The Most Striking Beauty Moments in Met Gala History

met gala - doja cat, gigi hadid — (Image credit: Getty Images)

The "Oscars of Fashion," a.k.a. the Met Gala, is the place for extreme hair and makeup. Everyone invited pulls out all the stops, no matter how muted their typical style. From the wildest of hair colors to crystals and headgear, these Met Gala beauty looks are works of art.

Nicole Richie, 2013

Nicole Richie was tapping into the over-the-top spirit of the Met Gala before others caught on. This is an upcombed pompadour that has been spray-painted silver. It complements her dress but is in deep contrast to her tan skin and wine lip color.

Jordan Roth, 2024

Broadway producer Jordan Roth is extremely on-brand for the year's theme ("Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion"). Matching your eye makeup to your green and pink hood so it looks like you're a beautiful shrub with a face: excellent maximalist beauty.

Laverne Cox, 2019

I very much enjoy Laverne Cox's posing here. Since her enormous one-shoulder Christian Siriano is all-black, her hair and eye makeup (both turquoise) help lighten up the look. The purple blush and lipstick, plus the crystals on her eyes and mouth, give her a literal glow.

Rihanna, 2017

A full, rich blush up to the eyebrows isn't as out-there as it used to be. But when Rihanna showed up to the Met Gala ("Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between") with a gorgeous "draping" blush, it felt extremely novel. The aesthetic borrows inspiration from the '70s but then takes it to 11.

Miley Cyrus, 2013

Ah, yes! I remember this Miley era! She is absolutely on theme here ("PUNK: From Chaos to Couture"). The hair, which is gelled into tufts sticking out in all directions, is pure punk chaos. And the lips, I'd argue, are couture. As is that fishnet dress and subtle jewelry.

Maisie Williams, 2021

Maisie Williams favored an experimental style as she grew beyond her Game of Thrones character. Here, she apparently drew inspiration from The Matrix. There's a lot of cool stuff happening here: the bleached brows, the architectural updo that literally looks like a bow, and the black crystals under her eyes.

Beyoncé, 2016

Days after releasing Lemonade (and attending solo, to boot), Queen Bey blessed us with a dramatic Met Gala look. She doesn't always favor so much dark eyeshadow, and I love it—especially since everything else is simple. The contrast with that nude lip is perfection.

Charlie XCX, 2019

Charlie XCX is always impressively edgy, but what I love about this Met Gala look is that her dip-dyed pink hair and matching eyeshadow add a touch of softness. The theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," and this neon yellow dress was already bringing all the drama she needed.

Emma Chamberlain, 2024

Taking a darker, almost goth-inspired take on the "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" theme, Emma Chamberlain layers on the brown eyeshadow. It's a bit of an unusual look for her. She told Vogue, “It has a bit of spookiness to it...[it's] a little weird. It’s a little extreme, but it’s all neutral colors...It’s still smoked out, but it looks reflective and dynamic.”

Cynthia Erivo, 2017

Cynthia Erivo favors a dramatic red carpet look, whether she's on the Met Gala red carpet or off it. That gorgeous white hair looks like a cloud, and that dramatic cat-eye is a nice sharp contrast. But my favorite part is the pearl literally inside her ear.

Bad Bunny, 2022

The Met Gala can be a great event for more exaggerated fashion choices; that every single attendee can lean in as hard as they want. Bad Bunny has a playful and bold style, which is perfectly exemplified in the hair pins and lorgnette spectacles.

Lily Collins, 2019

Giving us a modern Priscilla Presley, Lily Collins uses the headband and small blooms to add visual interest to her towering bouffant hairdo. My favorite part might be the smokey lilac eyeshadow: it's such a nice contrast to the rest of the look.

J Balvin, 2022

For the "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" Met Gala, J Balvin apparently wanted to go with "Gilded Age Green" in his hair. It looks like a stained glass window from the back; the rest of his look is classic and dapper, which lets the hair do the talking.

Taylor Swift, 2016

Taylor Swift's 2016 appearance at the Met Gala ("Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology") was particularly notable for being very different than her normal look. Swift tends to favor a red lip and darker blonde hair, so almost black and bleach blonde, respectively, added surprise.

Priyanka Chopra, 2019

Drawing comparisons to the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland (but sexier!), Priyanka Chopra's beauty look is doing a lot. You've got the white on lower lid, eyelashes, and brows. You've got the crystals framing the face. And you've got those magnificent curls!

Darren Criss, 2019

The "Camp: Notes on Fashion" Met Gala was a real standout in terms of beauty looks. Drawing inspiration from the Harlequin character of Commedia dell'Arte, the fanned-out deep blue eyeshadow on Criss (matching the blue in his sequined blazer) is a fun surprise.

