I can't help it. I'm a royal nerd and I like Kate Middleton. She has a great eye for princess-appropriate fashion, knows what's flattering on her and she's just right for the role. There's just one little thing I wish I could fix for her- the harsh eyeliner she uses on her waterline. I think something softer (and even smokier for nights out) would look better. Otherwise, she's a perfect almost-princess.
In honor of Kate Middleton and the upcoming wedding we'll have the little giveaway I promised of a brand new bottle of Butter London No More Waity, Katie limited edition nail polish (you can see swatches here). Because of postal restrictions I have to limit this one to US residents. Yes, it's a drag, I know. In order to participate please leave a comment and tell me how you feel about the royal wedding, Kate and William or a special memory you have from (watching) the Charles & Diana wedding. Or just say who's your favorite royal and why.
The giveaway will be open until Friday, so I can mail it in time for you to get the polish before the royal wedding.
Photos of Kate Middleton: Pacific Coast News via Zimbio.
Butter London No More Waity, Katie nail polish photo by me.
When I was in junior high, I was thoroughly convinced that if Prince William met me just once, he would surely fall in love with my naturally fabulous self and I would become a princess. Ahh, the joys of adolescent dreams! I am also enamored with the royals and am looking forward to the royal wedding and hopefully, some new 'No More Waity Katie' polish to adorn my nails.
ReplyDeleteI love the royals. When you think of them, it's like a fairytale and you smile.
ReplyDeleteDiana...so beautiful...so sad. I watched every minute of that wedding and I miss her still. Kate has some huge shoes to fill but I think she's up to it.
I visited Buckingham Palace (outside) when I was 2. I wish I remembered it.
eeek I can't wait to see what she will wear/makeup, etc. There would be a slew of imitating products, which is also fun to see! I think her eyeliner is great, esp in rainy England weather, which can turn a smudgy look into a mess.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see her dress/makeup/ hair, etc.! I was too young when Diana got married, so this is my first royal wedding :)
ReplyDeleteI remember waking up in the middle of the night with my Mom and sister to watch the wedding of Diana and Charles, it was like a fairytale! I was 8 years old and it was magical. I wish Prince William and Kate all the best and can't wait to see another royal wedding. I too miss Diana still. Thanks for sharing a bit of the magic!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching Charles & Diana's wedding, and I remember thinking that the world was a big place and wonderful things happened in it, and I couldn't wait to see more of it. I also thought that someday, waaaayyyyyy in the future, if they had kids, I would get to see THEM get married on TV too (or stereophonic virtual headset, or whatever they had in the far flung future.) And now I am! So in a way, I'm meeting my younger self's expectations. :-) Sad that my biggest dream now is perhaps some pretty nail polish. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the royals, and I think that Kate Middleton is going to be a fabulous princess! She has a great sense of personal style, and carries herself with an assured elegance that will surely help her through the nightmare that is paprarazzi!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see the wedding dress!!!!
Diana and I were exactly the same age -- both of us having been born in July of 1961. Like her, I have two children. I felt as if we grew up together -- and became disillusioned together. When she died, I cried for days -- for the lose of her, yes, but also for the newly felt vulnerability of me.
ReplyDeleteKate looks like a much more centered individual than Diana was, less moody and more of a sportswoman. She seems lovely. But I'll always miss Diana's huge heart, her never hidden feelings, her sometime petulance and her enormous flair.
I don't think Kate' eyeliner IS on the waterline. She just lines above and below the eye. I like her makeup. Looks like very little!
ReplyDeleteDiana was too young. Kate is what, 9 years older than Diana when she wed Charles. AND - Kate and William have been dating and then living together for years. I think she always looks fantastic!
Let's all hope William doesn't cheat on her.
I loved Princess Di, and I think that Kate is a worthy successor to her memory--she seems like such a class act, and unlike Charles and Diana, Wills and Kate seem to be very much in love. Of course I can't wait for the girly fabulosity of the royal wedding!
