The 2026 Met Gala has always been fashion’s most theatrical night, but this year, the beauty deserved its own close-up. With the theme Costume Art and the dress code “Fashion Is Art,” the red carpet became about bringing art to life through clothes and a big part of that was making hair and makeup part of the full composition.
This year’s Costume Institute exhibition explored the relationship between clothing, art and the dressed body, placing garments alongside works from the Met’s collection to highlight the connection between fashion and the human form. The gala was co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour, with Zoë Kravitz and Anthony Vaccarello co-chairing the host committee.
Naturally, the fashion went big. There were corsets, naked dresses, sculptural silhouettes, high-concept costumes and a few delightfully unserious moments, from Heidi Klum’s statue-like look to Bad Bunny’s dapper old-man transformation. But because the clothes were doing so much, the strongest beauty moments often worked with a little more restraint.
Across the carpet, the best looks had balance. When hair was soft and wispy, makeup was romantic to match. When hair was sleek and minimal, there was often a smoky eye, a bold lip or an editorial brow to give the look its edge. And because so many of the outfits were intentionally over the top, beauty often came back to the best version of the person wearing it.
Nicole Kidman’s Mermaid Lengths Set The Tone
Long hair had a major moment at the 2026 Met Gala, with mermaid lengths showing up in a way that felt less beachy and more museum-worthy. Nicole Kidman was one of the strongest examples of the night, arriving with buttery yellow-blonde lengths that fell well down her back.
The finish was smooth with slight bends around the face, while fine, feathery pieces softened the shape and made her fringe feel almost invisible. Instead of reading like a heavy curtain of hair, the look contoured her face and added movement without pulling attention away from her red sequined and feathered dress. Her daughter, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, also leaned into the longer-length direction, making the moment feel like one of the night’s clearest beauty through-lines.
Wispy Tendrils Brought Softness To The Carpet
If there was one small detail that kept appearing across the carpet, it was the face-framing tendril. Whether hair was pulled into a bun, sculpted into a ponytail, worn half-up or styled sleek against the head, there was often something left loose around the face. Grooming moments even leaned into this feel with Simon Porte Jacquemus championing the look with a perfectly defined tendril moment.
These pieces gave the night a softer beauty feel. Even the more controlled looks had a little movement at the hairline, a tiny curl at the temple or a piecey fringe that broke up the polish. It kept the beauty from feeling too severe and gave the red carpet a more romantic, portrait-like finish. This worked especially well when the fashion itself was rigid, corseted or heavily constructed. A slick bun with a curl at the forehead. A sculpted updo with a wisp at the cheekbone. A sleek ponytail softened by shine and shape. The detail was small, but it made the overall look feel more wearable and less costume-only.
The Blurred Lip Was Everywhere
The strongest lip direction of the night was not the sharp, overlined lip we’ve seen dominate so many red carpets. Instead, the 2026 Met Gala leaned into the blurred lip: a barely-there nude or soft neutral lip that looks diffused rather than heavily drawn.
The look, originally coined by makeup artist Nina Park, showed up on Sarah Pidgeon, Hailey Bieber and Zoë Kravitz. It worked especially well with the night’s softer beauty moments because it gave the face polish without pulling focus. Rather than a hard line, the lip looked lived-in, muted and lush.
Nude Brows Added An Editorial Edge
Brows also had a quieter but very noticeable shift. Nude, softened and bleached brows appeared across the carpet, giving the face a more open, almost painterly quality.
The appeal of a nude brow on a night like this is that it changes the structure of the face without adding extra color. It lets the eyes, cheekbones and overall styling speak differently. On some guests, it made the look feel ethereal. On others, it pushed the beauty into something more editorial. It also fit the theme, because when the body becomes part of the artwork, the brow becomes another way to play with proportion, expression and negative space.
Beyoncé’s Return Was A Full Beauty Statement
Beyoncé made her first Met Gala appearance in 10 years, arriving with Jay-Z and Blue Ivy Carter in one of the night’s most memorable interpretations of the theme. Wearing an embellished skeleton-design gown created by Olivier Rousteing, she brought one of the strongest fashion statements of the evening.
The beauty worked because it understood the scale of the look. Her hair was long, soft and glamorous rather than overly structured, giving the gown room to make the bigger statement. It was theatrical without feeling overworked, which is exactly where the best Met Gala beauty tends to land.
Sabrina Carpenter Went Full Old Hollywood
Sabrina Carpenter leaned into the costume theme while also nodding to her recent Sabrinawood performance at Coachella. With a very cinematic feel, her dress was made from celluloid film strips, setting the tone for a beauty look that felt like an old Hollywood screen test.
