Last year’s Met Gala 2025 delivered sharply tailored glamour inspired by the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition and its “Tailored for You” dress code.
This year, however, fashion’s biggest night traded structure for artistry. The 2026 theme, “Fashion Is Art,” paired with the “Costume Art” exhibition, invited celebrities to embrace beauty as a creative extension of couture rather than simply a finishing touch.
The result was one of the most visually exciting beauty carpets in recent memory. Hair and makeup artists transformed celebrities into living works of art through smoky eyes, wet-look textures, sculptural hair, flushed skin, and crystal embellishments. Across the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, beauty trends leaned expressive rather than polished, signaling a clear departure from the ultra-clean aesthetics that have dominated recent years.
While couture gowns remained central to the Met Gala 2026, this year’s beauty looks proved equally transformative. Makeup artists and hairstylists leaned into emotion, texture, and individuality, creating red carpet moments that felt expressive rather than overly perfected.
Smoky eyes emerged as one of the night’s defining trends, appearing in everything from soft romantic interpretations to bold editorial statements. Wet textures, flushed cheeks, sculptural waves, and glossy finishes also dominated the carpet, signaling a broader shift away from rigid minimalism.
More than anything, this year’s gala demonstrated how beauty can function as art in its own right. The most memorable looks weren’t simply accessories to the gowns—they were essential parts of the storytelling.
From romantic old-Hollywood glamour to avant-garde experimentation, these were the standout beauty moments from the 2026 Met Gala.
Anne Hathaway
Everything about Anne Hathaway’s beauty look felt impeccably balanced. Her makeup embraced timeless glamour with a softly diffused smoky eye and the perfect rosy-pink lipstick, created by celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo. The look was elegant without feeling overly dramatic, allowing Hathaway’s natural features to remain the focus.
Her hair, styled by Orlando Pita, was swept into a sophisticated updo that combined polish with softness. The overall beauty look complemented the artistic spirit of the evening while remaining unmistakably classic.
Cara Delevingne
A smoky eye never truly goes out of style, and Cara Delevingne proved exactly why at this year’s gala. Her warm brown smoky eye intensified her light eyes beautifully while maintaining a softer, more wearable finish than traditional black shadow.
The rest of her makeup remained understated, featuring softly flushed cheeks and a mauve-toned lip that balanced the drama around the eyes. Hairstylist Mara Roszak completed the look with sleek sculptural finger waves that added a vintage-inspired edge to the modern glam.
Together, the beauty choices created one of the evening’s most cohesive and striking red carpet moments.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian embraced a noticeably more undone beauty aesthetic for the 2026 Met Gala, signaling the continued evolution away from hyper-polished “clean girl” glamour. She debuted a textured blonde lob styled into loose, messy waves that felt intentionally effortless and modern.
Her makeup stayed true to her signature look, featuring a sultry smoky eye crafted by longtime collaborator Mario Dedivanovic. Soft contouring and nude lips completed the monochromatic palette.
The combination of imperfect hair and classic smoky glam gave Kardashian one of her freshest beauty looks in years.
Kylie Jenner
Bleached brows can be difficult to pull off, but Kylie Jenner made the controversial trend look surprisingly refined. The softened brows created an ethereal effect that shifted attention toward her luminous skin and sculpted nude-toned makeup.
Her hair featured a dramatic side part with a single curled tendril delicately placed across her forehead, adding softness to the futuristic beauty direction. Makeup artist Ariel Tejada used warm neutral tones to create a cohesive monochromatic palette that matched Jenner’s nude-toned gown perfectly.
The result felt modern, editorial, and unexpectedly wearable.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter continued her reign as the queen of romantic glam with one of the evening’s prettiest beauty looks. Her makeup centered around radiant flushed cheeks, shimmering smoky eyes, and a glossy pink lip that enhanced her signature soft-glam aesthetic.
One of the standout details was the crystallized inner corner of her eyes, which caught the light beautifully and added a subtle touch of fantasy to the look.
Hairstylist Evanie Frausto styled Carpenter’s hair into a voluminous old-Hollywood blowout filled with movement and soft curls. The final result felt glamorous, youthful, and perfectly aligned with the artistic spirit of the evening.
