Met Gala 2026 Best Beauty, Hair & Makeup: Beyoncé & More

In the words of Doja Cat, stars “let their freak flag fly” at the 2026 Met Gala on Monday night in New York City, where hair transformations and melting makeup made for an interesting parade of painted characters on the carpet.

Emma Chamberlain, Lena Mahfouf and Jordan Roth were among the A-list entrants who decorated their eyes in watercolor shadow, taking cues from this year’s exhibition theme, “Costume Art.” For Chamberlain’s look, celebrity makeup artist Lilly Keys crafted what she describes as a “surreal, slightly gothic” aesthetic bolstered by ethereal eyes and luminous skin.

“Liquid light meets shadow. We kept the skin almost glass-like, then layered mauve, deep plum, and flashes of iridescent yellow so the makeup shifts with the light — like it’s breathing between darkness and glow. Nothing sits on top, everything melts in… prismatic, fluid, a little haunted,” Keys said in an official statement.

Accentuating the fine art beauty trend was Anok Yai, who coated herself in gold shimmer and added solid tears like a crying statue. And in true form, Halloween-enthusiast Heidi Klum used facial prosthetics to become a living sculpture.

Indeed, not all guests took such a literal approach. Others interpreted the theme through subtle tweaks of their own. Kylie Jenner, Jennie and Lena Dunham decorated their deconstructed, sequin and feathered fashion with barely-there brows, while Nicole Kidman, her daughter Sunday Rose, Katy Perry and Amanda Seyfried added inches to their straight ends for an embellished silhouette. Kim Kardashian also subtly signaled a new era, ditching her jet-black hair for a warm blend of caramel and honey blond hues.

At the same time, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Blue Ivy and Chase Infiniti boasted nearly the same color on their ends but with wild coils that roamed their backs. Using Cécred products, of course, global stylist Neal Farinah imagined Knowles-Carter’s curls with added drama, dressing them in the brand’s Thermal Shield Mist before going in with the Voluminizing Mousse, Strong Hold Gel and Flexible Hold Spray. “These ethereal waves are a celebration of texture, making sure the hair had definition but wasn’t confined,” said Farinah in the official press release.

Elsewhere, Sabrina Carpenter, La La Anthony and Hunter Schafer went Old Hollywood, styling soft, wide-barrel curls. Bad Bunny, conversely, traveled forward in time (53 years to be exact) to age himself with white curls, wrinkled skin and sun spots.

See more of the best beauty from the 2026 Met Gala here.