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Celebrities have had 364 days since the last BET Awards to come up with ideas for even more amazing manicures to wear to the 2022 award ceremony. It's easy to see that they've been collaborating with their favorite nail artists to perfect the finishing touches of their red-carpet beauty looks for the big night, which honors amazing achievements in Black entertainment — music, acting, sports, and more. And we'd like to honor the manicurists who made sure the nominees', presenters', and guests' hands were ready for their closeups.
The first half of 2022 has been unpredictable in terms of nail trends, with some stars remaining true to elaborate and super-long looks and others taking a more neutral, subtle approach to their nails — and there's a place for all of it at the 2022 BET Awards. Here are our favorite manicures of the night.
Billy Porter
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Literally everything about Billy Porter's look is show-stopping, including his manicure. His short nails are coated in an almost-iridescent chrome polish in a magnetic moss green color that matches nothing else about his ensemble and yet somehow goes perfectly.
Taraji P. Henson
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Tonight's host, Taraji P. Henson, also went with metallic nails, though hers are more matchy-matchy with her first dress of the night. The silver manicure gleams from its cuticles to its long, pointy tips.
Shaun Ross
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Shaun Ross's nails may not be painted, but he's still giving us creative manicure vibes with his nail jewelry — a set of ribbed, silver rings that sit on the tips of his fingers and create the illusion of pointy, metallic nails.
Lakeyah
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Rapper Lakeyah went for elegant glam with her manicure. Her long nails have a milky base and feature black corners near the squared-off tips. Some of the nails are topped off with diamond-like gems in various formations.
India Love
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Social media superstar India Love had a different take on the night's metallic trend. Her long, square French mani looks like it decorates in bubbles of mercury — a different arrangement on each gorgeous nail.
Mary J. Blige
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: Mary J. Blige attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images,)Amy Sussman/Getty Images
The legendary Mary J. Blige's nails look so pretty in pink. The bright, bubblegum shade looked all grown up in a long, pointy shape and bedazzled with crystals.
Doechii
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: Doechii attends the 2022 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images,)Amy Sussman/Getty Images
Doechii's twist on the metallic manicure appears to be a literal twist. Her pointy, golden nails have a texture reminiscent of a corkscrew, tapering into a long point. They beautifully match her red-carpet gown and graphic eye makeup.
Latto
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Latto arrived at the BET Awards with one manicure, but her gloves arrived to her performance with another. At the tips of her black, velour gloves were diamonds within diamonds within diamonds — four diamond shapes, each made up of gems, come together to make a larger, nail-sized diamonds for an incredibly glamorous effect.