Photography: Courtesy of Kenidia D Quinones Alamo/@curlingmekrazy
Festival season 2025 is in full swing, and clients are embracing bold, expressive looks that demand professional expertise. From sculptural hairstyles to bold graphic eyeliner and intricate nail art, these trends offer endless opportunities for beauty pros to showcase their skills.
Ahead, discover SalonCentric’s guide to the top hair, makeup, and nail trends dominating the festival scene this year.
Festival Hair Trends

Neon Money Piece
Chunky, face-framing highlights in vivid, neon hues like slime green, hot pink, and cobalt blue are making waves this festival season. This look is perfect for all hair types and textures and can be customized to fit your client's preferences.
For a low-commitment color service, try using semi-permanent dyes (like Pulp Riot Semi-Permanent Haircolor) to deliver an unforgettable festival hair color transformation your clients will love.
Photography: Courtesy of Tatiana Mendez Tejera
/@tati.hair.magic

Y2K Hair
Y2K-inspired hairstyles have exploded in popularity in recent years, and in 2025, they'll continue to be a staple for festival lovers worldwide. You'll find vibrant butterfly clips reentering the festival scene as well as nostalgic styles like space buns, mini pigtails, Bantu knots, zig-zag parts, and bubble braids.
At Coachella, several celebrities and influencers showed off Y2K-inspired baby braids (also known as braided tendrils or mini braids) with textured beach waves—a low-effort style that adds a touch of boho glam to any festival look.
Photography: Courtesy of Sabrina Jean/@hairbysabrinajean

Sculptural Hair
Sculptural hair is predicted to be one of the main events this festival season, with influencers and celebrities showing off intricate, sculpted styles. The trend offers a modern, avant-garde twist to traditional festival styles—making it perfect for your trendsetting clients.
These looks embrace bold, artistic shapes like geometric braids, twisted updos, and gravity-defying spikes. It's all about turning your hair into a canvas for self-expression.
Photography: Courtesy of Antonio Estrada/@antestradahair

Jellyfish Haircut
The jellyfish haircut (or “jelly bob”) continues to stand out as one of 2025’s most daring hair trends, with celebrities like Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus rocking the high-contrast look.
This edgy haircut is ideal for trendsetting festival enthusiasts who want to make a bold statement and express their individuality. To create the futuristic look, you’ll cut two distinct layers—choppy, face-framing layers at the front (like a blunt bob) with long, flowing hair in the back.
Photography: Courtesy of Ashley Hensel/@afterglow.ash

Tinsel Revival
Hair tinsel is back, thanks to the resurgence of Y2K trends and the movie “Anora”—but with a modern twist. The 2025 take on the trend is all about strategic shimmer, with subtle strands woven into curtain bangs, box braids, face-framing layers, or any go-to festival style.
This understated approach allows for a more wearable version of the look that still catches the light at festivals and adds an ethereal vibe to any look. Best of all, hair tinsel is low-commitment trend that’s versatile and easy to upsell to clients.
Photography: Courtesy of Lucy Seitz/@lucyseitzhair

Rainbow Sparkle
Hair trends come and go but glitter will always be a festival hair essential—think sparkling hair accessories, hair gems, bedazzled butterfly clips, and glitter hairsprays that add a fairy-like, shimmering finish to any look. Glitter styling products and accessories are one of the easiest ways to add festive flair to any look with minimal effort.
After styling, try spritzing your client’s hair with glitter hairspray for a touch of sparkle (and remember to recommend your favorite glitter retail products for quick day-of-the-event touch-ups).
Photography: Courtesy of Lunabelle/@hairbylunabelle
Festival Nail Trends

Aura Nails
Aura nails (sometimes known are blush nails or eyeshadow nails) are everywhere lately, especially among festival-goers. This nail trend is like a mood ring for your nails. It features soft orbs of color in diffused gradients that mimic your unique energy field. The hazy, ethereal effect calls on the colors you connect with most and offers endless possibilities for creativity.
Aura nails tap into 2025's obsession with matching your look to your energy, and pair perfectly with aura eyeshadow, holographic eyeliner, or bold, colorful mascara.
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios

