The Best Nail Art Inspiration From the 2024 Met Gala Red Carpet

Belle from Beauty and the Beast would’ve loved Gigi's garden nails. Manicurist Mei Kawajiri composed a classic, spring-fresh nail, before hand-sculpting the mesmerizing yellow roses on top. 'This mix of playful and classic is just like Gigi. We wanted the nail looks to be a continuation of her Met Gala look designed by Thom Browne,' Kawajiri said in a press release. Truly a manicure fit for a princess.

Taraji P. Henson knows how to accessorise and make a statement. Her nails, encrusted with flowers and gemstones, seemed more like an extension of her jewellery than a manicure.

Natural elements like dried beetles, rose petals, and succulents, along with flakes of gold, adorned Cynthia Erivo’s nails. Layers of OPI GelColor Stay Strong Base Coat, GelColor in Midnight Snacc, and GelColor in Bubble Bath held the decorations in place, like amber encasing fossilised bugs.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s sweeping denim gown stole the show, but her bejewelled blue nails deserved a closer look, too.

Press-on nails and nail stickers have come a long way since the bulky, ill-fitting offerings of our youth, and believe it or not, Allison Williams was sporting a set of imPRESS No Glue Manicures in Vanilla Glazed on the red carpet. 'After seeing a swatch of Allison’s gown, I knew I wanted to create a design that would flow across her hand. Following the floral pattern in her gown, I created a cascading rosette design with vines that connected from nail to nail. Allison fell in love with them the moment she saw them!' said celebrity manicurist Pattie Yankee in a press release.

Loewe dressed Ayo Edebiri, and Après Nails’ First Glance, Aquarius Rising, and Be-Leaf In Me dressed her nails. Her manicurist, Eri Ishizu, then built the 3D flowers with Top Gelcoat X and supplemented them with pearls, studs, and actual dried blooms.

Sabrina Carpenter was feeling blue on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet. 'The black and blue fairytale gown she wore is so elegant and classic. To complement the look, I used OPI It’s a Boy! with Chrome Effects in Tin Man Can and adorned the nails with rhinestones,' celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt shared via press release.

Manicurist Melanie Shengaris made sure that each of the floral charms on Dove Cameron’s nails matched the actress and singer’s gown. Aprés Nails Dear Diary provided the milky pink base.

All that glitters is not gold, but Mona Patel’s nails sure were. The gilded look matched the gold details on the rest of her ethereal ensemble.

Hailey Bieber kicked off the glazed donut nail trend at the 2022 Met Gala, and Quannah Chasinghorse put her own twist on it this year by adding tiny hand-painted blooms on her fourth fingers.

Cardi B’s nail artist, Coca Michelle, took structured manicures to a whole other level. Fun fact: The three-dimensional nails took more than 20 hours to construct. 'I went with a simple design to give the color and structure of the nail a moment and an elevated look of a thorn on a rose stem,' Michelle said in a press release. While OPI shades Spice Up Your Life and Samoan Sand provided the neutral base, a combination of Is That a Spear in Your Pocket? And AmazON…AmazOFF was responsible for the deep green tips.

Bling was the name of the game for Keke Palmer on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet. Tiny gems studded the actress’s nude stiletto manicure.