The Most Stunning Beauty Looks at the 2025 MTV VMAs

From rhinestone nails to '80s-style blowouts.

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side by side photo of two women wearing intricate hairstyles
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ICYMI: The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards took place on Sunday, Sept. 7, and as expected, the celebrities in attendance pulled out some of their very best looks for the red carpet and ceremony. At an award show like the VMAs, one would expect for the fashion to be the only thing that's over the top, and while that was definitely proven true for last night's event, the beauty looks before and during the show were also worthy of their own awards.

Last night's red carpet was ripe with beauty moments that'll bring you to your knees, from the slickest of slick ponytails to classic French manicures. The Marie Claire beauty team was particularly fawning over FKA Twigs's braided headphones hairstyle while the rest of the internet was obsessed with Doja Cat's '80s-style blowout. But there's plenty (and I do mean plenty) more where that came from.

Read ahead to see some of our favorite beauty moments from the 2025 MTV VMAs.

Doja Cat

a woman with a curly, blonde blowout wearing red lipstick and standing on a red carpet in front of a black, red, and white background

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Doja Cat hasn't been subtle at all about the direction she's taking with her next era of music. Before hitting the stage to perform her new single, "Jealous Type," the rapper/singer showed up on the red carpet with her hair styled in a voluminous, curly, '80s-style blowout with feathered bangs. She brought the whole look home with a bright red lip and red nail polish.

FKA Twigs

a woman wearing a braided hairstyle and a blood red cropped top with long sleeves

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Never one to not stun on a red carpet, FKA Twigs showed up wearing a jaw-dropping braided hairstyle that featured cornrows woven into an updo meant to look like a set of headphones. A true hair as art moment!

Lady Gaga

lady gaga on stage wearing an all black gown with her hair in an updo with flower attachments

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Lady Gaga took a short break from her Mayhem Ball tour to accept the Moon Man for "Artist of the Year" last night. She showed up in gothic glam, as her jet black hair was pulled into a messy updo with blunt bangs. She wore a deep red lip color and accessorized by adding blood red flower clips to her hair.

Sabrina Carpenter

a woman's bedazzled french manicure pressed against a lacy red gown and pink fur shawl

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Sabrina Carpenter hit the red carpet in a custom, lace Valentino naked dress, but it was her nails that I couldn't keep my eyes off of. The "Manchild" singer wore her signature French manicure style with an almond shape, but instead of traditional white tips, she went all out with colorful rhinestones.

Ariana Grande

ariana grande holding a moon man trophy while standing at a microphone and reading a paper

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Speaking of French manicures, Ariana Grande kept her nails traditional with an almond shape, a nude base, and classic white tips.

Ciara

ciara posing on the red carpet in a red sweater dress

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Ciara kept things pretty simple, styling her hair in a long ponytail that's so slick, it deserves some applause.

Tyla

a woman with a short bob wearing a short dress posing in front of a black, red, and white backdrop

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Tyla proved once again that the blunt bob isn't going anywhere. The "Push 2 Start" singer showed up with her hair cut into an asymmetrical blunt bob with two cornrows on the right side to mimic a side part.

Ice Spice

a woman with pink hair wearing a corset top and a blue maxi skirt in front of a black, red, and white background

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Ice Spice ditched her signature ginger hair color for a cotton candy pink hue that she pulled into a messy updo with bangs.

Megan Moroney

a woman with a high bun wearing a metallic sleeveless gown on a red carpet

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Last night's red carpet was overflowing with '90s-style prom hair. Case in point, singer Megan Moroney, who wore her blonde hair in a twisted updo with a middle part. She left out two small pieces of hair at the front of her head to frame her face.

Ashlee Simpson

a woman with long, wavy, curly, red hair wearing smokey eye makeup and posing for a photo in front of a black background

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Ashlee Simpson unintentionally gave me some nostalgia for the early 2000s with her long, copper hair styled in crimped waves. She paired the look with a brown smokey eye and a nude lip.

Justine Skye

a black woman with curly, honey blonde hair, blonde eyebrows, and smokey eye makeup in front of a black background

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After a recent stint with micro braids, Justine Skye switched things up and wore her honey blonde hair in its naturally curly state on Sunday night. She also wore bleached brows, a '90s supermodel lip complete with dark liner and lip gloss, and smokey, black eye makeup.

Shenseea

a woman with honey blonde hair pulled up into an updo

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Again—celebrities couldn't get enough of the updos last night! Singer Shenseea appeared on the red carpet with her golden brown hair styled in a high updo with tight curls. She completed the look with a piecey side bang that was also curled.

Audrey Nuna

a woman wearing all black with her hair styled into a sculptural updo

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Singer and KPop Demon Hunters star Audrey Nuna showed up wearing a stunning half-up, half-down sculptural hairstyle featuring gold jewelry.

Olandria Carthen

a woman with a bright red strapless dress, a red choker, and red gloves posing in front of a black, red, and white background

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The Love Island star stunned in a red corset dress with a sheer train along with a spiky Y2K updo.

Taylor Momsen

a woman with blonde hair wearing an all black outfit in front of a black, red, and white background

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The Gossip Girl alum made an appearance on the red carpet wearing her signature grunge makeup look: black eyeshadow swiped across her eyelids and the surrounding area. Her platinum blonde hair was styled in soft waves.

Brittany Snow

a woman with blonde, curly hair wearing a gold, sequined strapless gown in front of a black background

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The Hunting Wives actress showed up wearing glamorous Old Hollywood-style curls with a side part and, of course, her signature blonde highlights.

Danielle Jackson
Danielle Jackson
Former Senior Beauty Writer

Danielle Jackson is the former senior beauty writer at Marie Claire. She has nearly a decade of experience covering beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment and was previously the senior beauty editor at Women's Health, where she thoughtfully covered topics related to skincare, haircare, aesthetics, and wellness. Before that, she spent three years as an assistant beauty editor at PS, and in the years since, her work has appeared in titles like Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and more. Danielle graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English, and has lived in Brooklyn for almost ten years. When she's not writing, you can find her reading romance novels and talking about sunscreen. You can find her on Instagram @danielleknecole.