Best Celebrity Nail Art of Award Season 2020
Zoom Into the Best Celebrity Manicures From the 2020 Award Shows
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Most people probably first notice someone's dress at an award show, but us beauty editors notice the hair and makeup. And personally, even before the hair and makeup, I pay close attention to the manicures.
Tiny but never lacking detail; award show manicures are a beautiful extension to an entire look. Kicking off with the Golden Globe Awards, the nails did not disappoint, and things started to get really over the top (and we loved every second) at the Grammy Awards. Some of our favourite nail moments from award season so far include Joey King's optical illusion on her fingertips, Billie Eilish sporting a neon green Gucci manicure (because of course she did), and even Ansel Elgort got in on the action, opting for an all-white nail polish (my personal favourite shade).
Then there was the Oscars where celebrities decided to give modern twists to the classic french manicure, including Cynthia Erivo's "Starry Night"-inspired manicure and Zazie Beetz's black french moon design.
Sadly, due to the coronavirus pandemic there were no more award shows as we know it, but in November, the MTA EMAs switched things up with a virtual ceremony. Karol G gave us a glimpse of her incredible long, black chain-embellished and jewel encrusted nails. Anne-Marie and Raye both did their own spin on the classic french manicure with superlong tips and pretty crystals.
Read on to see the best celebrity manicures from award season so far.
Lizzo's Hershey's Chocolate Nails at the 2020 BRIT Awards
Lizzo wore mini chocolate bars on her nails to match her full Hershey's chocolate outfit at the 2020 BRIT Awards, because, of course she did. Manicurist Eri Ishizu used the new Nails Inc Coco For Real Duo (£15), which not only has the perfect cocoa shades, but smells like chocolate, too!
Cynthia Erivo's "Starry Night" Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
Erivo's blue-tipped french manicure featured so much more than meets the eye. As her manicurist Gina Oh explained, one hand included a trendy design referencing Vincent Van Gogh's classic "The Starry Night," while the other featured an ode to Harriet Tubman and the North Star.
Zazie Beetz's French Moon Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
The darkest twist on the classic french manicure on Oscar night came courtesy of Beetz's "french moon" nail art, where her tips were outlined in black and painted in a v-shape.
Florence Pugh's Gold French Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
You know the Oscars trophy is dipped in gold, but Pugh brought that energy (and metallic magic) to the tips of her french manicure.
Margot Robbie's '90s-Inspired French Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
Robbie stepped out with a french manicure look so subtle, you have to squint to see it.
Hailee Steinfeld's Sparkly French Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
We're loving the "glass" french manicure look that Steinfeld wore to the Vanity Fair afterparty. The look is nearly transparent, but features a high-shine finish that adds an element of glitz.
Janelle Monáe's Reverse French Manicure at the 2020 Oscars
Monáe's dress wasn't the only thing decked out in crystals: her nails were, too. The singer sported an all-black reverse french manicure with bling lining her cuticles.
Dua Lipa's Checkerboard Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Dua Lipa wore a lavender-and-white checkerboard design. Additionally, her nails were embellished with a total of 80 crystals, created by nail artist Mei Kawajiri.
Lizzo's White Crystal Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Lizzo proved once again that diamonds are a girl's best friend, thanks to her incredible Grammy Award nails. The white stiletto tips were encrusted with dozens of crystals and even featured jewel drops hanging from the tip of each nail.
Billie Eilish's Green Gucci Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Billie Eilish's nails technically blended in with her outfit, but they truly deserve a shout-out of their own. True to Eilish's bold aesthetic, she sported bright neon green tips that were decked out in the designer's signature print. Manicurist Emi Kudo used OPI GelColor in March in Uniform then a custom blend of OPI Gelcolor in Amazon AmazOFF and OPI Gelcolor in Sun, Sea, and Sand in My Pants. For the intricate GG design, Kudo used OPI Gelcolor in Pump Up the Volume.
Njomza Pink and White Embellished Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Njomza's nails looked pretty simplistic, until you zoom it. She wore her nails in a razor-sharp stiletto shape, covered in a pale pink polish and encrusted with silver glitter and crystals to match her hair piece.
Rosalía's Crystal Embellished Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Just when we thought there couldn't be a manicure more decked out with crystals, we spot Rosalía's. The singer-songwriter wore superlong tips, each one entirely covered with different-shaped stones for a truly blinged-out effect.
Camila Cabello's Black French Manicure at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Cabello's first manicure of the night (so extra, we love it) featured one of the major trends continuing into 2020, the French manicure. Instead of the classic white tips, she chose to switch it up with black to match her dress, and we're copying this STAT. Manicurist Kim Truong layered two coats of Essie in Mademoiselle (£8), then went in with Essie in Licorice (£8) over the top to create the black tips, followed by a final layer of Essie Speed Setter (£10) to give it a glossy finish.
Camila Cabello's Baby Pink Nails at the 2020 Grammy Awards
For Cabello's "First Man" performance, she ditched her black tips in favour of something a little simpler. She chose to wear a baby-pink, almond-shaped manicure to match her flowy gown.
