If you can't afford Cardi B's over-the-top Thom Browne Met Gala ensemble — the bejeweled nipple covers alone are valued at $250,000 — there is one aspect of her look that you can copy without having to pull off an Ocean's Eight heist. We're talking about her makeup, skin care, and nails — which were just as extra as her feathered sleeves, but cost a fraction of the price.
Cardi kept it monochromatic from head-to-toe, including her manicure, which was created by her longtime nail artist, Jenny Bui. To match her gown exactly, Bui started by sweeping on OPI polish in Candied Kingdom, a glossy, candy-apple red. Because it wouldn't be Cardi without some bling, Bui spent three hours painstakingly gluing Swarovski crystals to every square inch of her nails. "I used over 250 stones of all different shapes. It truly looked amazing when completed," Bui tells Refinery29.
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Her skin-care and makeup prep took about half that time, her celebrity makeup artist Erika La Pearl tells us. The pro prepped Cardi's skin with POND'S Dry Skin Cream. "The moisturizer is truly a must-have. It won’t clog your pores and leaves the face feeling soft and silky," La Pearl tells R29. "Also, it prevents dryness under the harsh lighting on the red carpet." Once she had a smooth base, she went in with Beautyblender's Bounce foundation for an even complexion. To complete the monochromatic look, the makeup artist lined Cardi's lips with Pat McGrath PermaGel Ultra Lip Pencil in Manhattan and topped it off with a custom blend of the brand's MatteTrance Lipsticks in Guinevere and Vendetta.
The final look fit in nicely with the Met's matchy-matchy trend last night. Attendees like Kylie Jenner, Lizzo, and Nicki Minaj also coordinated their hair color with their gowns. We'll have to wait and see if this becomes one of the biggest trends of the year — or if it was simply a fun statement for fashion's biggest (and campiest) night.
