In fairy tales, princesses sling their hair from towers and lose glass slippers. But in real life, royalty is held to a much higher standard, expected to maintain a proper (read: "perfect") public appearance at all times. This detail was not lost on Princess Diana of Wales, who, in 1997, was the most photographed woman in the world.
With yesterday marking 20 years since her tragic death, everyone is remembering her life and legacy — from her groundbreaking humanitarian work and motherly love all the way down to that itty bitty streak of blue eyeliner she always used to wear on her lower lashline.
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"[Princess Diana] realized her best features were her eyes," her makeup artist Mary Greenwell once said, which is why she was often spotted with thick stroke of liner that matched her baby blues. In a new interview with Yahoo Beauty, Greenwell elaborated: "She loved makeup. It wasn’t to the point of going from green eyeshadow to blue eyeshadow, but just experimenting with ways to bring her eyes out more. It was just much more about really getting her to look absolutely beautiful all the time."
Eventually, though, Greenwell encouraged Princess Diana to retire her blue eyeliner, simply because they agreed that "beiges and browns are just so much prettier [on her]," she told the publication. "I think dramatic change is not really something for somebody who’s in the White House or in office or in a royal family, as it’s just not really appropriate. She felt no need to be showy, so she kept her makeup subtle and appropriate for the occasion."
For us, it's nice to know that, while carefully crafted, Princess Diana never let her appearance become more important than her bottom line: changing the world. Think of all the good that would come if male politicians today did the same.
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