Her hair was classic, smooth and curled under, finished with a headpiece that gave the whole look a demure, vintage-actress quality. The makeup stayed soft and polished, letting the styling feel glamorous without becoming too literal. It was one of the clearest examples of how beauty can support a concept without overwhelming it.
Hailey Bieber’s Sculptural Bun Was Clean But Soft
Hailey Bieber’s Met Gala hair, created by Irinel De Leon (@hairinel) using Dyson Beauty and OUAI, was all about balance. Her dress had a strong silhouette, so the hair was pulled back and polished, but still soft enough to avoid feeling severe.
To create the look, hair was first cleansed with OUAI Detox Shampoo, then treated through the mid-lengths and ends with OUAI Bond Repair Balm. On damp hair, OUAI Leave-In Conditioner and OUAI Anti-Frizz Crème were used to prep, smooth and control the hair before rough drying with the Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x™ multi-styler and dryer.
The Large Round Volumizing Brush attachment helped build a polished shape before OUAI Hair Oil was applied for shine. The hair was then brushed into a sleek ponytail, with clip-in extensions from PERLINO by Priscilla Valles added before the ponytail was sculpted into a bun and pinned into place.
The final effect was clean, shiny and architectural, but still soft enough to sit comfortably within the night’s more romantic beauty mood.
Laura Harrier Brought Botticelli Texture
Laura Harrier’s look, also created by Irinel De Leon (@hairinel), took inspiration from Botticelli’s Venus. The goal was soft movement that felt like a continuation of the dress: airy, luminous and sculptural without looking overly styled.
The hair was prepped with TRESemmé A-List Collection All-In-One Style Primer, then diffused with the Dyson Supersonic r™ Professional hair dryer and diffuser attachment to bring out natural texture. Once dry, TRESemmé A-List Collection Workable Hairspray was layered through the hair to build structure.
Around the face, soft S-wave bends were created with the Dyson Corrale™ Professional straightener, while smaller natural curls were left untouched for contrast. TRESemmé A-List Collection Dry Texturizing Spray added separation and movement through the mid-lengths and ends, while the Instant Fix Styling Stick helped refine the hairline, part and neckline.
The result felt very in line with the night: romantic, sculptural and slightly undone.
Emily Blunt Made The Case For Sleek Structure
Not every look leaned soft. Emily Blunt’s military-inspired style, created by Laini Reeves using TRESemmé A-List Collection and Dyson tools, made the case for sleek red-carpet hair with a stronger edge.
The hair was prepped with TRESemmé A-List Collection All-In-One Style Primer, then blow-dried smooth using the Dyson Supersonic r™ Professional hair dryer and a flat brush. The Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x™ multi-styler was used to create an ultra-sleek base before TRESemmé A-List Collection Bonding Oil was applied from root to mid-length.
To build the ponytail shape, TRESemmé A-List Collection Style Extend Dry Shampoo was applied from base to ends for added pliability. The hair was then twisted into a knot and secured with pins, leaving the ends out and straightened for an ’80s-inspired finish. TRESemmé A-List Collection Workable Hairspray set the final look.
Men’s Hair Had More Texture And Personality
Connor Storrie
The 2026 Met Gala also gave men’s hair more room to play. Connor Storrie made his Met Gala debut with a look created by Candice Birns using Dyson Beauty. Inspired by Antinous, Mick Jagger and Apollo, the result blended Greek god references with a rock-and-roll finish.
The hair was prepped with layers of creams, oils, mousse and smoothing serum to build texture and grit. Dyson Supersonic r™ was used to rough-dry the hair for body and volume, then paired with a round brush to smooth and redefine the natural wave. The final shape kept his curls feeling lived-in, effortless and edged out enough for the carpet.
Hudson Williams
Hudson Williams also leaned into a more sculpted direction with hair by Aika Flores. The look moved from softness into something more controlled, using the Dyson Supersonic Nural™, Dyson Airstrait™, Dyson Airwrap™ i.d. multi-styler and dryer, plus Redken styling products including Big Blowout, Max Sculpting Gel, Brews Grip Tight Holding Gel, Max Hold Hairspray and Control Hairspray.
Together, these looks proved that men’s red-carpet grooming is no longer just about being neat. It is about shape, texture and a point of view.
The Biggest Beauty Takeaway From The 2026 Met Gala
The best hair and makeup moments from the 2026 Met Gala were not about one single finish. They were about balance.
When hair was long and soft, makeup stayed romantic. When hair was sleek and sculptural, there was often a smoky eye, bold lip, nude brow or artful detail to bring the face into focus. When the fashion became theatrical, beauty brought the look back to the person wearing it.
That may be why this year’s strongest glam worked so well. The hair and makeup did not try to outdress the dress. It framed it, softened it, sharpened it or gave it somewhere to land. For a theme built around fashion as art, that felt exactly right.
