Even though celebrities only walk the Met Galared carpet for mere minutes, months of preparation go into their look. After all, this is “the Oscars” of fashion, with those topping the best dressed lists going down in style history.
Of course, not all of that time is spent purely on the outfit, with any party veteran knowing that ample attention must go towards hair, make up and, of course, skincare.
In fact, according to Kate Kerr, aesthetic facialist and Director of Kate Kerr London Clinic, skincare prep needs starts up to six months ahead of a big event. “If someone’s skin is not functioning well and they’re not looking after it, but they’ve decided they want to treat their skin before a red carpet, then we always say to prepare at least 4-6 months ahead,” she explains. “This is because we don’t know how long it will take to break the skin out, repair any damage or if you’ll get any adverse effects in the beginning that you need to work through. You’ll want to work at least 4 or 5 cycles ahead on the skin.”
However it’s likely many of the A-listers who attended last night are on top of their skincare regimen, and would only “need a few facials - I’d say on an average of two skin cycles before,” continues Kerr.
One of the most popular treatments that Met Gala A-listers sought in this two week run up was Face Gym. Pegged as “a workout, not a facial”, their signature sessions target the 40 muscles in the face to achieve a sculpted and glowing face, and were highly requested by the likes of Florence Pugh, Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Kelsey Asbille, Grace Elizabeth, Tom Sturridge, Ivy Getty and Ariana DeBose.
With the price of a ticket being raised from $30,000 to $50,000, attendees were also treated to an assortment of pre-Met Gala skincare freebies. This year Anna Wintour’s personal facialist Joanna Czech hosted an official pre-red-carpet treatment using the LYMA laser, with the likes of Camila Morrone, Amber Valletta, Cara Delevingne and Lily Collins trying her bespoke, custom facial. It featured a sculpting and lifting manual massage, exfoliation, targeted serums and finally, of course, the LYMA Laser - which is used to improve skin elasticity, reduce pigmentation, brighten, and push products more deeply into the skin.
Another popular trend that dominated Met Gala skincare routines was infra red masks, with Lea Michelle a huge advocate for the anti-aging technology.
“Prep is key! It sets the stage for makeup application,” says Michelle’s make up artist Carolina Gonzalez . “After applying skin care, I had Lea Michele wear the CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Mask for 10 minutes to really brighten and have her skin glowing. As if it couldn’t get better, I followed that by having her wear the CurrentBody Skin LED Eye Perfector to further firm, plump, and brighten the eye area.”
