Hair and makeup artists crafted artistic beauty looks for performers and guests at the 2026 Met Gala. The event, themed around Costume Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featured elevated clean girl aesthetics and Botticelli-inspired hairstyles. Metallic manicures shimmered on the red carpet sported by celebrities including Blackpink members.
Last night, fashion's biggest names attended the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrating the theme Costume Art. Dozens of hair and makeup artists, led by MAC Cosmetics’ global director of artistry Romero Jennings, Glamsquad cofounder Giovanni Vaccaro, and hairstylist Dre Demry-Sanders, prepared looks for performance artists throughout the night. These included a troupe performing a cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” on the Met steps with lifts, harmonies, and high kicks. “Their look is an elevated take on the clean girl aesthetic that is still so popular,” Jennings said. The styling featured a slight wash of color on the eyes with Multisculpt Matte Liquid Eye Shadow and the lipstick shade Habit, while hair remained natural and enhanced with the Shark SpeedStyle hair dryer and Oribe products, according to Vaccaro. Inside the museum, harpists greeted guests with more elaborate styles. Jennings described the makeup as “Dutch masters meets ‘90s cool-toned shades,” using Multisculpt Eye Shadow and Extra Dimension Blush in shade Into the Pink to highlight cheeks and collarbones. “It gives a glow you can see from across the room,” Jennings added. Demry-Sanders drew from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus for hairstyles, creating swirling tendrils across cheeks and foreheads to mimic movement on the harpists’ water-inspired dresses. On the red carpet, metallic manicures dominated to honor the Fashion Is Art dress code. Blackpink’s Jisoo, Lisa, and Jennie showcased varied iterations, with Jennie opting for a minimal beige base topped with iridescent chrome varnish and Jisoo adding subtle silver accents. Indian artist Ananya Birla matched her nails to a metal mask, while livestream co-host Ashley Graham and WNBA star A’ja Wilson also sported shimmering designs in silver, gold, or copper.
