The 2026 Met Gala Proved That Beauty Is Art—Every Glamorous Look We're Swooning Over

There are many glittering red carpet events in a calendar year, but none captures our hearts quite like the Met Gala. On this first Monday of May, celebrities, designers, socialites, and more will descend upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City dressed in fashion’s finest while (mostly) adhering to the event’s theme: Costume Art, in correspondence with the museum’s spring exhibition. The 2026 dress code is simply Fashion Is Art, according to a press release from the Met, and a flood of stars is slowly ascending those revered stairs decked in referential ensembles and custom couture. But we beauty editors are locked in on the makeup, hair, and nail moments that make Met Gala looks stand the test of time.

While the event is primarily a showcase of the greatest modern (and archival) feats in fashion, there is no denying the power a great beauty look has to pull everything together. Sculptural silhouettes and lush fabrics can take a look to the sky, but it’s the painstakingly styled hair moments, dazzling storms of eye shadow, and vivid clouds of blush that land the plane.

Follow along as we detail the beauty looks that turned these stylish celebrities into living, breathing works of art (and keep up with our live reactions to the red carpet as the night goes on). Our Super Bowl is finally here.

The Best Beauty Looks at the 2026 Met Gala

Late but extremely worth the wait, Rihanna floated onto the mossy Met Gala carpet adorned in a silver, gold, and bronze gem-encrusted gown with matching makeup and hair. The devil was in the details: Golden spirals adorned her slicked curls, and gems decorated her eyes and mimicked falling tears. The multi-hyphenate also made a case for frosted lips; her Cupid's bow glistening champagne-gold.

Beauty products used: Fenty Beauty Trace'd Out Lip Liner in Rose Amber ($22), Fenty Beauty Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter ($40), Fenty Beauty Shake N' Play Liquid Blush ($28)

It's official: We're crowning Anok Yai the winner of the best Met Gala beauty competition. From her bronze statue-inspired hair and skin to her visceral dripping tears, the look is teeming with references. This one will go in the makeup history books.

Beyoncé looks every bit a sun goddess in her bejeweled headpiece, flowing curls, and skeleton-inspired gown (and every bit the proud mother at Blue Ivy's first Met). To allow her couture to steal the show, she kept her makeup simple and beautiful—but that by no means means boring. Her cool-pink blush, placed on the apples of her cheeks, adds a youthful glow while her eyes and lips are frosted with glittery shadows and glosses.

Beauty products used: Cécred Volumizing Mousse ($32), Cécred Strong Hold Gel ($32), Cécred Flexible Hold Hairspray ($38)

Is Doechii capable of anything less than iconic? Based on her Met Gala appearance tonight, the answer is no. The rapper paired her layered look with a stunning array of plum and shimmery mint green eye shadows to pull in her ornate jewelry and let her curls fall softly from her headpiece.

Beauty products used: Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek Color Stick ($24), Milk Makeup Highlighter Stick ($24), Milk Makeup Odyssey Lip Oil Gloss ($26)

We didn't expect to see Hudson Williams on our list of the best beauty looks, but we learned a firm lesson to never underestimate the breakout star. His softly tousled hair contrasts the striking blue and red slashes of eye shadow adorning his eyes, which he confirmed was inspired by Black Swan. Bravo, Hudson!

Beauty products used: Chanel Les 9 Ombres Eyeshadow Palette in The Space Traveler ($160), Dyson Supersonic Nural Hair Dryer ($349, was $450), Redken Max Sculpting Gel ($28)

Leave it to Sabrina Carpenter to steal the show in both the fashion and beauty categories. While her gown—a custom Dior dress made of film—was undoubtedly the star of the show, her dripping-diamonds headpiece, chic roller curls, and signature soft glam made us ooh and ahh.

Beauty products used: Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment ($36), Redken Spray Wax Invisible Texture Mist ($29), Redken Control Hairspray ($29)

Ayo Edebiri's angelic Chanel look was enough to capture our attention, but her shimmering glam (body glitter and all!) made us stay. The actress and comedian let her hair fall loosely out of its braided style to offset her frosty, ethereal glam, fashioned by celebrity makeup artist Dee Carrion using Chanel Beauty.

