Erika La Pearl talks painting Cardi's face for fashion's biggest night and how to recreate the look step by step.
Cardi B's glam was snatched per usual at the 2019 Met Gala.
The rapper had everyone's eyes on her when she arrived in a stunning deep red ensemble, custom designed by Thom Browne. The full-coverage, down-filled gown featured an anatomical silhouette with a beaded bust and head cap, feathers and a three-meter ripple-effect train.
The look was undoubtedly bold with a capital B, but Cardi's glam wasn't overshadowed one bit thanks to her go-to makeup artist Erika La Pearl, who shared what it's like to get the hip hop star ready for a big night.
"Cardi has a great glam squad and we work well together," La Pearl exclusively told ET. "Cardi is very calm when getting her makeup done. She's usually checking social media or just having conversations with her glam squad. To lighten the mood, we love to tell funny stories or jokes."
"There is always pressure, especially on an occasion like this. The makeup look is vital," she continued. "My inspiration comes on the day of preparation or sometimes when we are able to view the outfit. I never try to overpower her look, but try to bring out her best features, which to me are her eyes and her lips. I wanted for this Met Gala to show a fierce, flawless couture look, but my goal is to always bring out and show Cardi's best self."
La Pearl did exactly by creating a flawless matte base with strong contour and highlight while drawing the focus on her eyes, which popped courtesy of double lashes and a fierce flick. She finished the look with a red apple lip color that matched her high-fashion ensemble.
Recreate Cardi's camp glam by following La Pearl's step-by-step breakdown ahead.
"For the Met Gala, we first prepped her face with Pond's. It is truly a must-have for it won’t clog your pores and leaves your face feeling soft and silky. We moisturized her face with Pond's Dry Skin Cream," La Pearl explained. "For her foundation, we used Beauty Blender Foundation 3.70. It truly gave a flawless look. For Cardi’s eyes, which are one of her best features, I used Pat McGrath real black eyeliner along with Pat McGrath’s Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Palette. We used Rose Gold, Astral Luna and Blitz Flame."
"To finish her eyes, I stacked two different lashes for this look," La Pearl continued. "I used Starlet lashes and Iconic Lite by House of Lashes. Loving this look! To give a pop, as always [I used] my go-to highlighter from Pat McGrath in Skin Fetish Highlighter & Balm Duo as a base to give it that good dewy glow. Lastly, before applying lipstick, I always use a lip balm before I apply the lipstick. For her lips, we used Guinevere and Vendetta, which is a custom MatteTrance lipstick created by Erika La Pearl and MOI and lipliner in Manhattan. This look is all from Pat McGrath."
Cardi's nails were out of this world, too. The star's manicurist, Jenny Bui, told ET it took three hours to complete her talons.
"Cardi's nail looks for the Met are always centered around and inspired by what she is wearing," Bui said. "If her outfit is a last-minute decision, I usually have to think of something that would coordinate with her look, on the spot. This year, I used over 250 Swarovski crystals in Scarlet and Light Siam to match her dress."
Although she wore gloves, her fierce, bejeweled nails were still on display.
"Cardi was wearing subtle, sheer gloves in red, but her nails were able to poke through the tips of the gloves," Bui shared. "The crystals were applied and cured before the gloves were put on."
Bui even applied heart-shaped Swarovski crystals on each of Cardi's pointer fingers, which "complemented the curvy shapes of her gown."
Catch up on all Met Gala fashion by clicking through the gallery below:
RELATED CONTENT:
