The Best Beauty Looks from the Met Gala 2014

by Sophia Panych

To honor American couturier Charles James, fashion's elite stepped out for this year's Costume Institute Gala in ball gowns, coattails, and...purple lipstick. The beauty looks of the night pushed the limits of hair (towering updos) and makeup (red eye shadow). We rounded up our favorites looks from fashion's biggest night out.


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BEYONCÉ
Queen Bey and her makeup artist, Francesca Tolot, wanted a makeup look that was "bold, retro, yet modern" to complement the singer's '20s-style headdress. "The strong lip color and natural eye helped achieve the exact look we wanted," says Tolot, who mixed together M.A.C. Satin Lipstick in Cyber and Vixen to get the dramatic shade. At the risk of sounding cheesy, we're totally drunk in love with this look.

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EMMA STONE
The bronzy makeup. The thick, textured braid. The Thakoon crop top and skirt. There's not one thing we didn't like about Stone's look. And the secret behind her glow-y skin might surprise you. "I used a foundation a couple of shades darker than I normally use on her face and then mixed it with body lotion and applied it to her arms and chest," says makeup artist Rachel Goodwin. As for the cheeks, she applied Revlon PhotoReady Skinlights Face Illuminator in Peach Light (a liquid highlighter), while she dabbed Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Eyeshadow in New Moon all over Stone's lids. "Everything is soft and bronzy. I didn't want any hard lines at all," says Goodwin.

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CARA DELEVINGNE
Hairstylist Peter Gray summed up the style he did for Cara Delevingne perfectly: "It's Jessica Rabbit meets classic Jerry Hall--the ultimate glamour." To create the look, his tools included a curling iron, Shu Uemura Art of Hair Ample Angora Volumizing Light Foam, a 1940s wave-setting technique--oh, and an embroidery needle. Delevingne's sparkling hair accessory was actually a Cartier necklace that Gray sewed into her hair with beige elastic thread. "To secure it, I also added tiny hidden cornrows underneath," says Gray. "You don't want that bling falling on the floor."

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JOAN SMALLS
Purple lipstick is not meant for everyone. Who is it definitely meant for? Model Joan Smalls. OK, sure, her killer cheekbones, perfect skin, and full lips help her pull off the wacky hue better than we mere mortals could, but it doesn't change the fact that the color wasn't berry purple, or burgundy purple, or pink-y purple. It was purple purple. And the reason it looked so perfect was that it didn't come straight from a tube. (Sorry, folks!) Makeup artist Sir John (yes, that's his real name), custom-mixed the color just for Smalls.

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ASHLEY OLSEN
Olsen's low ponytail was simple and low-key, and that's exactly what made it so chic and unexpected. Plus, she decorated it with one of the season's hottest accessories--a piece of black ribbon. "When Ashley Olsen says, 'I'm thinking about a ribbon or bow for the Met Ball,' I come prepared," hairstylist Mark Townsend posted on his Instagram account. By the looks of it, I'm pretty sure he cleaned out an entire Michael's craft store.

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KARLIE KLOSS
Not all of the looks we loved were edgy or eccentric. Kloss's makeup, by Brigitte Reiss Anderson, was traditional--a modern twist on a '60s look--and absolutely mesmerizing. And since I know you all are wondering what nude lipstick she was wearing (at least those of you who follow Kloss on Instagram), I made sure to track it down: Marc Jacobs Lovemarc Lip Gel in Moody Margot.


See more: 34 Hair Ideas for 2014

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SARAH JESSICA PARKER
You can always expect two things from Parker at the Met Gala: a statement-making dress and an equally statement-making updo. Last year, it was a fishtail-braid meets Mohawk. This year, it was a hair butterfly (if you stare at it from the back, at least). I'm not even going to try to explain how this was done. This hairstyle is more like the Charles James dresses on display that night--a true work of art.

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OLIVIA MUNN
Our May cover star kept things on the sunny side with a yellow Diane von Furstenberg gown and coral lipstick (Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Sari D'eau). It sounds like citrus overload, but the bright shades contrasted beautifully with her strong brows, glowing skin, and dark waves--and helped highlight the swallow-shaped gold barrette slipped above her left ear.

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DIANE KRUGER
Kruger channeled Grace Kelly with her undulating down do--a more graphic version of the Hollywood fashion and beauty icon's famous hairstyle. To create the look, hairstylist Miki teased the ends of a low ponytail and wrapped them around a cylindrical piece of foam until the ends of the foam met, creating a fan shape just above the neckline. Do try this at home.

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ZOE KRAVITZ
You've heard before that dying your hair can change how you do your makeup. Well, for Kravitz, going blonde inspired her to wear more red eye shadow. Yes, eye shadow that is red. And you know what? Somehow it works. However, that's not a color makeup artists carry around on the regular, so Kravitz's makeup artist, Kara Yoshimoto Bua, had to get creative. She actually used a red lipstick topped with taupe eye shadow. Read all about how she did it here.

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GIOVANNA BATTAGLIA
Talk about a complete look. The fashion editor and street-style star went head-to-toe floral, matching her hair with her Dolce & Gabbana ball gown with roses cascading down her exaggerated ponytail. Maybe she read our story on how to wear hair flowers. Her perfectly scattered roses feel random and cool, not precious and cheesy.

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LUPITA NYONG'O
To no one's surprise, Nyong'o went with a daring beauty look that only she could make look amazing. In order to not be too matchy-matchy, makeup artist Nick Barose chose to contrast the green of her dress and Cartier headpiece with a shimmery purple eye shadow (Lancôme Color Design Eye Shadow in Miss Sweetheart D) that he dusted all around her eyes. "I wanted a shade that was fun but would also brighten her skin," he says. And no, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you--her hair is also purple, dyed by hairstylist Ted Gibson before he sculpted it into a French-roll-meets-pompadour.

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