Her glossy cover-girl makeover
The person who perhaps had the most influence on Diana’s look was Mary Greenwell, still very much a part of the modern make-up scene.
Now an ambassador for, among others, Chanel, she remains one of the icons of the make-up world.
‘Diana had the most amazing, beautiful skin and long limbs,’ she remembers today. ‘She was simply gorgeous. Men adored her. She was sexy without meaning to be.’
Mary first met Diana in 1991, when she was asked by Anna harvey — then head stylist at Vogue — to do her make-up for a shoot with Patrick Demarchelier, one of the magazine’s most celebrated photographers, for the December issue.
hairdresser Sam McKnight was also part of the team. This was at the height of Diana and Charles’s marriage woes and the beginning of the skirmish for public support. ‘They didn’t tell us who it was, although we knew it was someone very famous,’ says Greenwell. ‘When we arrived, Diana was just standing there looking gorgeous, sweet and friendly, and so excited to be on the cover of Vogue.’
The resulting cover (right) — Diana in a simple black sweater, chin resting on her hands, her blue eyes bright, elegant French polish on her nails, hair cropped short — was a game-changer. It radiated positivity, individuality and flair.
It was, above all, modern — encapsulating the neat, paredback aesthetic of the early Nineties and placing Diana in stark contrast to the Royal Family, which was about to embark on what the Queen would later call her ‘annus horribilis’.
‘Diana was very relaxed about her make- up. She really just wanted to look fresh and new,’ says Greenwell.
Over time she taught Diana to do her own make-up — moisturiser, foundation, concealer to lift the eyes, mascara — and emphasised a healthy skincare regime, encouraging her to take good care of herself and adopt a ‘ beauty from within’ mantra.
Diana ‘did everything in moderation’, says Greenwell. She got plenty of sleep and cut back on alcohol, essential for fresh-looking skin.
The Princess favoured Guerlain foundation, Clarins lipsticks and Wild Rose blusher by Clinique. But the biggest favour Mary did for Diana was to wean her off blue eyeliner. ‘It was just so very ageing for her,’ she says.
Instead, she used a combination of soft browns and neutral tones, with a brown pencil along the lash line, blended so that all the edges were beautifully softened.
Often she just used a tinted moisturiser and a little bit of bronzer to emphasise Diana’s healthy glow.
‘Diana used to ring me and ask me to go over to discuss products with her, which I loved to do,’ Greenwell tells me. ‘I think she found it relaxing; her chance to have a few moments to herself.’
Luxury brand Clarins was a favourite. Diana was said to have used their Sensitive Skin day and night creams and their Alpine herbs cleanser and toner. She also had regular facials at the Central London salon of beauty therapist Janet Filderman.
Diana had famously lovely skin, but sometimes suffered from rosacea, a mild cheek rash that is often stress-related. To calm it, she used a combination of natural soothing oils, including rose-hip.
‘The thing about Diana,’ says Greenwell, ‘is that she had the most wonderful bone structure.’
The only part of her appearance she was not wholly confident about was her nose. As Anna harvey recalls: ‘ Once, when the papers were saying she’d had her nose done, she turned to me and said laughingly: “honestly, if I’d had my nose done, do you think I would have chosen this one?” ’