ReplyDeleteI SO agree with you, Gaia. I've always wondered why she does that. She is so pretty, but she needs to blend her eyeliner! She would look so nice in green or dark blue, too, as opposed to black.
ReplyDeleteI am kind of excited to see the wedding, despite not being very interested in royalty. I was obsessed with Diana, and I remember vividly waking up with my younger sister at some ungodly hour to watch the wedding. I would love to win that nail polish - I love Butter London!
I love and miss Diana. I admire Her Majesty, and wish she would write and publish her wartime memoirs, but Diana is the Royal who won my heart, especially when so many (too many) of my friends were dying of AIDS.
ReplyDeletePart of me still wants to believe that it wasn't Diana and Dodi....that they used it as a ruse to escape to a private life, but I know that is not how it really went down.
I have grown to admire Prince Charles, especially about agriculture, but.......
Lawrence in Ohio
When Charles and Diana were married, my husband and I hosted a champagne celebration for friends and fellow anglophiles. We have planned the same kind of affair for William and Kate :-)
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about the royal wedding. I want to believe that this marriage is for real and the adorable couple are really in love.
ReplyDeleteI am having a hard time admitting to myself that I'm interested, and that I will no doubt sneak find an excuse to watch the royal wedding when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the cleopatra eyeliner looks harsh and slightly off, but it comforts me that she's retained that bit of her own pre-princess self-presentation, and that it hasn't been ironed out of her by makeup artists and the harsh press.
I remember watching Diana's wedding too, we all sat staring and of course the one thing I thought was, geez that dress is too too much! lol I know everyone waxes poetic about that dress but then and now I think it's ugly. I do have to say though that I think Kate and William look genuinely happy in their photos, unlike Diana and Charles which were more like 2 strangers put together to get married. She may have been enamored of her prince as a fairy tale come true but we know the ending of that story.
ReplyDeleteI am a royal nerd too. I watched Charles and Diana's wedding back in 1981. I've followed the boys since Diana's death. When she died in 1997 we had just returned to the USA after having lived in Europe for 4 years and I would watch coverage about her and the royals on Sky1. My favorite prince is Harry. He seemed mischievous and I have a soft spot for little boys with red hair (having had one myself). William reminds me so much of his Mother when he smiles and Kate is stunning. My teen daughters and I can't wait to watch this wedding!
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize my teen sons google account was open when I published my comment! Hah I'm so sorry! ~Katherine~
ReplyDeleteI really think Kate is a lovely princess-to-be, she seems to be a good fit for William. Her eyeliner could be softer though. I think an eyeliner in grey would enhance and define her blue eyes nicely, without being too harsh.
ReplyDeleteGaia, I'm not interested in the nail polish, but just wanted to comment on my favorite royal, the Queen Mum. She always had a little sparkle of the devil in her eye. I respected her courage for staying in the Palace during WWII, and for the support she showed her husband.
I've always been partial to Princess Anne - she's smart and independent and I'll bet she's a lot of fun
ReplyDeleteThe wedding is scheduled for my day off, so I'm taking that as a sign that I should watch. I'm really curious what she's goimg to choose for her dress!
I am very excited for royal mania about this, wasn't old enough or alive when the princess diana craze happened. This will be marvelous! I just purchased a princess diana biography and love reading up on her spectacular life
ReplyDeleteplease enter me, that polish is gorgeous
I've demonstrated a long history of anglophile royal-itis. During an 8-hour layover at Heathrow, I traveled into London to see Charles & Diana's wedding gifts at St. James Palace. On April 29th, I'll be sharing the day's events with several Brit coworkers. Friends leave for London this week have promised me some sovereign tea towels.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to forgive the lovely Kate for her one makeup faux pas. Thank you for the contest.
I am excited because Kate is my age so I imagine that some of her interests, concerns, etc would be simiular to mine. I am getting married in October, and I feel like I too waited forever to find someone who treated me well. I like the events like this bring people together! My friends are having a viewing party plus I've found I can talk to a complete stranger about it and become friends! Haha I took off from work to be a part of the fun!
