start again,' ... Which is what we did."

And it was definitely the right choice. The new haircut became synonymous with the late Princess, and she became instantly identifiable, too. Not only did it seem to enhance her beauty, but it also taught women all around the world to be daring. Moreover, just because a certain style is trending doesn't mean it suits everyone, and Princess Diana embodied this to a T.