Sabrina Carpenter Brings Dazzling Nail Jewelry Trend to the 2025 VMAs

When Sabrina Carpenter steps onto a red carpet, she doesn’t just arrive she stages a small cultural event. At the 2025 MTV VMAs, the Vogue cover star once again proved that beauty is in the details, and this time, the spotlight wasn’t just on her Valentino gown or her feather-trimmed boa. It was on her nails tiny canvases dripping in jewelry-like shimmer.

Wrapped in a semi-sheer crimson lace dress by Valentino, with a lilac marabou boa slung dramatically across her arms, Carpenter looked like she had wandered straight out of an old Hollywood dream and landed squarely in the TikTok era. The dress whispered glamour, the boa shouted playfulness but it was her bejeweled manicure that sealed the moment.

Nail jewelry a trend that’s been bubbling in celebrity beauty circles isn’t about basic rhinestones or a touch of glitter. On Carpenter, each nail became an ornament, catching light like miniature chandeliers. The effect was less “polished” and more “curated,” a reminder that nails have graduated from accessory to statement piece.

It’s a clever beauty move, too. Red-carpet looks often risk being swallowed whole by the dress, but by adorning her nails with jewelry-level sparkle, Carpenter carved out her own niche in a sea of sequins and satin. The manicure worked like punctuation on her entire look: precise, unexpected, and impossible to ignore.

Fashion critics and fans alike are already buzzing, with many predicting that nail jewelry could be the breakout beauty trend of awards season 2025. After all, what’s easier to replicate at home or at the salon than nails dripping with a little extra shine?

Carpenter, of course, isn’t new to trendsetting. From her playful coquette-inspired beauty looks to her fearless fashion choices, she’s become a kind of unofficial spokesperson for what’s next in Gen Z glam. And if the 2025 VMAs are any indication, the year ahead will be sparkling quite literally at our fingertips.