Beauty

A Look Back at the Most Over-the-Top Beauty Looks From Past Met Galas

April 29, 2023

With the first Monday in May right around the corner, there’s one thing everyone in the beauty world can look forward to: the Met Gala — and all the best, most out-of-the-box beauty looks born from it. An annual tradition since 1948 (save for 1991, 2000, 2002, and 2020), the celebration always manages to gather the biggest stars in Hollywood. 2022’s theme was “Gilded Glamour,” 2021’s was “American Independence,”, and now, for the 2023 Met Gala, the dress code is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” for the late designer. With that as guests’ guide, it’s safe to say there will be many hair and makeup moments to look forward to. That also means there’s no better time to reflect on the best beauty moments to hit the red carpet over the past few years.

Past Met Galas have provided us with more than enough beauty inspiration to reminisce on. There have been multitier updos adorned with precious jewels, stereotype-defying manicures, truly transformative makeup displays, and even body makeup that doubled as clothing. Some moments are purely theatric, while others are full of meaning. With its fashion-centric overarching theme, this event produces some of the most unique beauty moments we’ve seen.

This is all to say that it’s going to be hard to top the wildly creative hair, makeup, and nail looks we’ve from some of our favorite celebrities in past. Ahead, we’re looking back at some of our favorite Met Gala beauty moments from the last decade.

— Additional reporting by Jessica Harrington