This year’s theme for the Met Gala was the late designer Karl Lagerfeld and his legacy. While certain voices in the industry did show their discomfort about celebrating someone whose professional life was filled with controversial takes on subjects ranging from race to body shaming, the beige carpet (made in Kerala by design company Neytt by Extraweave) was filled with monochrome tributes to the designer.
With black and white being the most common choices, most celebrity guests wore nude lips, flaunted kohl-lined eyes and a few bursts of deep reds.
It was a big moment for actor Alia Bhatt, who wore a beautiful pearl-encrusted gown by Prabal Gurung. Mullets, buzz-cuts, shags and half-up, half-down ponytails were the top hair choices. We also saw two catspirations, Jared Leto and Doja Cat, who transformed into Lagerfeld’s beloved cat Choupette for the beige carpet, and a solid black cat and winged liner was another go-to look for both.
Here are the top, wearable beauty looks from MET Gala 2023:
A natural look with freckles showing through is a signature of the actor, who even sported the barely-there make up look during her wedding functions last year. But for her Met debut, Bhatt’s make-up artist pushed it up a notch with full coverage, yet a soft and dewy look.
Skip heavy contouring to get this look and give your cheeks a flush with more blush. Instead of a strict black liner, use browns and bronze tones on your upper and lower lash line with a little bit of kohl to add depth to a simple-yet-glamorous look.
Blue eyes with a winged liner is an iconic look from the 1960s, and actor Jared Leto gave it a Chanel twist by sporting shimmery blue eyeshadow to complete his ode to Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette. While the cat costume might not be everyone’s cup of tea, shimmery blue eyes are perfect for summer outings.
Pearl and rhinestone stickers were seen on many stars. Model Gigi Hadid had singular stickers in the centre of her lower lash line for a hint of glimmer. Paloma Elsesser also created a black and diamond rhinestones eye look. A favourite was Vanity Fair editor Radhika Jones, who wore her silver hair in a classic bob, with shimmering eye stickers on a neutral make-up look, showing us how you can have fun with simple make up.
Singer Janelle Monáe’s look was more of a performance where one outfit revealed another, and then one more. Monáe used Lagerfeld’s favourite colours, black and white, as inspiration for her eyes too. Make-up artist Keita Moore used a silvery white on her waterline with heavy mascara on the lower lashes for an easy edgy look.
It’s common to match your eye shadow with your outfit but to make it bold and wash the colour all the way to the temple like actor Micaela Diamond did at the Met Gala was a whole new vibe. Her make-up artist, Rachel Roberts, created matching lilac eyes with glitter in the crease and lower lash lines for extra drama. Add a slightly deeper tone of the shade you choose in the crease and on the waterline for more depth.