Christina Applegate's Black Striped Manicure at the 2020 SAG Awards
Applegate gave us an up-close look at her matte black nails with a gold striped accent on each finger for the SAG Awards.
Elisabeth Moss's Dotty Manicure at the 2020 SAG Awards
We're mad for Moss's pink and red dotted manicure for two reasons: this colour combination is beautiful and this is a manicure you can try at home. Simple find the end (or nib) of a pencil, or grab a specific nail tool and dot until your heart is content.
Jennifer Lopez's Manicure at the 2020 SAG Awards
Lopez isn't one to shy away from over-the-top nail art but her SAG Award manicure was surprisingly pared-back. However, that doesn't mean it was any less special. The semi sheer neutral base and champagne shimmer combination let her £7 million (yep!) jewels really shine.
Lupita Nyong'o's Black and Silver Manicure at the 2020 SAG Awards
Nyong'o got nails to match her dress, opting for a black base and gold nail art along the edge of each nail.
Busy Philipps's Reverse French Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
Busy Philipps took a different route with the classic french manicure, which is making a huge comeback. Instead of a classic white tip, she chose blush pink over a deep red base.
Jennifer Lopez's French Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
Jennifer Lopez took a classic and made it modern, and we wouldn't expect anything less from her. Lopez's diffused french manicure blended the edge of the tip, avoiding a harsh line and creating an ombré effect.
Awkwafina's French Moon Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
A darker twist on the french manicure came from actor Awkwafina, who wore the new "french moon" trend, which looked incredibly chic with her black blazer.
Scarlett Johansson's French Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
Yep, you guessed it — another French manicure. This time it was Scarlett Johansson who chose to wear the design in its traditional form. Johansson went with an old classic and it might further convince you to try the trend that's coming back into our lives.
Lucy Boynton's Dark Nails at the 2020 Golden Globes
Lucy Boynton wore a deep army green polish that, on closer inspection, had a black rim around the edge — a huge trend named "outline nails" in 2019.
Ansel Elgort's White Nail Polish at the 2020 Golden Globes
Ansel Elgort surprised us with his white hued manicure and bonus sparkly eyeshadow at the Golden Globes. Here's hoping he wears more manicures in 2020. Who knows, he might be the new Harry Styles hen it comes to nail art.
Bobby Berk's Black Nail Polish at the 2020 Golden Globes
Bobby Berk proved that simplicity can be damn stylish. He wore an all black manicure with an accent metallic silver nail on his index finger.
Sabrina Carpenter and Joey King's Manicures at the 2020 Golden Globes
Sabrina Carpenter wore a bright red version of the classic french manicure with almond-shaped tips for a simplistic but incredibly chic look. Joey King's Golden Globes manicure featured a pink base with white geometric stripes and a vertical black line added over the top, to match her hypnotising optical-illusion dress.
Lala Milan's Crystal Nails at the 2020 Golden Globes
Lala Milan chose a coffin-shaped nail with a pale pink base colour and carefully applied iridescent crystals for her intricate Golden Globes manicure.
Maude Apatow's Sparkly Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
To match her pretty, supersparkly dress, actor Maude Apatow wore crystal embellished nails in the shape of flowers, created by Natalie Minerva. We'll definitely be saving this for future inspiration.
Hunter Schafer's Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
We almost missed the colour of Hunter Schafer's manicure (which is grey, by the way), thanks to the Swarovski-crystal-embellished detail. Makeup artist Sandy Ganzer applied each crystal by hand to Schafer's middle finger, and the end result was beyond beautiful.
Storm Reid's Nude Nails at the 2020 Golden Globes
Sometimes you don't need bold colours to make a statement and that's exactly what Storm Reid taught us at the Golden Globes. She wore long tips that were very pale pink and almost entirely translucent, finished off with a teeny bit of gold sparkle, making for an incredibly chic manicure.
Natasha Lyonne's Half-Moon Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
Natasha Lyonne taught us that black nails match a black dress and bag perfectly. She wore dark half-moon nails to the Golden Globes, and we've got heart eyes for the chic simplicity.
Garcelle Beauvais's Manicure at the 2020 Golden Globes
No nail art was needed with Garcelle Beauvais's beautiful glittery grey manicure, which complemented her sparkly black dress perfectly.
Zendaya at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards
Zendaya chose to match her incredible sculpted chrome chest piece with pink jelly nails.
Lupita Nyong'o at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards
Lupita Nyong'o needed no nail art with her glamorous mulberry hued manicure, making her jewels stand out.
Billy Porter at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards
Billy Porter's nails were totally OTT and we absolutely love them. Nail artist Vanessa Sanchez McCullough used CND Shellac in Cream Puff with a pigment powder over the top to make them truly neon. Over the top, the nails were embellished with shattered mirrored glass, making them superreflective.
Joey King at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards
Joey King's base nail color was a mix of Essie Fairy Tailor and Essie Shade Of Corset on top. For the nail art, manicurist Thuy Nguyen added pieces of iridescent striping tape to give it the graphic feel.
Awkwafina at the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards
Awkwafina's nails were simple perfection. Nguyen used OPI Passion for the base and OPI Rising Star (apt for Awkwafina!) for the nail art, which ran along her cuticle line.