Beauty products used: Chanel Les 9 Ombres Eyeshadow Palette in The New Singular ($160), Chanel Les Beiges Highlighting Fluid ($56), Chanel Baume Essentiel Glow Stick ($49)

The picture of painterly grace, Euphoria star Hunter Schafer stole our breath with this watercolor-finish, vintage-inspired look. Her skin was kept simple and velvety to showcase the cloud of peachy-pink blush that stretches from her lips to her under-eyes and the hazy wash of denim blue on her eyelids. To finish the look, Schafer popped on a medium pink lipstick, skipped mascara, and blew her hair dry into bouncy, romantic waves.

Beauty products used: Prada Beauty Touch Blush ($42), Prada Beauty Dimensions Eyeshadow in Pure ($85), Prada Beauty Monochrome Hyper Matte in Tamaris ($50), K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil ($65), Ghd Speed Hair Dryer ($429)

Kylie Jenner confirmed it: Bleached brows are spring's coolest beauty trend yet. The multi-hyphenate's look, crafted by celebrity makeup artist Ariel Tejada, is kept relatively simple to show off her custom Schiaparelli gown, ornate jewels, and dyed brows. However, her Old Hollywood kiss curl–adorned hair makes a definite statement.

Beauty products used: Kylie Cosmetics Precision Pout Lip Liner in Cool Nude ($19), Kylie Cosmetics Plumping Powder Matte Lip in Nude Mood ($22), Kenra Perfect Medium Hold Hairspray ($21)

Joey King is the definition of cherubic thanks to her Pre-Raphaelite makeup and cascading red curls. The actress wears glowy pink blush high atop her cheeks to enhance the look's angelic innocence, and her lips are etched in a similar pink lip liner for a soft, natural pout.

Beauty products used: Neutrogena Evenly Clear Clarifying Hypochlorous Acid Spray ($15, was $17), Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer ($30)

We're transfixed by Ejae's crystalline look. The KPop Demon Hunters star slicked her hair into an ornate updo with delicate, crystal-embellished adornments draping over her asymmetrical knotted buns. To pull it all together, celebrity makeup artist Min Kim deepened the singer and actress's eyes with cool-toned, smoky brown shadow.

Beauty products used: Diorshow 5 Couleurs Eye Makeup Palette in Grand Bal ($72), SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic ($185), SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore ($155)

Angela Bassett turned heads at the 2026 Met Gala in a hot pink gown dripping in florals, but her beauty look is what truly captured our attention. The legendary actress kept blush at the focal point and adorned her under-eyes in Twiggy-esque individual lashes. If you look closely, you can spot the scattered gems on her skin—one by her brow, another below the outer corner of her eye, and the other acting as a beauty mark above her lip.

Lisa's spellbinding Robert Wun look was completed with a gorgeous cool-toned eye shadow look, a smattering of crystals surrounding her eyes, and a wet-looking storm of kiss curls (and what our senior fashion editor Anna LaPlaca called "cool Princess Leia buns"). The singer and actress found ways to incorporate her jewels down to her fingertips—complete with crushed sequins on her hands and icy gems on her nails.

Beauty product used: Kiss Glam Embellished Press-On Nails in Day n' Night ($13)

FX Love Story alum Dree Hemingway gave new meaning to the word "ethereal." The actress looks straight out of a Renaissance painting with her halo-glow skin, blurred lips, and softly contoured skin.

If there's one person we can depend on to serve up an on-theme, striking look, it's Gwendoline Christie. The high-glam actress paired her oxblood Giles Deacon gown with inky red lips, wavy platinum tresses (a nod to paintings by John Dinger Sargent), and completely bare eyes. (Even her lashes and brows have been bleached!)

Beauty products used: Virtue Un-Frizz Cream ($22), Virtue Flourish Thickening Styling Treatment ($46), Virtue Healing Oil ($46)

In case you've been missing FX's Love Story on your screens, our on-screen Carolyn Bessette Kennedy (ahem, Sarah Pidgeon) stunned in a bronzy, natural spring look by celebrity makeup artist Emily Cheng using Chanel Beauty. To complement her glowing look, celebrity stylist Christian Wood styled Pidgeon's gradient blonde tresses in loose waves that delicately frame her face.

Beauty products used: Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream ($195), Kenra Shine Spray ($21), Chanel Rouge Coco Satin Lipstick ($53), Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Eyeliner ($36)

Doja Cat never shies away from a look, and this year's Met Gala ensemble might be her most glamorous yet. The star embraces a monochromatic look from head to toe—her mocha bronde strands blending effortlessly into her soft matte complexion, dramatic eyeliner moment, and nude lips before trailing into a latex-looking draped gown.