ReplyDeleteI booked a trip to London the day after William and Kate announced their wedding date. Three weeks ago I was notified by the airline that due to a change in itinerary my trip was cancelled!! I tried to re-book on another airline but from December 1 when the trip was originally booked the cost increased by over $1000. I love William and Kate and would have loved to been in London to catch a glimpse of them. Thanks, Gaia, for the nail polish giveaway. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteTeri
For those of you who think England is always rainy and wet, you are mistaken. We have some of the most beautiful weather in summer; and the land itself is some of the most beautiful in Europe.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny, you never hear these comments about the rest of northern Europe; which is similar in weather.
And yes; Kate is a lovely girl and fit for a king!
My friend and I are going to have a tea-party, high tea style and all while watching the wedding. We were talking about it, and really, how often is it that you have a royal wedding that you get to witness? Probably once or twice in a lifetime. I'm excited for it and for William and Kate, they've been together for a long time and I'm glad they're together again (did they break up a few years ago?).
ReplyDeleteMakes me feel a little nostalgic.
I am fascinated by royals (it all started with nana's admiration of Princess Grace of Monaco back in the days when she was the gorgeous actress Grace Kelly). I can't wait to indulge in TLC's weeklong coverage of the wedding. My favorite royal is Princess Letizia of Spain - I love her fashion style and often dream of raiding her many closets, especially for the shoes!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the generous giveaway. I'm sure this particular polish has already become a collector's item and I'm looking forward to try it, despite of all that chunky glitter :). Butter London is a fantastic brand, right up there with my beloved Zoya.
I love your great reviews. I especially appreciate your thoughts on perfume since we seem to "share a nose" about 90% of the time :)
I'm really excited about the royal wedding. At the time Charles and Diana got married I was married to an Englishman and we watched it on TV and I was entralled. He told me as a kid on the Queen's inauguration (?) all the school children were given a special piece of china commemorating the event (he was 14 yrs. older than me). I think they make a lovely couple and Katie is perfect for the role of a princess!
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to watch the royal wedding. I remember watching Diana's wedding in the middle of the night here.
ReplyDeleteI had a crush on Prince Charles way back when (WAY back). When I was 13 I played hooky from Vacation Bible School to watch on TV his investiture as Prince of Wales. And years later, I got up at the ungodly hour of 3 AM or so to watch his wedding to Diana.
ReplyDeleteI wish Kate and William a happy life together, and hope they can avoid the difficulties that beset his parents.
If I win, I'll wear that nail polish on the wedding day!
I'm really excited for the wedding for many reasons. Which, I will list:
ReplyDelete1. My first royal wedding :)
2. A fairy-tale story
3. They are young and in love
4. Kate is a commoner
5. Kate is stylish and pretty
6. The wedding happens to fall on my boyfriend's birthday :P
Good luck to all!!
I remember my mom showing me a photos of Princess Di, explaining that she lined the inside of her bottom lid, and telling me that was not hygienic. I wonder how Kate would look with darker lips. If she wants to do her eyes, I would like to see more brown shadow. I've noticed the heavy liner on her before. It only works for far-off photos.
ReplyDeleteNot a HUGE fan of the Royal Family. I do love hearing about their drama but I am a larger fan of this polish!
ReplyDeleteI do love hearing about Prince Harry's drama the most.
I'm excited for the wedding just to see the hats and hair! She always has perfect hair.
ReplyDeleteKate seems so real and down-to-earth. Just what the royals need. Diana would be proud.
ReplyDelete[email protected]
I am always so impressed with Kate - she is so elegant and stylish, something I don't see too often these days since celebrities are always wearing revealing skimpy clothes for sex appeal. Not Kate - she demonstrates how beautiful dressing conservatively can be! I think she and William make a perfect couple - they look so great together :)
ReplyDeleteI'm too young to remember Prince Charles' & Princess Di's wedding, but I was in the Paris tunnel the Friday before Princess Di's fatal car crash. When I heard the news of her death the following Sunday, a chill ran down my spine. It took hours for the news to sink in. I wish the young couple all the best & I hope their marriage is full of love & light & that it lasts a lifetime!
