Cynthia Erivo’s 2025 Oscars Nails Are a Wicked Nod to Oz

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 2 March 2025

While most of the 2025 Oscars still need to be announced (don’t worry, Marie Claire will be providing updates all night), there is one award that I feel incredibly confident handing out already. Cynthia Erivo, who is wearing a gorgeous custom Louis Vuitton emerald gown, easily takes home an MC Beauty Award for Lead Actress to Aways Wear an Outstanding Nail Look. The Wicked star arrived on the red carpet with perhaps her most elaborate (and symbolic) set of acrylic nails to date.

The nods to her biggest project of the year are impossible to ignore (the clock! the emerald! the yellow brick road!). The set is a “proper nod to Oz,” Erivo shared on the red carpet, explaining that each design was handcrafted by her longtime nail artist Rose Hackle. The “big and special” designs are perhaps the most elaborate we’ve seen during awards season, but don’t be fooled: Erivo consistently delivers on the manicure front.

Just a few months ago, during the Golden Globes, the singer hit the carpet in a notably lengthy set (I’m guessing six inches) that featured a wide range of gemstone hues, ranging from a Wicked-inspired emerald green to rose quartz, amethyst, and sapphire hues.

Bringing intricate nail designs to life on the red carpet has become Erivo’s signature, and while they’re certainly enjoyable to look at, every manicure coincides with a deeper meaning. "I knew I wanted her to have a full set," Erivo previously told Marie Claire, adding that the choices are “a nod to my culture and a nod to the character. The original Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, there's that infamous shadow picture of her, and she’s got these nails,” she says.

Don’t expect the extravagant nail looks to stop with the end of awards season. Erivo also teased that Elphaba’s nails only improve in part two of the cinematic universe. “In the second movie, they're much longer, much more expressive. We're playing with the marbling of it, we're playing with ombré,” Erivo shared.

In the meantime, I’ll be anxiously awaiting both the movie’s and the manicure’s debut.

Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space. She's studied up on every ingredient you'll find on INCI list and is constantly in search of the world's glowiest makeup products. She's constantly tracking the biggest nail and hair trends to pop up in the beauty space, going backstage during fashion weeks, tracking celebrity looks, and constantly talking to celebrity hair stylists, nail artists, and makeup artists. Prior to joining the team, she worked as Us Weekly’s Beauty and Style Editor, where she stayed on the pulse of pop culture and broke down celebrity beauty routines, hair transformations, and red carpet looks. Her words have also appeared on Popsugar, Makeup.com, Skincare.com, Delish.com, and Philadelphia Wedding. Samantha also serves as a board member for the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). She first joined the organization in 2018, when she worked as an editorial intern at Food Network Magazine and Pioneer Woman Magazine. Samantha has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs. While at GWU, she was a founding member of the school’s HerCampus chapter and served as its President for four years. When she’s not deep in the beauty closet or swatching eyeshadows, you can find her obsessing over Real Housewives and all things Bravo. Keep up with her on Instagram @samholender.

Stay In The Know