Held the first Monday of May each year, the Met Gala brings out the biggest stars in entertainment for a night of glamour.
The 2024 Met Gala celebrated the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." The dress code for the event was “The Garden of Time.”
Offering plenty of opportunities for creativity, celebrity nail artists went to work to create gorgeous styles for the stars. From larger than life to minimalist chic, there was something for everyone to love at this year's Met Gala.
Here, we share our favorite looks from the night and how you can recreate these looks for your clients.
Dove Cameron
Dove Cameron’s dreamy floral nail look was created by manicurist Melanie Shengaris (@painted_lolly) using Aprés Nail.
"Dove has beautiful natural nails and can grow them long, but she loves the shape and look of the Gel-X Natural Almond Long Tips, so that’s her go-to shape and length always for extensions," Shengaris shares.
How-To:
- For her Met look, I cleaned her cuticles and made sure I cut her nails short, in preparation for the extensions to look flawless.
- I sized the tips to her nails and made sure they fit her cuticle area perfectly, filing them to the same shape as her cuticles. This makes such a difference for the tips fitting so perfectly and looking seamless.
- I then scrubbed the inside of the tips with Gel-X Prep, so they adhere.
- I used pH Bonder and Non-Acidic Gel Primer to prep her nails for the coat of Extend Gel on her natural nail, then cured.
- Starting with the pinky, I painted a thin coat of the Extend Gel inside the tip to match the natural nail length and a perfect amount at the cuticle area. I then cure using my favorite Omni Light. I continued this process with all 5 nails and then cured the whole hand in the lamp for 45 seconds.
- Dove loves the shape of these tips, so I really don’t need to file much. I then buff the shine off with a small buffer and seal the cuticle with a quick swipe of acetone on my nail brush.
- We chose the color Dear Diary from the new Light & Shadow Sheer Gel Couleur collection and applied 2 thin coats. It's a smooth and creamy color with a hint of pink.
- Next, I used the Diamond Gel to adhere the rose and leaf charms that I carefully chose to match Dove’s dress.
- I wanted some of the leaves to point slightly upwards, instead of laying completely flat, so I used the Omni Light to flash cure.
- I then used the Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gelcoat over the nails and around the flowers and cured.
- I finished with Spring Steps Cuticle Serum, which smells divine with the fragrance of coconut, sage and Jasmine which was so on point with this year's Met theme.
Dove also matched her toes with the same color. So dreamy!
Kaia Gerber
Celebrity nail artist Thuy Nguyen partnered with CND on a ballerina nail for Kaia Gerber.
“For the MET Gala, Kaia is accompanying her beautiful Prada dress with exquisite pink diamonds from Tiffany & Co. I wanted to complement her nails with a color that would bring cohesiveness to her look, which CND™ Romantique was perfect for,” states Nguyen.
How-To:
- Begin with nail prep.
- Apply a layer of CND PLEXIGEL Bonder, and cure in the CND LED Lamp using preset button 1.
- Using CND Future Forms with CND PLEXIGEL Color Builder in Soft Blush for the base and Porcelain for the free edge, build nail length, shape, and architecture to a medium length almond-shaped nail. Cure each layer using button 2B and clean with 99% IPA.
- Shape and refine the nail using a 180-grit file & buffer, and clean with 99% IPA.
- Apply two layers of CND SHELLAC in Romantique. Cure each layer using button 2S.
- Seal with a layer of CND SHELLAC No-Wipe+ Top Coat, and cure using button 3.
- Moisturize hands with CND SCENTSATIONS Hand & Body Lotion in Mango & Coconut to deliver essential moisture to the skin.
- Finish with CND SOLAROIL to condition nails and cuticles.
Sabrina Carpenter
Nail artist Zola Ganzorigt created a frosty blue nail look for Sabrina Carpenter using OPI.
"We wanted to do a blue manicure to compliment her Oscar de la Renta gown and decided to go with this frosty blue manicure with shiny rhinestones," shares Ganzorigt.
How-To:
- Apply one coat of GelColor Stay Strong Base Coat.
- Mix OPI GelColor in It's a Boy! with Chrome Effects in Tin Man Can to create the subtle icy blue pearly effect. Apply two coats.
- Place rhinestones on top.
- Apply one coat of GelColor Stay Shiny Top Coat.
Jessica Biel
Celebrity Nail Stylist Elle Gerstein (@enamelle) created a translucent manicure using Madam Glam's "I Do" with chrome leaves and crystals.
Troye Sivan
Nail artist Mei Kawajiri (@nailsbymei) created a galaxy-inspired aura nails look for Troye Sivan using products from Manucurist.
Licorice and Lilas Green Flash LED Gel Polish were used to create the aura effect, Active Shine polish was applied for a top coat and Huile Verte cuticle oil was applied for a finishing touch.
Lauren Sanchez
Manicurist Tom Bachik (@tombachik) created a pink glass slipper nail look for Lauren Sanchez using products from Mia Secret.
"Synergizing off the stained glass perfection of her custom Oscar de la Renta gown, we wanted the nails to be very feminine and elegant like the soft light diffusion of sheer iridescent glass," Bachik shares.
How-To:
- I used my Tweezerman tools to create the perfect canvas to create our Met Gala look on.
- Then, I used Aquaphor to hydrate and restore the hand and cuticles.
- I applied Mia Secret Nail Extension Almond Gel Tips.
- Then, I applied Mia Secret Metallic Flakes in Ch -20.
- Then, I painted Mia Secret UV-LED gel paint in Snow White to create a mini white rose on her little finger just to add a little bit of extra personality.
- Lastly, I topped it off with Glass Finish Gel by Mia Secret.
Ashley Graham
Harriet Westmoreland (@harrietwestmoreland) and Milly Mason (@millymason_) teamed up to create a BIAB manicure and pedicure using products from The GelBottle.
Westmoreland used Dolly BIAB for the manicure, and Mason used Dolly and Daisy BIAB to create a classy French pedicure.
