39 Best Beauty Looks at the 2026 Met Gala

Published: May 5, 2026 Last Updated 50 minutes ago by Esther Ejoh

The first Monday in May is known for the world’s most-watched fashion event, but at the 2026 Met Gala, beauty looks took center stage. While the attire was impressive, the artistry in hair, makeup, and nails transformed the evening into a gallery of wearable art.

This year’s exhibition, “Costume Art,” examined the relationship between clothing and the human form. The “Fashion Is Art” dress code encouraged celebrities and their teams to push boundaries and treat faces and hair as canvases for creative expression.

From Rihanna’s fully metallic look, featuring gold spirals in her curls and gem-encrusted tears, to Anok Yai’s transformation into a bronze statue, the 2026 Met Gala demonstrated that beauty is integral to fashion. Beauty is art, making bold statements and sparking conversation.

Co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams, the evening drew numerous A-list stars, each offering a unique interpretation of the theme. Emma Chamberlain opened with watercolor-inspired eyeshadow in mauve, plum, and yellow. Hunter Schafer showcased blue pigment brushed through her waves, while Gwendoline Christie carried a mask of her own face, pairing bleached brows with inky red lips.

The evening’s beauty trends reflected the diversity of its attendees. Some embraced Old Hollywood glamour with soft curls and classic cat-eyes, while others opted for avant-garde looks using facial prosthetics, bleached brows, and sculptural hair. Watercolor eyeshadow was prominent, with soft, blended colors on celebrities like Emma Chamberlain, Lena Mahfouf, and Jordan Roth. Metallic finishes in gold, silver, and bronze appeared throughout, from eyelids to lips and faces.

Hair was treated as an installation, with sculptural updos, finger waves, braided crowns, and bold color choices. Nicole Kidman debuted waist-length blonde hair with curtain bangs. Keke Palmer coordinated her copper shixie haircut with her ruby gown, while Lisa incorporated metallic foils into sculptural braids, complemented by face gems and blue eyeshadow.

Ahead, we will highlight the most innovative and memorable beauty moments from the 2026 Met Gala. 

Rihanna in Full Metallic Fantasy at the 2026 Met Gala

Anok Yai as a Crying Bronze Statue at the 2026 Met Gala

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as a Sun Goddess at the 2026 Met Gala

Emma Chamberlain in Smoked-out Mauve Eyeshadow at the 2026 Met Gala

Hunter Schafer in Watercolor Hair and Blush at the 2026 Met Gala

Doja Cat in Head-to-Toe Monochromatic Glam at the 2026 Met Gala

Sabrina Carpenter in Finned Bob and Old Hollywood Glam at the 2026 Met Gala

Kylie Jenner in Bleached Brows and Old Hollywood Waves at the 2026 Met Gala

Angela Bassett in Draped Blush and Twiggy Lashes at the 2026 Met Gala

Tyla in Ethereal Hair at the 2026 Met Gala

Lisa in Metallic Accents and Sculptural Braids at the 2026 Met Gala

Zoë Kravitz in Dark Romance and Braided Half-Updo at the 2026 Met Gala

Gwendoline Christie in Bleached Brows and Inky Red Lips at the 2026 Met Gala

Cara Delevingne in Finger Waves and Cat-Eye at the 2026 Met Gala

Charli XCX in Plum Waterline and Voluminous Half-Updo at the 2026 Met Gala

Doechii in Bare Feet and Voluminous Headwrap at the 2026 Met Gala

Hudson Williams in Avant-Garde “Black Swan” Eyes at the 2026 Met Gala

Hailey Bieber in Gilded Gold and Cobalt Blue at the 2026 Met Gala

Kim Kardashian in 1960s Pop Art Body Painting at the 2026 Met Gala

Keke Palmer in Ruby Red Everything at the 2026 Met Gala

SZA in Golden Eyeshadow at the 2026 Met Gala

Ejae in Crystalline Updo at the 2026 Met Gala

Joey King as a Pre-Raphaelite Cherub at the 2026 Met Gala

Venus Williams in Crystal-Adorned Updo at the 2026 Met Gala

Teyana Taylor in Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann silvery headpiece

Naomi Osaka in wavy, face-framing tendrils and French-twist updo

Gabrielle Union in Her ’60s Beauty Look and Larger-than-life Hair

Chase Infiniti in Her Signature Curls and Shimmery Eyeshadow

Janelle Monae in Butterfly-Adorned, Temple-Length Hair

Gigi Hadid in Naked Makeup

Jennie in Elegant Side-parted French Twist

Anne Hathaway in the Perfect Smokey Eye

Ayo Edebiri at the 2026 Met Gala

ASAP Rocky at the 2026 Met Gala

Kendall Jenner at the 2026 Met Gala

Katy Perry at the 2026 Met Gala

Cardi B at the 2026 Met Gala

Heidi Klum at the 2026 Met Gala

Blake Lively at the 2026 Met Gala

Beauty Trends That Defined the 2026 Met Gala

1. Watercolor Eyeshadow – Soft, blended washes of color that seemed to melt into the skin appeared on Emma Chamberlain, Hunter Schafer, and others. The technique prioritized fluidity over sharp lines.
2. Bleached Brows – Kylie Jenner, Lena Dunham, and Gwendoline Christie all sported barely-there or completely bleached brows, creating a high-fashion, ethereal effect.
3. Metallic Everything – From Rihanna’s full-body metallic moment to Anok Yai’s bronze statue skin and SZA’s golden eyes, metallic finishes dominated the evening.
4. Sculptural Hair – Hair became an installation piece, with finger waves (Cara Delevingne), crystal-adorned updos (Venus Williams), and metallic braids (Lisa) turning heads into art.
5. Monochromatic Beauty – Doja Cat and Keke Palmer proved that matching hair, makeup, and outfit in a single color story creates maximum impact.
6. Old Hollywood Glamour – Sabrina Carpenter, Nicole Kidman, and Kylie Jenner all referenced classic Hollywood with roller sets, curtain bangs, and kiss curls.
7. Draped Blush – Angela Bassett and others wore blush diffused across cheekbones and temples, creating a painterly, sculptural effect.
8. Face Gems and Tears – Rihanna, Anok Yai, and Angela Bassett all adorned their faces with crystals, gems, or painted tears, blurring the line between makeup and jewelry.

 The 2026 Met Gala will be remembered as the year beauty became art. While the fashion was extraordinary, it was the hair, makeup, and nail artistry that transformed the evening into a gallery of living masterpieces.

Celebrities and their teams approached faces as canvases, hair as sculpture, and skin as a medium for creative expression. Watercolor shadows blended into cheekbones, bleached brows framed jeweled eyes, gold spirals adorned curls, blue pigment highlighted waves, and crystal tears accentuated bronze cheeks.

The “Costume Art” exhibition and “Fashion Is Art” dress code asked a simple question: where does clothing end and the body begin? The beauty looks of the evening answered definitively: they are one and the same. Makeup is art. Hair is art. Nails are art. And on the first Monday of May 2026, the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art became the world’s most glamorous gallery.

Looking ahead to future Met Galas, it is clear that beauty looks will continue to become more creative, daring, and artistic. This ongoing evolution is highly anticipated.

Photo: Getty Images