Zendaya, 2024

Technically, co-chair Zendaya debuted two looks at the 2024 Met Gala. From a beauty perspective, I like this more dramatic version: that bold, blood red lip color is stark and striking. The color is echoed in her eyes, with the red diffusing to pink all the way around her eye.

Ginnifer Goodwin, 2013

I remember this Ginnifer Goodwin makeup being controversial at the time (2013 was a bit early for the Big Dramatic Met Gala Look that we're familiar with today). Frankly, though, I think she was ahead of her time. The fact that the dark eyeshadow goes up to her brows is really cool.

Kristen Stewart, 2019

Kristen Stewart enjoys an edgy look, and she never goes halfway with her hair and makeup. The yellow and white striped eyebrows are already cool (and a look that almost no one else would think of). But add in the blonde, dark roots, and red tips in the hair, and the whole thing's a rainbow.

Jennifer Lopez, 2019

Leave it to Jennifer Lopez to replace her hair with actual sparkles! This jeweled headpiece is a strong representation of the "Camp" theme; it looks like an extension of her dress and from far away almost resembled a hood. J Lo is fearless with her beauty looks, and this is proof.

Naomi Osaka, 2021

I mean...that hair is a work of art, no? This is a Geisha-inspired reference, with red eyeshadow extending down to Naomi Osaka's cheeks, along with a matching lip color. But the star is, of course, the hair, which paid homage to her heritage. It helps that she looks deeply chill amid the magnificence.

Katy Perry, 2016

It must be quite challenging for Katy Perry to keep outdoing herself (as I often point out, she has dressed as a chandelier, angel, and burger at previous Galas). This Elvira-esque beauty, look, though, is a definite standout. The black lips and blue mascara are cool, but the bleached eyebrows are next level.

Gigi Hadid, 2019

It can take a long time to pull off a look like this, gluing delicate pieces of material (feathers, in this case) to the eyelid. But the finished look is stunning. Gigi Hadid looks like her eyes are angel wings; keeping her hair under a cap keeps the focus fixed to her face.

Cynthia Erivo, 2018

You obviously can't see it from this angle, but Cynthia Erivo has a huge chunk of shaved head in the back. It's just as cool from the front, though—we're starting to see her best maximalist impulses, from the manifold earrings to the fact that her eyebrows are literally sparkles.

Gwendoline Christie, 2024

On most people, this enormous blonde wig might resemble a mop. But Gwendoline Christie imbues it with style and panache: the overall effect is like a modernized 18th century French woman. It absolutely fits her ornate, blood-red Maison Margiela gown.

Billy Porter, 2019

Probably not surprisingly, Billy Porter perfectly accessorized his golden winged costume for the "Camp" Met Gala. All those crystals and gold eye makeup around the eyes make the look coherent and perfectly complementary to his weighty gold headpiece.

Lupita Nyong'o, 2019

Lupita Nyong'o's gorgeous, towering hair is festooned with picks here. Hairstylist Vernon Francois, told Vogue, "Our goal was to demonstrate the power, malleability, and luxuriousness of natural hair texture." Look closely: the tip of the pick is a raised fist. Also: that layered eyeshadow is gorgeous.

Doja Cat, 2023

Real question: are prosthetics considered part of hair and makeup?? Regardless, Doja Cat as a cat ("Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," with Doja Cat honoring Lagerfeld's feline) is one of the more major Met Gala beauty moments of all time. Also, I love the thematic cat-eye.

Doja Cat, 2024

Not to be outdone (even by herself), Doja Cat appeared at the 2024 Met Gala in a faux "wet" look, including eye makeup streaming down her face. I can't believe I'm ranking this higher than actual cat makeup, but this screams drama and intensity to me.

Cara Delevingne, 2017

If you saw this look in real time (as I did), your first question was, "How did they attach metal to Cara Delevingne's skull??" It's actually Mehron Silver Metallic Powder and MAC Mixing Medium, carefully applied to her shaved head and dripping down the side of her face.

Lady Gaga, 2019

These are actually very thin pieces of metal on Lady Gaga's eyes! Vogue calls them "razor-sharp splices of gold leaf" hand-cut by Gaga's makeup artist Sarah Tanno. It honestly dials up the drama even more knowing that they've been applied so expertly.

Lil Nas X

Again, this is probably straining the boundaries of "makeup," but Lil Nas X's crystal-adorned face is essentially a work of art. This was also the "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" gala, and Lil Nas X was also doing a sendup of the cat Choupette. Aside from the eyelids, every little bit of his face is covered.

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.