Meghan Markle’s Makeup Artist Used to Work at a Nordstrom M.A.C. Counter, so That’s the Real Fairy Tale Here

Once upon a time, Meghan Markle was just a successful TV actress on the hit show Suits.

Except, we need a “record scratch” moment here, because the real fairy tale is not about the Duchess of Sussex, but about her makeup artist/bestie, Daniel Martin.

Her longtime pal (he says they’ve been friends for ten years), Martin did Markle’s makeup for the royal wedding in May as well as many of Markle’s official engagements (the two had a secret meeting over avocado toast and tea last month in London). In a recent interview with Fashionista, Martin shared his story and revealed he started at a M.A.C. makeup counter in Nordstrom. Yes, dreams really do come true, folks. 

From there, Martin made his way to the top. He worked backstage at runway shows, got connected with Pat McGrath, networked with high-profile designers and names in the fashion industry, and the rest is history.

But when Markle called him up for the royal wedding gig, it was just another wedding to him. “I already had three other friends get married that same year—to be honest, to me, this was just another wedding. The weekend after her wedding, my best friend got married in Tuscany. So it was just a series of weddings to me at that point,” Martin said.

“But it was exciting to have been asked, because I wasn’t expecting it, and to also be asked to attend was a whole other thing,” Martin continued. “It’s a blur. It definitely brought my visibility up and it’s been really weird, but at the end of the day, we’re still great friends. Her profile’s on a much more global level, but—it’s weird to say—it’s still kind of the same.”

See? Our point exactly. Markle was always the princess in this story. It turns out, though, that her fairy god-stylist is where the real “once upon a time”takes place.