ReplyDeleteI was a little girl when Diana walked up the stairs in her fairy tale gown. I made my aunt, ( the only other person in the house remotely interested in the wedding,) wake me up at 4 am to watch. All I wanted to see was the coach and the dress. Same now, although I heard Kate would prefer not to use the glass coach. :( I wish they would totally Cinderella-out!
ReplyDeleteHave to admit that I am not terribly interested in the upcoming nuptials of William and Kate - I remember my sisters going to all sorts of efforts to stay up/get up to watch Charles and Diana's ceremony. She always struck me as rather pitiful and vapid. Very sad. More power to her sons, for growing up in that limelight and not flaming out. And kudos to William, who seems to have taken a very cautious and well thought path to marriage. I think Zara Phillips/Mike Tindall as a couple appear to be quite fun/feisty, very down to earth. I like the fact that they're getting married at their own expense and in Scotland to boot!
ReplyDeleteAt moments like this it's frustrating to be an American living in the UK. I guess I can't enter.
ReplyDeleteI will, however, say that harsh black eyeliner on the waterline and not much else is VERY common here in England ... in fact, Kate's is one of the softer versions of this look that I've seen. But seriously there are a ton of women here who just wear heavy black eyeliner and mascara and that's it for eyes.
I just loved watching Princess Diana walk down the isle with her big train following. I was pretty small, but it definitely influenced my own wedding gown. :)
ReplyDeletedenise_22315 at yahoo dot com
Um, my favorite royal is prince Harry, because he is so good looking. I'm way to old for him:)
ReplyDeleteI got my first color TV the day before Charles and Diana's wedding. That dress was something else, wasn't it? I remember not liking the sleeve length - loved the coach, though!
ReplyDeleteAlas, it is unlikely I will arise to watch this royal wedding. Way older now and way, WAY tireder! :-D
xo
I also agree that Katie's liner is harsh, though otherwise I think she's charming. Mom and I got up early to watch Charles and Diana's wedding and I may take the day off for William and Kate's, though theirs is not as interesting for some reason. I wish them them best. However it ends, I think she will have a better chance at happiness, both she and William having learned from Diana's life lessons. It always seems as though poor Diana's life was doomed, and therefore I concur with Lawrence's elipses...
ReplyDeletenow I will notice her eyeliner in every picture I see of her from now on
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Not sure what Kate's (or her sister's) obsession is with the eyeliner. The thick, black, Cleopatra-esque thing is way too harsh and makes her eyes look small and lopsided. Such a shame, because she could look so much better! I was bummed when she announced (proudly) that she'd be doing her own makeup for her wedding - I was looking forward to seeing an updated makeup scheme on her face. Well, let's hope she gets some very strong suggestions about some ways to do her eyes better.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think I would get swept up in royal wedding mania, but I'm actually kinda excited about it now. Maybe it's just all the fashion blogs speculating about who designed her dress, but I will let out a probably embarrassing gasp of delight if it is, indeed, McQueen. :)
ReplyDeleteI am staying up on Thursday night (I'm on Pacific Time) to watch this. I really want to see a Royal Wedding since I missed out on the Diana wedding due to my age.
ReplyDeleteHeavy liner seems more popular in England in general, however I agree that she shouldn't line around her entire eye they way that she does. Something a little more blended and softer would be nicer.
ReplyDeleteThank you - I like Kate, too, and think she always looks beautiful, appropriate (both to her new royal position and to her young age), and stylish.
ReplyDeleteHowever, and I don't mean to be critical but I find myself startled by this every time I see a photo of her, the eyeliner looks surprisingly - and glaringly - poorly done and, as if my kid took a Sharpie to the photo.
Ah, if only my own issues were so easily fixable....!