Met Gala Beauty Secrets with Joanna Vargas

The 2024 Met Gala is just a few days away! Have you ever wondered how celebrities prepare for the red carpet?

Of course they need to choose an outfit and decide on glam, but so much of it starts with skincare.

I sat down with celebrity esthetician and founder of Joanna Vargas Skincare, the one and only Joanna Vargas, to discuss how celebrities get ready for big red carpet events like the Met Gala.

Not only that, but I was able to experience the Triple Crown Facial, which is the treatment Joanna recommends to her clients before they attend the Met Gala.

We met at her New York City spa and spoke about beauty trends, skin prep and feeling confident—read our conversation below!

Met Gala Beauty Secrets with Joanna Vargas

Austen Tosone: Joanna, it's Met Gala season! You've worked with celebrities like Rachel Brosnahan, Lori Harvey and Vanessa Hudgens ahead of the Met Gala.

What are people looking for ahead of such a huge red carpet event when it comes to treatments?

Joanna Vargas: Skin is always the story of the red carpet, so hydration is a big thing, lymphatic drainage, sculpting and lifting—really feeling like your skin is soothed.

Putting your best face forward is the theme for me for the red carpet.

AT: I love hearing that, especially when there are so many cameras and flashes…I feel like having just healthy skin just makes you feel like you'll always feel good having that covered no matter what else is on top of it.

JV: Yeah, it's a real confidence booster, to not have to think about your skin and to really feel that you're happy in your own skin as you walk the carpet and you can just focus on your amazing look and just having a great time.

AT: In terms of your offerings here at the spa, you usually recommend your Triple Crown Facial for a red carpet event.

Can you tell me what makes that one your go-to for something like the Met Gala?

JV: Sure! The Triple Crown facial is completely non-invasive.

So all of the technologies that are utilized are great, whether you have sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin or anything in between. 

We do a microdermabrasion with a diamond tipped wand. Then we use a microcurrent with different modalities.

I have electric gloves and wands and I have an electric mask so I can electrify my sheet masks. 

It's really an incredible journey that your skin takes and then we finish with oxygen microcurrent which increases circulation and increases lymphatic drainage.

It lifts the skin and tightens the muscle and increases collagen production. So it's truly perfect for the right carpet.

AT: Wow, when you said you can electrify sheet masks, it makes you think of all of the different things you can do with your skin.

I think that’s also why people turn to professionals like you with all of these incredible tools and your knowledge for events like this.

I would not be prepared to electrify my sheet mask in my bathroom at home! 

JV: Absolutely. It makes a big difference and people love doing it.

The results are cumulative and like I said, it's completely non invasive so there are no side effects and you don’t have to worry about overly sensitizing the skin before the big day.

AT: Speaking of a big day, how far in advance before something like a red carpet event or wedding  do you recommend someone gets a facial? Would their skin need any time to recover?

JV: Well, I always recommend not doing anything new for the first time when you have no clue what's going to happen before a big red carpet or a big moment in your life in terms of potential reactions to products.

For Met Gala and for big red carpets, I typically see people up to the morning of and it just really depends on the client’s schedule.

Some of my clients will be in the spa multiple times the week before, in order to get that cumulative result that I spoke about earlier.

I also have other tools like I have an oxygen pod that people get inside of and you breathe pure oxygen for an hour.

I have my patented LED bed so you can treat your whole body too, not just the neck and face and those results really show with repetition.

AT: Totally makes sense. If someone does need to come in a few days ahead of time, do you have any recommendations for them the morning of that event to help their skin look its best? 

JV: Let’s say you got a facial two weeks before a big event—I would recommend exfoliation either the day before or the morning of, followed by a sheet mask or some type of treatment mask to help hydrate the skin.

AT: I know you are obviously the skincare expert, but I have to ask when it comes to red carpet glam, are there any looks that stand out to you or any trends you like to see? 

JV: I love that glossy, beautiful glazed donut finish to the skin rather than a matte finish. I also love when makeup artists also make sure that the rest of their body’s skin looks as good as their face does.

Obviously everybody’s looks are top secret until they hit the carpet so I’m there in bed watching the action like everybody else! But I’m a fan of it all—I love color and I love neutrals.

I do my part in the treatment room and then I get to see what my fellow beauty professionals create.

AT: Joanna, thank you so much for sitting down with me today, and we look forward to seeing everyone on the red carpet for Met Gala season!

JV: See you guys on the red carpet!

In case you missed it, here’s what you need to know about the 2024 Met Gala.

Exhibition theme

The Met Gala always takes place on the first Monday in May which this year is May 6 and the 2024 theme is Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.

The exhibition will feature around 250 items from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, many of which have not been on display before, hence Sleeping Beauties.

Hosts and co-chairs

The guest list is generally kept under wraps until the event but we do know who the co-chairs are.

The Met Gala is always hosted by Anna Wintour and Vogue magazine.

The 2024 Met Gala co-chairs are Chris Hemsworth, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya.

They help curate the guest list and are involved in making decisions about details like food and decor.

The co-chairs help promote and publicize the event to draw attention to the Costume Institute and encourage donations for the fundraiser.

Honorary chairs will also include Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. 

Dress code

In addition to this theme of Sleeping Beauties, the official dress code is The Garden of Time, inspired by a short story with the same name written by J.G. Ballard in 1962.

The premise of the story is this: a count and his wife live in a villa with a garden overlooking beautiful crystalline flowers. 

In the distance, a mob draws closer to them every hour and in order to keep the peace, the Count must pick a time-reversing flower from his garden until there are none left. 

It’s also possible guests may lean into the garden aspect, and we could see lots of green-toned outfits and florals. 

Although there are many more layers to the story like the element of fleeting beauty find their way onto the carpet in more subtle ways.

Be sure to follow Joanna Vargas for more skincare tips and if you can definitely check out her beautiful spa here in New York City or in Los Angeles.

What are you most looking forward to about this year’s Met Gala?

Don’t forget to follow along with my Met Gala coverage on Instagram and TikTok!

yours,

Austen 

This interview has been slightly edited and condensed for clarity.