Going up the stairs of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the 2026 Met Gala, which celebrated “Costume Art,” last night, Laura Harrier knew her way around. After all, the actor is somewhat of a Met Gala veteran having attended “fashion’s biggest night” five—and now six—times. “It’s always different, but it’s so fun every year,” she told Into The Gloss over the phone. “And getting to dress up and play into the ‘Fashion Is Art’ dress code was really exciting.” What that meant for her: a wet look inspired by Sandro Botticelli’s most famous painting and glam by celebrity makeup artist Harold James to match. Here’s what she told us about the night.
Where did you get ready, and what did you wear?
The Mark Hotel. I was cozy in one of the hotel’s bathrobes.
What did the room sound like?
We were playing music—a lot of Don Toliver. We had a little dance party.
And smell like?
The Mark delivered KFC and caviar to all the rooms so my room smelled like chicken, which is probably not the sexiest. [Laughs] I’m a caviar girl so I definitely had some before putting it in the hallway because it smelled too much like chicken.
What inspired the glam look?
My stylist Danielle Goldberg, makeup artist Harold James, and hairstylist Irinel de León and I looked at Renaissance paintings. We wanted the look to feel like a modern day Botticelli painting. We took The Birth of Venus and asked ChatGPT to turn it into a Black woman. What’s weird and funny is that the woman in the render definitely looked like me even though we didn’t give it that prompt.
Who designed your gown?
I wore a liquid bronze wet look from Di Petsa. Since we were thinking about The Birth of Venus, we thought about how we could create a look that would reference the painting without it being painted on the dress, and how we could highlight the body without being too naked. It was super comfortable. I loved that I didn’t have to worry about wrinkling; I even got to sit down in the car. It’s so stressful when you have to stand in a car wearing a gown.
What was the most glamorous product on the glam table?
All of the YSL packaging is so pretty and glamorous, but the powder blushes were a huge highlight for me—Harold ended up putting Peachy Nude and Coral Clash on me. And I’m always a fan of the Candy Glaze gloss sticks.
What step of the glam process took the longest?
Harold was really meticulous and specific about my lips, which is something I love about him—he’s truly an artist. He used the Lovenude Kiss Shaper in Cocoa Flirt and the Lovenude Lip Blusher in Nude Lavalliere. Then when he sent me on my way, he was like, “Do not put on too much gloss; don’t use too little gloss. Just one dot in the middle of your mouth, nothing more.” [Laughs] He actually didn’t want to give me the lip liner because he had gotten it so perfect.
What detail of the makeup were you hoping that photographers would capture really well?
I mean, the whole thing. [Laughs] But definitely the blush because blush sometimes doesn’t read well in photos. I asked Harold if it looked like too much in person, but it looked beautiful in photos.
What was the least glamorous step for you throughout the whole glam process?
Other than the room smelling like chicken? [Laughs] I mean, The Mark Hotel is great but I was in a hotel room with 10 people who were trying to help me get ready—some were even taping my boobs into my dress. There are a lot of layers that are not the most glamorous but create very glamorous results.
When did you get your nails done—day of or before? What was the nail brief?
I got them done in LA the week before with my girl Jenny—I figured if my nails grew out too much I could get them done at the last minute in New York, but luckily, I didn’t have to. I knew the dress had this drippy-wet thing going on, but I hadn’t even tried on the dress when I did my nails so we didn’t have anything physically to go off. I just told Jenny to think along the lines of wet and shiny, and it worked out really well.
What perfume did you wear for the night?
I wore Glossier You. I like spraying it on my whole chest, collarbones, and neck.
What did you carry in your purse for the night?
My YSL lip blusher, a little cushion to touch up my skin if I needed to, Listerine strips, a room key, and my phone—nothing crazy.
Did you change your glam look for the after parties?
We toned down the blush to make it more wearable for real life, took off the lip and then did the same Cocoa Flirt liner, which is my usual shade, with Candy Glaze 02.
What was the best part of the night for you?
Seeing Stevie Nicks perform was incredible. She sang “Gypsy” and “Edge of Seventeen”—and a “Landslide” duet with Sabrina Carpenter. Everybody was dancing. I was right next to the stage, and it was just amazing seeing her that close.
How many photos did you take throughout the night?
I didn’t take that many. They tape up your phone when you go inside The Met so you can’t take photos, and it was hectic while getting ready, so I relied on everyone else. I do have a couple of selfies with my friends at the Saint Laurent after party, but I had to text everyone today for other photos. But my favorite one? When I left the hotel for the second time to go to the after party, I took the service elevator with all of the hotel staff. They were very sweet and let me get in because there was a huge delay with the elevators. I took a funny selfie of me with all of the waiters crammed in.
What was the first thing that you did when you finally got home at the end of the night?
Oh my God, I took off my shoes. My feet are still tingling from being in heels all night.
Did you remove your makeup?
I always, always wash my face—no matter what; even if it’s 5AM and I’ve had a few drinks.
—as told to Daise Bedolla
Photos courtesy of YSL Beauty