Already have an account?
Get back to the

Selena Gomez Recalls ‘Terrible’ Met Gala Tanning Mistake: ‘I am Completely Orange’

Selena Gomez Recalls Her Embarrassing 'Orange' Met Gala Look
Selena Gomez.Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock; Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

A mistake every girl makes. Selena Gomez once put on too much self-tanner, but she didn’t realize her flub until after she walked down the 2018 Met Gala red carpet.

Related: Selena Gomez Through the Years

The Only Murders in the Building star, 29, opened up about the embarrassing faux pas in an installment of Vogue‘s “Beauty Secrets” video series that debuted on Tuesday, September 7. “Before I apply bronzer, I want to tell you a funny story about a little self-tanner,” she said. “For the Met Gala [in 2018], I was getting ready, and we wanted to add some color.”

The star was wearing a sheer ivory Coach dress, designed by Stuart Vevers, which was embroidered with her favorite quote from the Bible in her own handwriting: “A woman who fears the Lord is a woman who shall be praised.”

Selena Gomez Recalls Her Embarrassing 'Orange' Met Gala Look
Selena Gomez at the 2018 Met Gala. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

To Gomez, tanning lotion seemed like the way to achieve the best result. The immediate outcome appeared to be great, but that quickly changed. “It looked really beautiful and very even,” she recalled.

It didn’t stay that shade, though. “As the evening kept going on, it was getting a little darker and darker and I didn’t notice it,” the “Lose You to Love Me” singer revealed.

She went down the red carpet assuming that she looked the same way she had in her hotel room. “I’m at the Met Gala — basically one of the most prestige, beautiful events — and I’m walking, trying to look all beautiful, and I look at a photo of myself when I sit down and I am completely orange,” Gomez laughed.

The Rare Beauty founder can laugh off her misstep now, but at the time, she was mortified and decided to quickly address the photos via social media.

Related: Selena Gomez's Mental Health Battle in Her Own Words

“I was like, ‘This is going to be terrible because I’m going to get eaten alive about this,'” the Texas native recalled. She decided that she’d beat the trolls and be the first to slam her look online.

The Wizards of Waverly Place alum continued, “I had my security take a video of me because my first reaction was just to get the hell out of there, and so, I’m running to my car. I’m literally just hauling ass to my car and then gonna put it online. I was saying this is my reaction after seeing my Met Gala photos.”

The post garnered millions of likes via Instagram, though Gomez decided to disable comments.

Related: Taylor! Julia! Raquelle! Meet Selena Gomez's Inner Circle

The Disney Channel alum previously opened up about how “impossible beauty standards” took a toll on her mental health in June. The star said her struggles inspired her to launch her own makeup brand.

“Society constantly tells us that we’re not enough, so I wanted to start a brand to challenge and eliminate that pressure — to change the conversation,” Gomez told Stellar magazine at the time. “My goal with Rare Beauty is to break down these unrealistic standards of beauty. I saw from personal experience how these impossible beauty standards were having such an effect on my mental health and I know a lot of people who felt the same way.”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!