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Two-time Grammy-winning rapper Doechii made her sophomore Met Gala appearance tonight. For the red carpet, she and longtime stylist Sam Woolf chose a burgundy Marc Jacobs wrap dress.
Makeup artist Chelsea Uchenna, who worked with Doechii for her best-dressed Met debut last year, tells Vogue she knew the glam would be a “dark, feminine look.” It aligns well with the star’s current “very bohemian, very goddess vibes,” she says, which fans might recall she channeled earlier this year at the Grammys.
To fit the look, Uchenna worked with a color palette of deep, smoky tones and earthy jewel tones. She also went for a more “luminous” finish on the skin, she says, noting, “Usually, we tend to go for something that has a satin/matte finish, but we switched it up for this carpet and used Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Hydrating Gel Skin Tint, which is long-wear and has coverage but still has the glow that we’re looking for.” She also prepped the skin with the “Hydro Grip + Glow Illuminating Primer on the high points of her face just to really emphasize the ‘glowing from within’ look,” Uchenna explains.
As for hair, hairstylist Matthew Jean-Pierre—who helped craft Doechii’s iconic afro for last year’s Met with fellow hairstylist Malcolm Marquez—says Marc Jacobs created the accompanying headpiece: “It’s actually a hat. I knew the headpiece was gonna be the star of the show, so we didn’t want to do a wig that was too complicated.”
To that end, he chose a textured wig to match Doechii’s natural hair, noting that they “wanted it to look really natural and real.” He also wanted “her edges to be the moment,” and for the little hanging strands to complement the headpiece.
For nails, artist Rachel Sun says she initially planned to create “a simple burgundy cateye nail,” but “could not leave it at that for such an iconic person and event.” So, she turned to crystals. “This nail look is inspired by naturally forming crystal clusters that are unpolished,” Sun says, adding, “The idea was to create an effect that replicated materials and textures found in nature. I also reference the gems on her jewelry to extend the accessories to include nails.”
Nails as accessories are something Sun has given a lot of thought to, especially in relation to the dress code, Fashion Is Art. “As nail art advances, I want people to see nails as jewelry,” she says, noting that nails can be worn for “a special night, or even just displayed. Art doesn’t demand practicality, and neither should nails.”
For the look, Sun used one coat of Aprés Nail’s Pour Decisions ombréd into two coats of Ruby Slippers.
Eagle-eyed viewers might also notice that the crystallized look extends to Doechii’s pedicure, proving that truly no beauty detail was left unexplored in the creation of this look.
Doechii’s Past Met Gala Look
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
