15 Beauty Products Under $25 Celebs Used at the 2026 Met Gala
Including the $8 lipstick Zoë Kravitz loves and Kylie Jenner’s red-carpet texture spray
Reported by Harper's Bazaar.
The Met Gala red carpet is fashion's most expensive mood board — but the products actually doing the heavy lifting on celebrity faces and hair? Frequently under $25. According to Harper's Bazaar, the 2026 gala was a masterclass in accessible beauty, with A-list artists quietly relying on drugstore staples and cult indie finds to create some of the night's most talked-about looks.
On the complexion front, L'Oréal showed up everywhere. Celebrity makeup artist Alex Babsky built Zoë's entire look using the brand's products, anchoring it with Colour Riche Satin Lipstick in 762 Divine Wine — layered lightly for color that reads romantic rather than statement. Meanwhile, Mary Phillips used L'Oréal's $13 Extensionist Mascara to create Kendall Jenner's feathery lash moment, then sculpted the model's face with Lumi Bronze Le Stick Soleil along the perimeter and jawline, finishing with Lumi Le Glass on the high points for what Phillips described as a glow-from-within effect. For Joey King, makeup artist Allan Avendaño sealed skin prep with Neutrogena's Evenly Clear Acne Gel Moisturizer — lightweight, non-greasy, and fully invisible under foundation.
The Hair and Nail Details That Sealed the Looks
Hair prep was equally unglamorous in the best way. Hairstylist Chad Wood used a Tangle Teezer detangling brush twice — before and after styling — to give Tate McRae's waves that airy, undone volume without collapsing the texture. Kylie Jenner's "polished but unraveling" waves, courtesy of stylist Iggy Rosales, were finished with Kenra's dry texture spray for lived-in movement. Ciara's gravity-defying crown updo required Rizos' castor oil–infused wax stick to tame flyaways, while Cherilyn Farris started Maude Apatow's structured updo with Tresemmé's All-In-One Style Primer, pulling reference directly from the Met's own painted portraits of women.
Nails were their own editorial moment. Manicurist Julie Kandalec gave Emily Blunt abstract art-inspired fingertips using Essie's glittery Set In Stones polish, drawing deliberately from Wassily Kandinsky's philosophy that the circle symbolizes cosmic harmony — a wearable nod to the gala's theme. Emma Chamberlain's color-matched art deco manicure used six Aprés Nail Gel Couleurs, including a deep blue shade Tom Bachik "dripped" from her extensions. And for Elizabeth Debicki's barely-there flush, makeup artist Misha Shahzada turned to Jung Saem Mool's cushion blush for a sheer, dewy wash of pink that looked like skin, not product.
The real flex of Met Gala beauty isn't the budget — it's knowing exactly where to spend it.
Read the original at Harper's Bazaar.
