Composite by India Espy-Jones 
The Met Gala—which will be held at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday—has long been coined as “fashion’s biggest night out.” Yet, since its inception in 1948, Hollywood’s biggest names have long valued—and sometimes, entirely relied on—how they present their beauty looks.
In 1981, for example, Iman wet her bob-length hair into a textured slick back paired with a juicy red manicure. Then, in 1990, Naomi Campbell attended her very first Met Ball in frosted lipstick (think: MAC’s discontinued “Bubbles” shade) and light brown highlights. 9 years later, Lil’ Kim arrived in a punk hairdo: blonde with pink streaks to match her lip combo.
In 2003, Diana Ross’ pink blush, red lipstick and nails, and bouffant afro were exceptionally romantic—much like when Andre Leon Talley shared a red cape with Venus Williams, which matched her blush in 2008. By 2014, Solange debuted her famous pixie cut to assert dominance, power, and a little sass anyone with a pixie cut would have. In 2015, Beyoncé—who’s this year’s Met Gala co-chair—went full Sasha Fierce with an ultra-high ponytail.
The following year, Zendaya pulled off a gamine-chic bowl cut and smoky eye (my personal favorite look of all time). Then, in 2023, Rihanna gave her sunglasses lashes instead, which paired perfectly with her matte red lip. And, at the most recent—and most profitable Met Gala in history—Doechii proved the impact of Black power with a round afro, cigar, and Louis Vuitton logo branded into her blush.
Ahead of the 2026 Met Gala, ESSENCE looks back at the event’s best beauty moments in history.
NEW YORK – APRIL 28:(TABLOIDS OUT)(L-R)Actress Nicole Kidman, fashion designer Tom Ford and singer Diana Ross attend the Costume Institute Benefit Gala sponsored by Gucci at The Metropolitan Museum of Art April 28, 2003 in New York City.(Photo by Gucci via Getty Images)
NEW YORK – MAY 05:Vogue magazine’s Andre Leon Talley and tennis player Venus Williams depart the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala “Superheroes: Fashion And Fantasy” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008 in New York City.(Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage)
NEW YORK – MAY 03:Singer Janet Jackson attends the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 in New York City.(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 04:Beyonce attends the ‘China: Through The Looking Glass’ Costume Institute Benefit Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York City.(Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 05: Solange Knowles attends the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2014 in New York City.(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
American fashion designer Calvin Klein and Somali fashion model Iman at the Met Gala, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, USA, December 1981. (Photo by Rose Hartman/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 02:Zendaya attends “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Costume Institute Gala at(Photo by Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty Images)
Rapper Lil’ Kim attends the 1999 Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Photo by mark peterson/Corbis via Getty Images)
English fashion model Naomi Campbell and American fashion photographer Francesco Scavullo (1921 – 2004) attend the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, 3rd December 1990. (Photo by Rose Hartman/Getty Images)
PA NEWS PHOTO 10/12/96IMAN AND CHRISTIAN LACROIX AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN NEW YORK FOR THE COSTUME INSTITUTE BALL (Photo by John Stillwell – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07:Rihanna attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City.(Photo by Kevin Tachman/Getty Images for Vogue)
US singer Kid Cudi arrives for the 2021 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York. This year’s Met Gala has a distinctively youthful imprint, hosted by singer Billie Eilish, actor Timothee Chalamet, poet Amanda Gorman and tennis star Naomi Osaka, none of them older than 25. The 2021 theme is “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” (Photo by Angela WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Barbadian singer/actress Rihanna arrive for the 2023 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2023, in New York. – The Gala raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The Gala’s 2023 theme is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” (Photo by Angela WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Erykah Badu attends The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Whitney Houston at The Met Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art inNew York CityDecember 6, 1999 (Photo by Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 05: Doechii attends the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 05, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/MG25/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue) TOPICS: 2026 Met Gala best red carpet beauty
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Author: Akili King
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