Awards season is always host to some of the most inspiring fashion looks. But the 62nd Grammy Awards was... underwhelming, to say the least: Gwen Stefani showed up in the ever-problematic Dolce & Gabbana, while Lana Del Rey picked her dress up from a local mall. Thankfully, red carpet beauty was serving what its fashion couldn't.
Just look at Alicia Keys' crystal embellished braids. Or, the always stunning Billy Porter who showed up with color-blocked, winged graphic blue and silver eyeshadow, silver lips and a bejeweled beauty mark. Suffice to say, we were intrigued.
But clawing their way back into the mainstream beauty trends were extra intense talons seen all over the red carpet. From Billie Eilish and Lizzo to RosalĂa, the manicures were longer and more elaborate than ever with an all too clear resounding message: nails are finally back!
Below, we break down our favorite nail looks from the Grammys:
Aside from nabbing nearly every award last night, Eilish also debuted perhaps the wildest nails of the night. The "Bad Guy" singer complemented her head-to-toe Gucci look with super long, electric green nails. To complete the look, celebrity nail artists Emi Kudo and Nao Ishita hand painted the GG logo on her nails. Starting with one coat in OPI Gel Color in 'March in Uniform,' it was then topped with one coat of a custom blend of OPI Gel Color 'Amazon AmazOFF' and OPI Gel Color 'Sun, Sea, and Sand in My Pants.' As for the intricate design, Kudo and Ishita used OPI Gel Color 'Pump up there volume' to finish it off.
"Billie requested neon green, but I noticed that neon green is absorbed by base green color, so mixing neon yellow helps stand out. I decided to get help of a coupe of hand painting experts to speed up the job," Kudo revealed on Instagram explaining how it all came together. "I also promised Billie's team that I don't take busy Billie's time more than one hour, so working on the both hands at the same time was ideal." The process involved 15 minutes per nail, totaling four hours to the finished result.
Leave it to Lizzo to win multiple Grammys categories while outshining everyone in a gorgeous strapless white Versace gown and Lorraine Schwartz jewels.
So naturally, when it came to the nails, celebrity manicurist Eri Ishizu was inspired by her eight nominations, embellishing the number eight on each nail in metallic glitter and adding on dangling, teardrop crystals to reflect the singer's big night. To start, Ishizu applied Christian Louboutin's Loubi Primer. Next, she added the Christian Louboutin The Nudes in Madame Est Nue for a cream base with a subtle sheen. She then used Christian Louboutin Metallic Nudes in Goldissima to create the subtle eights. Finally came the crystals, which were finished with the Christian Louboutin Loubi Gloss top coat to seal the manicure and "give a patent leather-like shine."
RosalĂa, who nabbed the Best Latin Rock Album of the Year award last night, also turned a lot of heads with her glam silver, diamond-encrusted nails. The claw-like design was the brainchild of California-based artist Yvett G, who apparently created the complex look in a moving vehicle, no less. "When you have to get things done, you figure out a way! Had to finish these beauties in a moving vehicle," she wrote on Instagram. "Blinging away and car surfing at the same time but it was all worth it!!" All in a day's work.
Cardi B's nail artist, Jenny Bui, used nearly 100 Swarovski crystals to embellish the nails along with the OPI Hello Kitty collection as the base color. While this one might be hard to replicate at home, you know who to hit up when you're feeling like an ultra fancy manicure.
Photo via Getty/Rachel Luna