Met Gala 2023 Beauty: Our Favourite Looks From Fashion’s Biggest Night

Talk about a Met Gala to remember. From Rita Ora’s foot-long nail chains (the coolest, albeit most impractical, nail trend ever?) to Naomi Campbell giving signature Naomi at her 16th (!!!) Met Gala, to Emma Chamberlain’s blue smoky eye and extra-long extensions, the Met Gala 2023 beauty looks did not disappoint. This year’s gala, honouring the late Karl Lagerfeld, gave us equal parts classic and understated (think Irina Shayk, Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen each donning the hair and makeup looks we know and love them for) and bold and experimental (courtesy of Doja Cat and Lil Nas X, most notably).

RELATED: Chanel Brides and Chic Cats Dominate the 2023 Met Gala Red Carpet

Below, we walk you through our favourite Met Gala 2023 beauty looks and the inspo behind them.

Rita Ora’s foot-long pearl and diamond nail chains

Beloved nail artist Naomi Yasuda is the genius behind Rita Ora’s unbelievable foot-long jewel and pearl nail chains. Using Manucurist nail polish in the shade “Licorice” to get that jet black base, Yasuda revealed on her Instagram story that she “incorporated classic Chanel elements” like deconstructed, handmade pearls to achieve a memorable nail look that we certainly won’t stop thinking about for days to come.

Suki Waterhouse’s watercolour eyeshadow

Fresh off of spring’s hottest mini-series, Daisy Jones & The Six, model, singer and actress (actually, add one of our favourite TikTok follows to the list of her accolades, too), Suki Waterhouse, who joked that she’d turn up to the Met Gala tonight thinking the theme was Karl Marx, blew us away with her glam tonight. Paired with her usual romantic bouncy blowout, courtesy of stylist Candice Birns, Waterhouse gave us watercolour paint-chic with a multi-shade pastel eyeshadow look that we’re going to try and recreate ASAP.

Lil Nas X’s pearl-encrusted...everything

In a look that can probably be seen from space, Lil Nas X arrived at the Met Gala in silver body paint, glitter, pearls, jewels, and honestly, not much else (see for yourself), right down to his pearl-encrusted nails.  Taking the naked dress trend to an extreme, Lil Nas X’s look was the masterful work of none other than Pat McGrath and her team.

Doja Cat as Choupette

Forget a simple cat eye. Doja Cat went for cat face. (Er, in addition to a not-so-simple cat eye.) In what’s sure to become one of the Met Gala’s most memorable looks ever, Doja Cat walked the carpet paying homage to Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette, complete with prosthetics and all. Her makeup was the work of Emmy-winning makeup artist Ernesto Casillas, and FX makeup artist Malina Stearns. “We paid tribute to Karl Lagerfield’s beloved cat Choupette and gave Doja a sexy, feline eye using Charlotte Tilbury’s The Feline Flick Liquid Eyeliner,” wrote Casillas on Instagram.

Jessica Chastain’s blonde wig

Sans her signature red locks, a totally unrecognizable Chastain told reporters on the Met Gala red carpet that her new blonde wig “is not forever; it’s for Karl.” Chastain paired her new ‘do with dark sunglasses (and a gorgeous dark smoky eye by makeup artist Kristofer Buckle underneath) as a nod to Lagerfeld’s signature look. Excuse us while we shed a tear.

Emma Chamberlain’s sleek ‘do and smoky eye

Courtesy of makeup artist Kelsey Deenihan Fisher, who used the Lancôme Hypnôse Eyeshadow Palette in Bleu Hypnotique to achieve the metallic-smoky look, Emma Chamberlain arrived at the Met Gala donning a smoky eye we can’t stop obsessing over. Blue smoky eyes have been poised for a proper comeback for several seasons now, but we think Ms. Chamberlain may finally be the one to officially usher the look in and do it in a modern way. As for her stunning waist-length hair (quite the departure from the star’s choppy bob), it was courtesy of hairstylist Sami Knight, who used Hairitage tools to craft the Carla Bruni-inspired ‘do. “I always like to wash my extensions before use,” says Knight. “I find it makes them blend better with the clients natural hair, as it opens the cuticle somewhat.”

Next, the stylist applied blended Luxy Hair extensions in three different shades (Dark Brown, Cool Dark brown, and a touch of Mocha Bronde Balyage, “just to account for differences in hair shade; hair is often darker in the back, and lighter in the top and front naturally”), teased it at the roots and curled the ends before finishing the look with a baby blue headband. Oh, and you guessed it, hairspray was a must every step of the way.