CONSIDERING how borderline (and outright) crazy some of the outfits were on the Met Gala red carpet, it was interesting to note that the hair and makeup were not quite so outrageous. Perhaps it was to let the clothes take center stage, but I felt somewhat relieved that the beauty looks were actually pretty wearable. Here are a few that caught my eye.
Joan Smalls
We’ve got to hand it to her makeup artist for creating such a flawlessly smokey eye look, especially with such a tricky color. I like that the violet and magenta hues don’t match her dress exactly; the unique, redder shade still draws attention to her eyes and not just her dress. To prevent such a smoked-out shadow look from looking too harsh, the key is to blend the edges really well so that there are no clear lines on where the color ends. Balance out the face with eyebrows that are no darker than the hair on your head, and just-nude-enough lips; nothing too peachy, or you’re going to look washed out.
Jennifer Lawrence
Here’s a red carpet look that I think is completely wearable in real life. It is way more relaxed than what the other stars were wearing, but we can take a cue from this tousled bun and pretty eye and lip combination. I especially love how bright pink lips look in the summer with a tan, paired with shimmery brown or bronze eyeshadow. Brighten up the inner corners with shimmery champagne. To prevent things from entering Barbie territory, go with natural-looking brows instead of really sculpted ones by just filling in sparse areas with a pencil that matches your brow color. Falsies would also look too Barbie instead of summery, so just go with two coats of black or dark brown mascara on top and bottom lashes. This look doesn’t use a lot of eyeliner, which would melt in the heat anyway if we were to try this at home.
Keri Russell
Hers was the beauty look that really stood out for me on this event. Yes, it is another smokey eye, but Keri Russell doesn’t often wear such bold eye looks. I think it suited her feathered dress perfectly, though it was quite costume-y but not an actual costume (unlike some yellow-clad stars that inspired dozens of memes online). Perhaps going with the feather theme, her eyes were dressed up in peacock colors with purple on the outside and green on the inside. Again, not using false eyelashes prevented this from turning into a costume, and her sleek hairstyle did not compete with her attention-grabbing dress and eyes.