Beauty products used: RED by KISS 0.3 Inch Pencil Flat Iron ($25, was $28), MAC Cosmetics Brushstroke 24-Hour Liquid Eyeliner Pen in Brushblack ($25), MAC Lip Pencil in Cork ($18, was $25)

Zoë Kravitz is channeling Wuthering Heights romanticism with her windswept hair and stunning half-up, half-down 'do by lauded celebrity hairstylist Nikki Nelms. To complement her breezy hairstyle and swept-up braids, the actress wore her eyebrows fluffy. In a painterly finish, Kravitz's cheeks and lips are flushed with terra-cotta pink, and her eyes are defined with a thin black line that wraps around her inner corner.

Beauty products used: Ghd Speed Hair Dryer ($429), SK-II Skinpower Re-New Airy Cream ($255), SK-II GenOptics Infinitaura Brightening Serum ($169), SK-II Aging Skin Facial Treatment Essence ($99)

Charli XCX took her signature barely there smoky eye and amped it up with a swipe of plum eyeliner in her lower waterline. Her nude lip completes her diffused, cool-toned glam with cool-girl flair, and she finished the look with a voluminous half-up, half-down 'do by celebrity stylist Matt Benns.

Beauty products used: Wavytalk Smooth Barrier Heat Protectant Spray ($29), Wavytalk Power Wave Hair Crimper ($60, was $80), Initio Parfums Privés Atomic Rose Eau de Parfum ($280)

Chase Sui Wonders looks angelic in her breezy lilac gown and sculptural updo, fashioned by celebrity hairstylist Blake Erik. The former Who What Wear cover star kept her makeup classic with a smattering of champagne shimmer eye shadows and mauve lips to let her swooping hairstyle do the talking.

Beauty products used: Ilia Eye Stylus Shadow Stick in Beam ($33), Milk Shake Extra Strong Hairspray ($28), Milk Shake Medium Hold Gel ($26)

Cochair Venus Williams oozes regality in her custom Swarovski look, but the facet we love most about this ensemble is her crystal-adorned updo. A swirling bouquet of coiled braids, Williams's ultra-slicked hair features a single gem at the center of every spiral. To finish things off, the tennis star completed her glam with smoky, shimmer-flecked eyes.

Beauty product used: Kiss Glam Embellished Press-On Nails in Day n' Night ($13)

Red alert! Nicole Kidman graced the mossy carpet wearing shaggy curtain bangs (aka our new go-to bangs trend), styled by celebrity hairstylist Adir Abergel, and subtly bronzy makeup. The famous blonde wore her golden hair long, just barely brushing the fiery feathers adorning her sleeves and waist.

Beauty products used: Virtue Healing Oil ($46), Virtue Damage Reverse Serum ($60), Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System ($230, was $350), Cle de Peau Eye Color Quad 8 ($80), Joonbyrd Confetti Sky Multitasking Hand Treatment ($65)

Cara Delevingne is giving us a master class in elegant styling with her slicked finger waves and low, knotted bun. The model, singer, and actress wore her makeup in a classic black wing and a chic, blurred lip—the perfect combo.

Ashley Graham arrived on the green carpet in a tan ensemble and natural, glowing makeup—letting her silver-dipped nails (and fingers!) do the talking. Though we're obsessed with her literal take on chrome nails, we're itching to re-create her petal-pink pout and brown mascara makeup look for spring.

Beauty products used: Revlon ColorStay Full Time Volumizing Mascara in Black Brown ($12), Revlon ColorStay Face & Body Glow Lotion ($7, was $11), Revlon PhotoReady Blur Liner in Lazy ($10, was $13)

Emma Chamberlain kicked things off with artistic flair. The creator and six-time Vogue special correspondent donned a sweeping oil painting–inspired Mugler gown that perfectly complemented her bleached-blonde hair—a nod to the Fashion Is Art dress code.

Her ’20s-inspired eye shadow look, courtesy of celebrity makeup artist Lilly Keys using Makeup by Mario, feels perfectly in line with the exhibition’s Costume Art —bleached eyebrows and deeper inner corners and all. To make things extra regal, the star’s inner corners are flecked with gold.

Beauty products used: Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette: The Neutrals ($56), Makeup by Mario Master Metallics Eyeshadow Palette ($52), Makeup by Mario Ultra Suede Lipstick in Erin ($28)