Pricey ITG,
I went to my second Met Gala! It’s so thrilling and enjoyable to go as a result of the night time is all the time sudden. You don’t know who’s going as a result of nobody needs to let you know who they’re taking. However it’s thrilling to see my friends and what they’ve labored on. It’s form of like a reunion in a manner. We get to hang around and giggle and spill some tea. Nonetheless, it’s so scary strolling up the Met steps. It’s such a protracted stroll, and I’m all the time frightened I’m going to journey or the photographers will get a loopy shot of me.
Once I learn that the theme and costume code this 12 months was ‘Backyard of Time,’ I thought of how the Costume Institute is bringing out these attractive clothes which are so fragile they’ll break, and naturally, I thought of flowers. I dressed Lil Nas X this 12 months, and he was form of like my flower. He had a peplum second encrusted in 56,000 Swarovski crystals and three,000 lined buttons on his go well with, pants, and high. It was very tailor-made, very polished, and really stylish. It took a minute to make. My look was just a little bit extra demure. It had numerous lined buttons, too, with a protracted sash.
I labored for MAC for years; she was a counter lady as soon as upon a time. However I’ve all the time been a magnificence lady. My mother has all the time been an enormous inspo. I imply, she’s very Latina. She takes care of her pores and skin, and I’ve all the time needed to emulate that. I’m like, ‘Woman, I’m not making an attempt to age both. I’m making an attempt to be Benjamin Button.’ That’s all to say I used loads to prep for the Met, however first, I received a facial with Jordan Esposito from Barbara Sturm.
I nonetheless use MAC Prep + Prime Repair+—I hold it within the fridge. I sprayed that on at the beginning. Then I went in with my serums. The Dr. Barbara Sturm Exoso-Metic face serum is de facto cute. It’s a extremely intense face serum that helps rejuvenate the pores and skin and provides you a extremely lovely glow. I additionally love the iS Medical Professional-Heal serum, Dr. Barbara Sturm eye cream, Marco Castro Amazonicoil hybrid serum, and Peter Thomas Roth Water moisturizer. As I went in, I had the MAC Squirt Plumping Gloss Stick in Simulation, a nude, on my lips.
After skincare, I went in with my make-up. I don’t prefer to look too completed up; I prefer to seem like I didn’t put something on. I like to combine the Glossier Stretch Concealer with Glossier’s Futuredew so it seems to be actually pure, and yo, that shit seems to be good. I don’t prefer to look matte, and the combo is de facto dewy. Then I put the Glossier Haloscope in Quartz on my cheekbones. It makes you tremendous glowy however not in a foul manner. Numerous highlighters make me look nuts. I put just a little little bit of the JLo Magnificence That Star Filter Complexion Booster on high of my cheekbones, too, proper over the Haloscope. I set my face with the MAC Repair+ Keep Over Setting Spray.
For my brows and mustache, I used the MAC Definer forehead pencil in Spiked. Giselle B. at Humorous Faces in Williamsburg laminates my brows each 5 weeks, so that they don’t want a lot, however I actually need them to stay down. I truly like Göt2b Glued for them as a substitute of a forehead gel. I comb it by with just a little child hair comb. To form my beard, I like RED by Kiss Tintation short-term hair shade spray in Medium Brown.
I combined Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Tremendous anti-aging physique serum with the Glossier Physique Hero oil mist. I don’t need my face to look tremendous cute and glowy after which have my physique look dry, so I added within the Dr. Barbara Sturm Glow Cream. It moisturizes you want loopy.
I’m very Dominican, so I want a contemporary fade earlier than I step out wherever. It’s a really traditional type of Latino-ism. [Laughs] I received one completed early within the morning by Ariel Rodriguez, who additionally minimize my hair for the Met final 12 months. He’s superb. And Naomi Yasuda did my nails. I went for a traditional clear polish as a result of I like my nails to seem like glass.
I received L’Artisan Parfumeur Contes du Levant in Marrakesh some time in the past. It has pink pepper, rose, and patchouli. I put on this fragrance for particular events as a result of it’s just a little robust and I prefer to make folks really feel disturbed, like I need folks to say, ‘Oh, there she goes’ after I stroll by they usually can odor me. They usually did.
Love,
Raul
—As instructed to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Alexandra Genova on the Soho Home New York on Might 6, 2024. Embedded picture through Getty.