Vivienne Westwood takes hard line on Kate Middleton

Designer criticises Duchess's eye makeup. Check out our tips and avoid making "Kate's mistake"

Dame Vivienne Westwood has slammed Kate Middleton for looking too ordinary and for wearing too-heavy eye makeup.

The Duchess of Cambridge's fondness for eye liner has been picked on in the past by designing duo Viktor and Rolf and fashion makeup artists.

Kate has a habit of applying very thick black kohl along her bottom lash line, which ages her, gives her a hard edge and looks rather unprofessional.

The 30-year-old has admitted not using the services of a makeup artist, and whilst her DYI makeup jobs are generally good, she does have a heavy hand when she applies eye liner.

To avoid Kate's mishap why not try the following tips.

• Go without! You don't need to wear kohl. Try without for a fresher natural look
• Go lighter! Use a good eye pencil and draw a much thinner and fainter line
• Change colour! Instead of  black, why not try a charcoal or a brown pencil for a natural look? For a fun summery look, try colourful eye pencils, like purple, green or blue. Just remember: less is more
• Smudge it! After drawing the line, smudge it with a thin makeup brush, for a softer, sultrier look.
• Use eyeshadow! Swap your eye pencil for eyeshadow, which you can apply dry or wet, but never too thick! Use a professional makeup brush (a thin, slanted one) for best results.
• Buy a good brand. It's easy to be fooled by cheap prices, but quality's important here, and sometimes investing a little bit more money goes a long way.