The star shined in silver sequins, and her glam look was equally lit. Go inside her getting-ready process with our exclusive look into her big day pre-fashion's biggest night

Fashion's biggest event was back on its rightful night – and Ciara lead the charge of celebrities who were on their fashion A-game for the theme (In America: An Anthology of Fashion) and dress code: gilded glamour.

And Ciara took the instructions seriously, bringing all the glitz to the event. She let PEOPLE go inside her process with makeup artist Yolonda Frederick and hairstylist Cesar DeLeön Ramîrez to see how the whole ensemble came together.

"Whenever I get to be a part of the Met Gala, it's always a special moment," says Frederick. "It's literally one of the highlights of the year for creatives. We get to really push the envelope with our creativity outside of what we normally do for events throughout the year. It's super exciting!"

Scroll through to see their process, a month in the making, come to life.

With "Ciara's exquisite sequined Michael Kors Collection gown customized to fit her like a glove," Frederick says she "maximized the glow-up" with a few key products.

"I'm super intentional about prep; I love starting with smooth, luminous and well-hydrated skin," she said. "I started with 111SKIN's Celestial Black Diamond Eye Mask patches under each eye to treat the delicate under-eye area before hydrating with their amazing Celestial Black Diamond Serum followed by their Y Theorem Day Cream Light. These are non-negotiable because they always give me the supple and fully hydrated canvas I need for the best makeup application.

I also prepped the high points of the face with Iconic London's Illuminator before the foundation to intensify the radiance. The skin needs to glow beyond imagination!

I then hydrated the lips with a super emollient lip balm to allow it to do its magic while I work."

"The foundational inspiration is a custom sequined embellished Michael Kors Collection gown," says Frederick. "For me, the creative direction begins from the designer's point of view. Considering this, I decided to live in that realm but maximize the moment with both silver and graphic elements incorporated into the makeup." 

First up: the brows. "I first shaped and sculpted them into perfect position with Iconic London's Brow Silk and Brush Bundle. I then followed with a coat of their Liquid Brow Silk Max Hold for extra staying power.

In keeping with the feel and tone of the theme for this year's look, we decided to execute a graphic winged-eye with hints of silver reflection using Iconic London's Quartz Glaze Crayon to create my shape. I then layered this with their Clear Quartz eyeshadow in the Multi-Icon Eyeshadow Palette. Which by the way paired well with this year's gilded glamour/white-tie creative direction. I completed the eyes by adding double coats of Iconic London's Enrich & Elevate Mascara!"

Frederick says she applied a rich creamy caramel foundation "boosted with a bit of peach-toned color booster. I also added a bit of peach-toned concealer to highlight her T-zone and contoured her perimeter with a rich mahogany concealer to enhance her beautiful features!

Next, I set everything with a sheer setting powder and then swept her cheeks with Iconic London's gorgeous Silk Glow Duo blush in Coral Glow to add a hint of natural color to the cheeks.

Using the super soft-bristled blush brush from Iconic London's Ultimate Brush Set I swept on the brand's gorgeous Deep Luminous Powder to the high points of the face followed by their Ultimate Bronzing Powder in Warm Deep Bronze to create more depth!"

With Ciara's lips well-hydrated, Frederick says "I contoured them with a warm brown lip pencil and sealed it with a peachy nude lipstick topped off with Iconic London's Lip Oil in Sugar Mama for more drama!"

And since megawatt shine was the mandate of the night, she says, "I misted Iconic London's Prep Set and Glow setting spray to the perimeter of her face for that extra pop."

Frederick shares one of the best parts about their process was their alone time: "I got an hour's head start before hair and the styling team. This one-on-one time was super instrumental in establishing a seamless flow throughout the day. This was a real treat for me!"

"The Met Gala is one of my favorite carpets of the year," says DeLeön Ramîrez. "Even with all the planning it never fails that our look can change last minute, that's why I love using Unite Hair Care. With such a wide range of products, I can pretty much create anything on any texture."

"The Gilded Age was about opulence and luxury and pushing the boundaries of fashion," says DeLeön Ramîrez. "For the Met Gala this year, I wanted to capture the feeling of that era in a modern day world. Ciara already embodies this feeling, she's always fashion forward and pushes boundaries with her style."

To start with a strong foundation, he used UNITE's Silky:Smooth Active Wash and Hydrating Complex. "Knowing I was going to use 40-in. extensions, this was crucial in detangling and softening, fighting frizz and repelling humidity, especially on this rainy day."

"I knew I wanted the hair to make a statement while still complementing the Michael Kors Collection design," DeLeön Ramîrez explains.

Once the hair was dry, DeLeön Ramîrez says, "I parted it down the center and twisted small sections of each side of the part while spraying UNITE Lé:Play Hairspray," a workable hairspray "which provides a natural satin finish." Then the pro worked his magic to create a soft, wavy texture.

Not far off, her custom Michael Kors Collection dress hangs ready for its close up. The one-shoulder design took artisans 1,000 hours to hand embroider with close to 350,000 silver sequins.

Ciara's Michael Kors Collection "Gansevoort" minaudière (which was also handcrafted) and Jimmy Choo "Max" open-toe platforms are a perfect match to her eye-catching dress.

A bevy of impressive jewels await. Ultimately, Ciara accessorized her look with a wrist-full of bracelets, and some major rings, too.

DeLeön Ramîrez and Frederick perfected the look after Ciara got dressed.

"I was immediately in love with the silver detailing and that became the inspiration for the creative elements I wanted to add to the hair," DeLeon explains, revealing his technique to add the silver accents her hair part was simple: "I dabbed CONUNDRUM Paste in the part line to stick my silver leafing detail."

"I love this look so much," DeLeon says. "It's romantic, sexy and edgy all in one, which is exactly what I wanted to bring to the carpet."

Team work makes the dream work, says Frederick: "My favorite thing about collaborating with the team is the camaraderie! We are like a well-oiled machine knowing what our roles are individually and collectively. I love working with this group of über-talented creatives! We extract the best from each other and we have fun doing it."

After sending their star client off, DeLeön Ramîrez and Frederick raise a glass to another successful glam session.

Ahead of Ciara hitting the carpet, Frederick told PEOPLE about her plans for the evening: "I will definitely decompress over dinner and a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon with my colleagues. We will discuss the highlights and funny moments of the day then anxiously await for the red carpet images to hit the press. Once we are all satisfied that Ciara stunned the carpet then we can exhale!"

Ciara strikes a pose on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's iconic steps. At the top, she told Vogue livestream host and friend La La Anthony, "I'm representing the modern women of the Gilded Age."