Blake Lively Proves Drugstore Makeup Can Look Like 2 Million Bucks

On the first Monday of May, every year, hundreds of Hollywood stars get dressed up for a sort of celebrity costume party.

OK, so “costume party” may be trivializing the matter. We’re talking about the Met Gala — the annual fundraising event held to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.

It’s a night of opulence reserved only for the elite (rumor has it Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, controls the guest list and hand selects about 600 people to receive invites), and tickets go for a whopping $30,000 a piece.

Guests show up in over-the-top, ornately decorated custom ensembles from the biggest names in the fashion world, and most of the outfits end up looking more like art than clothing.  

In fact, Rihanna, who co-chaired the event and may have worn the most on-theme outfit of the night (the theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” in case you were wondering), wore a dress that took 750 hours to sew and embroider by hand.

Some designer dresses will even run you as much as $35,000 — although that number is from 2013, so they’re probably only getting pricier as designers try to outdo themselves year over year.

Yeah, there’s not a lot of Penny Hoarding going on at the Met Gala.

So when we heard of one star who paired her $2 million Lorraine Schwartz jewelry with a budget-friendly drugstore makeup look, we were intrigued, to say the least.

Blake Lively Wore a Full Face of Drugstore Makeup to the Met Gala (and Looked Good Doing It)

Blake Lively, whose Versace gown needed its own party bus just to transport it to the event, was one of the best-dressed of the night. (OK, yes, there are like 25 people on my personal “best-dressed” list for this year’s event, but still.)

But what set the actress apart was her face.

To complete her ensemble, which included a custom-made halo featuring over 100 carats of diamonds, Lively turned to makeup brand L’Oréal Paris.

Like, the stuff you could walk into your local drugstore and pick up for a few bucks right now. Yeah, that L’Oréal Paris.

And the star didn’t just use a little eyeshadow or a swipe of blush so she could say she repped the brand; she wore nothing but the inexpensive drugstore line.

According to Allure, makeup artist Kristofer Buckle used everything from L’Oréal Paris’ Hydra Genius moisturizer to the line’s Colour Riche Shine lipstick to create Lively’s glowy, rosy look.

And sure, while the sheer perfection that was the star’s look probably had a lot to do with the professional makeup artist’s handiwork, it’s pretty cool to see a star wearing makeup that just about anyone could afford.

I may never get within 10 feet of $2 million in jewels without a layer of bulletproof glass between us (much less wear them), but I can totally re-create this makeup look with a YouTube tutorial and products I already have at home.

That way, if my invite to the Met Gala ever shows up in the mail, I’ll be totally ready.

Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her sister has heard and confirmed her “Top 25 Best Dressed at the Met Gala 2k18” list.