21 Small Beauty Details You May Have Missed at the 2026 Met Gala
The first Monday in May has been and gone, and the 2026 Met Gala saw the worlds of fashion, art, and culture join up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Designers and attendees prepared for the red carpet for months, crafting best-dressed worthy looks that perfectly fit the dress code, Fashion Is Art.
From Emma Chamberlain’s hand-painted custom Mugler gown to Devyn Garcia’s trompe l'oeil Michael Kors gown, it’s no surprise that many stars paid homage to the art world and the body. But it wasn’t just the fashion that proved to be artful—glam stood out, too, with the carpet favoring everything from long, romantic hair to bold, saturated colors, like International Klein Blue, making tonight’s guests look like they jumped right off the canvases inside the walls.
But while the biggest trends of the night are certainly eye-catching, there were plenty of small moments of artistry to admire, including Ashley Graham’s metallic manicure and Angela Bassett’s shocking pink eyeshadow and blush. Inner-corner eyeshadow—a la Hailey Bieber and Colman Domingo—was a subtle and sleek touch, while little curls like Bill Skarsgård’s added jaunty detail.
Here, we break down all the best beauty details from the 2026 Met Gala worth a second look.
Photo: Getty ImagesEmma Chamberlain
Vogue’s red carpet correspondent chose a pop of yellow shadow in her inner corner to match her hand-painted custom Mugler gown.
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Photo: Getty ImagesAshley Graham
The Vogue livestream host’s metallic manicure was inspired by artists who paint on their hands.
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Photo: Getty ImagesBill Skarsgård
Skarsgård let a little curl go loose.
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Photo: Getty ImagesJamila Robinson
The editor-in-Chief of Bon Appétit and Epicurious wore a sculptural braided updo.
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Photo: Getty ImagesChase Sui Wonders
The actress matched her hair to her dress with a sleek bun and double side bang.
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Photo: Getty ImagesAariana Rose Philip
The Antiguan-American model and musician wore intricate braids.
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Photo: Getty ImagesLena Dunham
Dunham did blocked brows.
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Photo: Getty ImagesDoja Cat
The musician and rapper kept her nails long and natural.
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- Photo: Getty Images
Angela Bassett
Bassett went for a shocking pink eye and cheek look.
9/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Tessa Thompson
Thompson’s fingers looked like they were dipped in International Klein Blue.
10/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Anok Yai
The model’s faux tears appeared perfectly placed.
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- Photo: Getty Images
Rachel Zegler
The actress-singer appeared to channel the painting “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey” with a gauzy eye covering.
12/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Ejae
Singer-songwriter Ejae swapped her signature gold for shining silver.
13/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Hunter Schafer
Wearing a custom Prada look inspired by Gustav Klimt’s painting Mäda Primavesi, Hunter Schafer matched her sheer, baby blue eyeshadow with spots of blue highlights through her signature blonde hair.
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- Photo: Getty Images
Coco Jones
Another matchy-matchy hair-to-gown moment came courtesy of Coco Jones, with super-soft waves dyed a deep aubergine just like her sheer tulle Prabal Gurung gown.
15/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Paloma Elsesser
Wearing a recycled patchwork gown from Francesco Risso’s Bureau of Imagination Project, the model kept her visage minimal, letting her molten silver ear shine.
16/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Eileen Gu
The Olympic freestyle skater’s custom Iris van Herpen gown was constructed with 15,000 hand-formed glass bubbles. And through a feat of engineering, the mini-dress blew bubbles as she moved, framing her body and face to create a floating, fabulously iridescent beauty moment.
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- Photo: Getty Images
Hailey Bieber
Blink and you’ll miss it—Hailey Bieber’s makeup artist Mary Phillips created a glam informed by the gold Saint Laurent breastplate, dusting the inner corners of her eye with a molten metallic.
18/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Colman Domingo
Taking cues from his Basquiat-inspired, retro-colored Valentino outfit, Colman Domingo’s makeup artist and groomer Jamie Richmond applied a topaz blue shade into his inner-corners.
19/21 - Photo: Getty Images
Yseult
Naima Bremer was on hand for Yseult’s otherworldly, melting paint eyes, and the spindly asymmetric lashes were a captivating touch.
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- Photo: Getty Images
María Zardoya
María Zardoya chose to twin with her haunted doll, with stick-thin brows, a pale visage, and precise, darkly lined lip.
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Want more of the 2026 Met Gala? Check out Vogue’s livestream of the red carpet, along with the live blog where we’re sharing all the juicy behind-the-scenes details you’ll want to know.
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