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.

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The Best Beauty Looks at the 2026 Met Gala

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.

Chase Sui Wonders looks angelic in her breezy lilac gown and sculptural updo. 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.

Co-chair 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’ 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.

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

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 chrome nails, we’re itching to re-create her petal-pink pout and brown mascara makeup look for spring.

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 theme, bleached eyebrows and deeper inner corners and all. To make things extra regal, the star’s inner corners are flecked with gold.