The Best Celebrity Beauty Moments of 2025 Include Bold Makeup, Intricate Manis, & Chopped-Off Hair

The end of the year is traditionally a time for reflection. On heady topics like the state of the world and personal progress, of course, but also on the fun stuff: The best movies of the year, the best albums of the year, and the best (and most memorable) celebrity beauty looks. And in 2025, there were many standout moments to choose from.

The year started on a classic note, with celebs hitting the red carpet at January’s Golden Globes in glam inspired by days of Hollywood past. At February’s Grammy Awards, a few of the biggest names in music adopted one of the biggest hair trends on TikTok: The Jellyfish cut. On the first Monday in May, bold manicures stood out at the Met Gala, and by summer, seemingly everyone was wearing a bandana or getting a micro bob. As the fall movie press season kicked off, bobs and pixies started transforming into lobs and bixies, and even famous minimalists returned to that quintessential winter staple, the statement lip.

But which specific celebrity beauty looks stood out from the rest? Scroll on to see the hair, makeup, and nails that led a very crowded field of statement-making moments.

Nicole Kidman’s High Ponytail At The Golden Globes

The Globes kicked off the year on a beauty high note — quite literally. Ponytails, particularly high ponytails, proved to be the trend of the night. Margaret Qualley and Nicole Kidman became early adopters of the 2025 ‘60s beauty revival with full, bouncy high ponies with pumped-up volume at the crown.

Chappell Roan’s Painterly Grammys Makeup

The Oscars might be the most glamorous red carpet, and the Met Gala might be the most dramatic, but the Grammys are easily the most fun. So expectations were high for eventual Best New Artist winner and reigning pop camp queen Chappell Roan. She more than delivered in a Victorian-inspired makeup look by Andrew Dahling.

Leslie Bibb’s “C*nty Little Bob”

From late winter through early spring, the third season of The White Lotus dominated the pop-culture discourse — and star Leslie Bibb dominated the beauty discourse with her blunt micro bob. Though Bibb has donned some version of the cut for over 20 years, the “c*nty little bob” (cut by celebrity hairstylist Chris McMillen) she wore as a Dallas housewife on a tense girls’ trip proved to be a character all on its own.

Doja Cat’s Vie Era Makeup

Apart from pop theater kids like Roan and Lady Gaga, most musicians have leaned into the “clean girl” makeup that has come to define the early 2020s. So Doja Cat’s appearance at the Met Gala in a “more is more” red lip and pastel eye by Dame Pat McGrath felt like a bold (pun intended) departure. It was a statement-making ushering in of her Vie era, during which the rapper has worn plenty of '80s-inspired hair and makeup looks. Could a new, more maximalist-friendly epoch in music be on the horizon?

Doechii’s Calf-Skimming Braids

Doechii has made artistic braids something of a signature; see the finger-curled braids she wore to this year’s Grammy Awards or her beaded cornrows for NPR’s Tiny Desk. Among the “Anxiety” rapper’s many standout styles of 2025 were the intricate braids she wore to the BET Awards, which ran down her back and ended in calf-skimming length.

All the Polka Dot Nails

Manicurist Zola Ganzigort — the mind and hands behind Hailey Bieber’s “glazed donut” manicures — has a knack for creating viral mani moments, and this summer, she and Sabrina Carpenter had everyone seeing spots. Ganzigort gave the singer sheer polka dot nails for the “Manchild” music video, and returned to the design for the last stop of the Short ‘n Sweet tour. But Carpenter wasn’t the only star to don the dots: Hailey Bieber and Sydney Sweeney also wore the design (courtesy of Ganzigort), as did Dua Lipa.

Emma Stone’s Pixie-Turned-Bixie

The bob may have continued its reign as the hottest haircut in 2025, but pixie cuts gained steam, with many celebs cutting off major inches. Keke Palmer unveiled a ginger pixie in August, Carrie Coon swapped her bob for a platinum pixie at the Emmy Awards, and Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton experimented with the look for shoots. But if there were a Pixie of the Year Award, it’d handily go to Emma Stone. After debuting closely-cropped hair at the Golden Globes (she shaved her head for the film Bugonia), Stone arrived at the Venice Film Festival with a slightly more grown-out “bixie,” impeccably styled by Mara Roszak.

Lisa’s Many Maximalist Manicures

On red carpets dominated by short lengths and solid colors, The White Lotus star Lisa provided a never-ending stream of over-the-top mani inspo. For Blackpink’s reunion tour, she went metallic and decked out in jewels; at the Emmy Awards, her sparkling pink “princess nails” were as delightful as her confection of a pink gown. Both sets were created by her go-to manicurist, Juan Alvear, who also gave the star sharp talons for Coachella and Louis Vuitton-emblazoned velvet nails for the Met Gala.

Ariana Grande Goes Back to Her Roots

The Wicked press tour wasn’t a moment so much as a movement. For the better part of two years, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo ate, slept, and breathed all things Glinda and Elphaba. However, as they hit the circuit for Wicked: For Good, signs began to emerge that the cast was ready to move on from Oz, such as far fewer pink and green outings on red carpets. But the biggest had to be Grande returning to her roots, revealing warm brown hair on Instagram after progressively going darker throughout the year.

Hailey Bieber Returns to the Bob

The chin-length hair Hailey Bieber unveiled at the beginning of 2023 helped set bob fever in motion. This time around, the ever-influential It girl decided to debut her new ‘do at the end of the year, posting a flippy, shoulder-grazing cut to Instagram in mid-December. There’s a solid chance that, much like those glazed donut manis two years ago, this ‘'90s-inspired lob will be everywhere come 2026.