Oscars 2025: the celebrity nail looks you need to see

The 97th Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, took place last night (2 March) and celebrated the artistic and technical merits of the film industry over the last year.

From an opening number with Wicked stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, to independent comedy-drama film, Anora, scooping an extraordinary five awards, there were some big moments to note. And these included celebrities flaunting show-stopping nail looks, so let’s take a look at some of the most eye-catching…

Cynthia Erivo’s gilded talons

Photo credit: @clawzbydior_

The singer & actress did not disappoint with her extreme length nails for the awards ceremony, calling on the skills of go-to tech, Mycah Dior of @clawzbydior_. In an Instagram post, the nail artist described the style as ‘dripping in gold, because it’s her time’ and wrote: ‘I wanted it to look like [Cynthia] dipped her hands in a treasure box.’ The tech hand-sculpted the 3D nails and added colour using OPI GelColor shades, Drama at La Scala, Rated Pea-G, Alpine Snow and Black Onyx.

A peach moment with Selena Gomez

Photo credit: @tombachik

Tom Bachik tended to the nails of his client & Emilia Pérez star, Selena Gomez, creating a peach champagne design using CND™. He shares: “We kept Selena’s natural nails an elegant medium length and perfected her classic almond shape. Sel and I worked together to create a custom nail shade: a peachy pink golden iridescent sparkle to play off the gems and texture in her beautiful gown. I used a thin coat of CND Shellac™ in Rule Breaker layered with Silk Thread from CND™’s Quiet Luxury collection.”

Two standout styles for Queen Latifah

Photo credit: @sreyninpeng

Celebrity manicurist, Sreynin Peng, was behind two nail looks for Queen Latifah: a chic red negative space look with silver embellishments for the red carpet, then a molten gold look with jewelled chains for the actress & musician’s performance at the event. Both complemented her eye-catching outfits and were created using Aprés Nail Gel-X Natural Almond tips and Gel Couleur.

Halle Berry’s cool chrome claws

Photo credit: @kimkimnails

Halle Berry sported ombré French tips in a soft silver hue, courtesy of LA tech, Kim Troung of @kimkimnails. The pro has described the inspiration behind the look: “Halle’s dress was beautifully embellished with rhinestones and mirrored glass. We wanted to keep the nails a touch more subdued but with a little oomph, so we decided on this cool faded metallic tip.” Kim used Aprés Nail products to achieve the metallic moment.

Pearls for Lupita Nyong’o

Photo credit: @nailzbyvee

Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o, matched her nails to her pearl-themed dress and accessories for the awards ceremony, thanks to Vanessa Sanchez McCullough of @nailzbyvee. On Instagram, the nail artist wrote: “I used [Lupita’s] beautiful dress as my inspiration for the nails. I created a set with a fair nude base, which I then rimmed with a platinum shade. For a final and dramatic look, I added a pearl to each tip. The look was fun to create.”

Dazzling French tips for Anok Yai

American fashion model, Anok Yai, turned to Temeka Jackson of @customtnails1 for her ‘classy, timeless’ Oscars nails. After prepping the nails, the celebrity nail artist applied Aprés Nail Gel-X tips, one coat of Light & Shadow Sheer Gel Couleur in Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve and Gel Couleur in Spring Sigh, before painting sparkling gold French tips. The design was finished with Aprés Nail’s Non-Wipe Glossy Top Gelcoat.