BREAKING NEWS: Cynthia Erivo’s Insane Bejeweled Manicure at 2025 Golden Globes Took 5 Hours to Complete: ‘It’s Delightful’ .giang

Cynthia Erivo has arrived at the 2025 Golden Globes red carpet and she’s looking Oz-mazing!

On Jan. 5, the actress, 37, made a magical entrance in a look that, although not emerald green, paid homage to Elphaba, much like many of the looks worn by the star during the Wicked press circuit.

Erivo made an entrance in a custom Louis Vuitton black halter gown with silver sequin floral embellishments and a dramatic structure on the waist.

“You have to keep keep everyone guessing,” said Erivo in an interview with E!‘s Zuri Hall. “Green is Elphaba’s skin color, but what she wears a lot is black. So, I’ve been trying to mess around with the shapes and the structure of different kinds of black dresses.”

What also stole the show were Erivo’s nails, which were decked out in large gemstones, intricate art and bold witch-like colors like purple and green. “I didn’t do this morning, but my wonderful manicurist [Mycah Dior] did it,” she revealed. The Los- Angeles-based nail tech used five OPI nail polish shades, including the cobalt blue hue, Fiyero’s My Mani, from the Wicked collection.

Erivo added that the manicure was no easy feat, taking five hours to complete. “I work. I’ll do my emails. I’ll do my texts. I’ll watch some TV. It’s delightful,” she explained of the surprisingly relatable tasks she completes during her routine nail sessions.

Her fingers were decorated with equally showstopping rings.

On the carpet, she also spoke about her relationship with Wicked costar and fellow Globes nominee Ariana Grande.

“There’s stuff that people don’t see when we’re off cameras and away from cameras. It’s our conversations that we have without anyone listening, and how we are together after the cameras shut down. That’s the thing that deepens who we are as friends and sisters. We’re just like, silly sometimes, and we have our ways of making sure we can communicate without words.”

While it’s only been a couple of months since Erivo wrapped up the “Journey Through Oz” Tour, her themed ensembles have surely been missed.

Working in close collaboration with celebrity stylist Jason Bolden, Erivo committed to method dressing as Elphaba in a variety of witchy ensembles that were almost always topped with her signature headwear.

Although she began channeling her character on the red carpet in early 2023, one of her first looks for the promotion of the movie debuted at the Nov. 3 Australia Wicked premiere. She wore an inky Vivienne Westwood Couture corset gown that paid homage to Elphaba’s mostly black wardrobe, plus more than 100 carats of custom Lorraine Schwartz jewels and Roberto Coin jewels worth over $370K.

In Los Angeles, Erivo and Bolden went for a patent neon green Louis Vuitton dress paired with a fluffy coat and a Roberto Coin emerald collar worth $750K. The Mexico and New York premieres saw the star wearing a full-body beaded Thom Browne gown with a head covering and a Dior hourglass gown respectively. Erivo closed out the tour with a bang in London in a sparkly Schiaparelli number made with a glittery rose gold conical leg covering.

Each time, Grande, outfitted by Mimi Cuttrell, complemented Erivo in a Glinda-fied ensemble made from labels such as Ralph Lauren and Bode.

The one thing that remained constant with Erivo’s Wicked-coded aesthetic was her elaborate manicures, which were also a cornerstone of her Elphaba transformation while filming. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, makeup and hair designer Frances Hannon said Erivo told director Jon M. Chu that she wanted to “keep” her own look and incorporate her trademark.

“I was doing the research for this character, and I noticed that the original Wicked Witch had nails,” Erivo said in a behind-the-scenes video shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “I wanted a progression. How she grows as a witch and a woman. Some people wear makeup, I always have my nails done. It’s like another extended way of expressing myself,” which is also the reason she wanted Elphaba to have micro-braids on screen.

Off set, Erivo tapped nail artist Shea Osei to update her talons with museum-worthy manicures, some of which were decked out in crystals and and 3-D designs and always coated in dreamy OPI shades.

Erivo is nominated for best female actor in a motion picture musical or comedy for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West. The movie musical is in the running for three additional awards including best motion picture for a musical or comedy, cinematic box office achievement and best performance by a female actor in a supporting role with Grande (Glinda) among the list of nominees.

The day after nominations were announced, Grande told PEOPLE that it was “surreal” to find out she and Erivo received nods for their performances. “We were just crying together and screaming, and we sent each other flowers immediately,” she shared at the Academy Women’s Luncheon presented by Chanel on Dec. 9.

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 82nd annual Golden Globes as they’re broadcasting live from The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on CBS and Paramount+.