It's official: Lil Nas X just won the 2023 Met Gala in beauty.
Instead of clothes, the "Industry Baby" rapper opted to wear a coat of silver body paint topped off glitter and, per a press release, approximately 5,000 Swarovski crystals. Clad in nothing but a silver thong, the metallic paint — which covers every inch of Lil Nas X's body — does all the heavy lifting here.
Responsible for the Grammy winner's mega-watt look is makeup artist Pat McGrath, the mind behind Doja Cat's similarly bejeweled — and equally internet-breaking — makeup for Schiaparelli's couture show back in January.
While Doja's crimson, crystal-encrusted head and arms were the result of approximately five hours of focused handiwork, it took McGrath nearly 12 hours (that's half a day!) to paint and bedazzle Lil Nas X. "The team began working on the avant-garde style at 8:30 a.m. and finished at 7 p.m.," a release specifies.
Take a closer look, and it's clear how much effort and attention to detail went into the feat. Lil Nas X's face is exquisitely adorned with pearls and filigree Swarovski elements that create the illusion of an ornate Venetian mask. The artist's lips are even painted silver and dotted with crystals of varying sizes (we're not sure how he managed to eat or drink anything throughout the night, but that's a question for another time).
This is what makeup magic is all about: a transformation that leaves onlookers wondering, but how?! We've gotta hand it to Lil Nas X and Pat McGrath for pulling off the most ambitious beauty accomplishment of the night.
