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When it comes to red carpet glam, the Met Gala is a marathon, not a sprint. With a long list of A-list clients that range from Gigi Hadid to Hailee Steinfeld, Carolina Gonzalez is the celebrity makeup artist (and beauty whisperer) you want by your side at the starting line.
On the first Monday in May, the stakes—and flash—are higher. This means the glam routine needs to be heavily stepped up, too. “The eyes are always my main focus—they’re the first thing people notice,” Gonzalez tells The Daily Beast. “But prep is just as essential. It sets the stage for everything that follows.” That means more than a great moisturizer. For Gonzalez, red carpet readiness is equal parts artistry and strategy, and that includes a prescription eye drop (yes, really) to lift, which she keeps in her toolkit to energize the eye area in minutes.
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“One of the biggest challenges with the Met Gala is making sure the makeup not only reads beautifully on the carpet, but also lasts all night, reflects the theme, and—most importantly—feels true to my client,” she says. For that reason, her prep begins long before the liner. She uses Upneeq, a prescription drop that treats low-lying lids and gives an instant lifting effect. “It gives me a refreshed, lifted look in just five minutes and lasts up to eight hours,” she says. “I often recommend that my clients speak with their providers before big events to explore it—it works seamlessly with the makeup I do.”
Every year, the carpet sees a flurry of celebrities with various kinds of glam. Some like to keep it relatively basic so as to not distract from the main event—aka their outfit—while others lean into the dramatics. So what should we expect tonight? Gonzalez predicts we’ll see a dreamy mix of restraint and richness. “Lashy, lengthened lashes, minimal visible skin coverage, flushed cheeks, and lips in hues of burgundy and soft-to-bold browns,” she notes.
Skin, she believes, should still look like skin while on the carpet. Her go-to foundation for a balance of smooth and glowy? Armani Beauty’s Luminous Silk. “It’s lightweight, buildable, and leaves you with a flawless, natural-looking complexion,” she says. Before she adds the foundation, however, she always starts with 111SKIN’s Celestial Black Diamond Cream to hydrate and brighten without greasiness. And for a touch of gleam, she taps on Aquaphor’s Healing Balm Stick, doubling it as a balmy highlighter on cheekbones and lids. “It’s a multi-use essential,” she notes.
Naturally, no red carpet look is complete without lashes, and Gonzalez’s favorites are the ones she co-created. The VELOUR x CGONZALEZBEAUTY Self-Stick Lashes are applied underneath the lash line, making them virtually undetectable. “The glue is already on, so you skip all the usual steps,” she says. “They’re fluffy, the hair quality is gorgeous, and they blend in seamlessly.” To sculpt the face without the telltale contour lines, she turns to Milk Makeup’s Contour Stick, which she loves for its creamy texture and subtle tone range. “It gives you definition that looks believable on camera and IRL.”
Shop Gonzalez’s Met Gala must-haves below.
