While the Met Gala red carpet is where the final vision unfolds, the real craft begins months in advance—and the chaos kicks in just hours before showtime, often inside a buzzing hotel suite. The day is a whirlwind of creative energy, and while the outfits shine, as a beauty editor, my focus is on the glam. And Laura Harrier's Met Gala makeup look? Well, with a glowing, skin-first approach with subtle pops of color, it's easily one of the best beauty moments of the night. From her luminous skin to her pink blush and her fluttery, bold eyelashes, the actress embodied a handful of summer makeup trends.
I caught up with Harold James, L'Oréal Paris Creative Director and Global Makeup Artist, and Harrier herself to get the exclusive breakdown on their collaboration on this year's Met Gala theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. The look is "all about the glow and the illumination," James tells me. He shares that Laura really wanted to feel like herself, and it was important for the makeup to capture that. "The products we used enhance her skin instead of covering it up," he says.
Harrier echoes James: “For my makeup tonight, I just really wanted to, number one, collaborate with my makeup artist, Harold James, who is someone who's very dear to me,” she says, adding, “I think together, we always really come up with looks that feel like me but are still elevated.” As for the hair, she tells me that she chose to wear her natural curls—“a first for me on a major red carpet,” as she puts it. “It’s really something new and it feels like me that I'm embracing.”
Her makeup was designed to mirror her outfit: a custom GAP creation by Zac Posen, the brand's new Vice President and Creative Director. “Of course, [the makeup] needs to go with the look,” says Harrier. “We spoke to Zac to understand what his vision was, and the final look is a conglomeration of our thoughts.” James landed on a palette inspired by the dress, which he describes as "a beautiful, creamy, light shade."
"We wanted to bring small pops of color back into the look, so we focused on her cheeks and skin to balance the neutrality of her dress," he adds. To get the job done, he used a very hush-hush product: L'Oréal Paris Skin Ink, which is debuting on the Met carpet for the first time, and will soon be available in the US. He relied on the brand's Infallible Setting Spray for long-lasting hold, so her glam would last "from the carpet to the dinner and to all the after parties."
Below, shop the L'Oréal products that helped bring Harrier's Met Gala makeup to life.
Met Gala-Approved L'Oréal Products Makeup Artists Love
This is the $14 secret to Harrier's makeup staying in place, as James says, from the "carpet to all the after parties."
Harrier says, "I really like to keep the Lumi Le Glass Sticks in my purse all night. It actually gives you glass skin without that sparkly effect. The result is a beautiful, highlighted glow, and it's perfect for touch-ups."
