Hudson Williams’s Makeup Artist Aika Flores Has No Regrets

Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Hudson Williams made his Met Gala debut this week with a makeup look that was not exactly well received. Williams told British Vogue that he and his makeup artist, Aika Flores, were inspired by Black Swan while applying his eye shadow. “We are trying to add a little bit of the mess to the Black Swan side, the sort of freedom, the chaos; and then on the blue side, we are trying to add this sort of austere, perfect qualities that the White Swan has,” the Heated Rivalry star said. The internet, however, did not see the vision.

Shortly after Williams appeared on the carpet, the Fauxmoi sub-Reddit was flooded with ruthless commentary on Flores’s creation. “where did he get his makeup done ? need to know so i never go there,” one person wrote. “What profession is his makeup artist in?” asked another. The folks on the Makeup Addiction sub-Reddit were more technical in their reads, laying out specifically why they thought the look — even if intentionally messy — didn’t work. “Hudson has heavy, uneven, and unblended eyeliner,” one person declared. “Left eye has a sharp line on the bottom edge. Right eye is smoked out a little. Both are uneven. Then the shimmer is laid down bare without any blending and it’s also uneven.”

Flores responded to the commentary on Wednesday. “Met Gala was chaos & a career highlight. High pressure, high stakes. As an artist, I receive all feedback, positive & negative, with grace & gratitude; it’s all part of growth,” Flores, who is primarily a hairstylist, wrote on Threads. “Taking a risk always comes at a cost, & I stand by that. There’s always room to evolve, no matter where I am in my career. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, it’s important to remember there’s a human with feelings behind the work, building something with purpose, vision, & heart. It cost nothing to be kind.”

Flores signed off with a follow-up post reminding people to “Please be kind to each other” and adding that she was “logging off.” On Friday she returned to social media, sharing a very fun-looking highlight reel of her Met experience captioned, “what a time. what a life. thank you to my family/team Hudson 💯 baby’s first Met down in the books.” Seems like she’s doing just fine.