Pixie Dust Nails
For festival fans who want to lean into the minimalist nail trend with an ethereal twist, try pixie dust nails. This fairy-inspired manicure is similar to the soap nails trend but with added shimmer and a slightly iridescent finish. The look is more translucent and glass-like than angel chrome nails, so you'll want to opt for nail polishes that have a subtle sparkle and a light-reflective effect.
To create this mystical manicure, SalonCentric #ItTakesAPro Team Artist Karina Andrade used OPI GelColor in Put It In Neutral and I Cancer-Tainly Shine, and LeChat Nails Daydream Chromes.
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios

Bedazzled French Manicure
French manicures are always on-trend, but for festival season, they're getting a beautifully bedazzled makeover. For this Coachella-approved look, SalonCentric #ItTakesAPro Team Artist Karina Andrade embellished classic French tips with strategically placed rhinestones and crystals.
These blinged out nails are the perfect festival-season statement—elevated, eye-catching, and versatile enough to pair with any festival outfit. The trend taps into the ongoing evolution of the French manicure while bringing festival-ready sparkle and shine to your fingertips.
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios

Blooming Nails
"Blooming nails" are blossoming as a standout festival trend this year with their dreamy, watercolor-like nail designs. The look is created using a nail art technique that allows colors to organically spread and blend, creating soft, abstract patterns reminiscent of tie-dye or floral motifs.
The result is a mesmerizing, one-of-a-kind manicure that feels both ethereal and expressive—perfect for the free-spirited vibe of festival season. Whether adorned with vibrant neons, delicate pastels, or accented with rhinestones, blooming nails offer endless options for showcasing your individuality.
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios

Glass Nails
Glass nails are taking over festival season with their high-shine, mirror-like finish that catches the light from every angle. This trend layers magnetic gel polish, jelly colors, and glossy topcoats to create a multidimensional, reflective effect reminiscent of stained glass or crystal.
From ethereal pastels to shimmering chromes, glass nails offer a versatile and eye-catching option for festival-loving clients seeking a high-impact, futuristic look that complements any style. This looks builds on the popular cat-eye nail trend, offering a similar light-shifting allure but with even more depth and radiance.
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios

Textured Nail Art
Coachella 2025 brought us plenty of standout manicure moments, with A-listers like Kylie Jenner, Ariana Greenblatt, and Hailey Beiber showing off textured nails with 3D designs. Beiber's pretty pink, almond-shaped manicure featured gorgeous chrome swirls while celebs like Ariana Greenblatt opted for psychedelic mix-and-match sets with textured swirls, shapes, and colors.
For clients who want an extra-trendy look that stands out in the crowd, try combining textured nail art with a reflective chrome finish (another popular festival nail trend).
Photography: Courtesy of Karina Andrade/@glossy.studios
Festival Makeup Trends

Lava Lamp Makeup
This festival makeup trend channels the '90s-inspired neon hues, fluid shapes, and mesmerizing movement of a vintage lava lamp. Fueled by TikTok creators and Gen Z’s love of nostalgic futurism, the look uses bright colors and creative patterns to turn your cheeks and lids into retro works of art.
To ace the look, you'll need colorful eyeshadows and liquid eyeliner in neon shades, like The Glamatory Liquid Eyeliner in the shades Mula, Charged, and Heiress.
Photography: Courtesy of Ashley Hensel/@afterglow.ash

Face Gems
Another festival makeup look that never goes out of style is gem mapping—using rhinestones, gems, and crystals to create elaborate patterns around the eyes, brows, and cheeks. This trend is easy to replicate and can be easily customized for any festival style, whether you prefer a subtle touch of festival glam or a full-out rhinestone mask.
Try using self-adhesive gems or lash glue for precise gem placement and build your design around your makeup or outfit colors for a cohesive, high-impact festival look.
Photography: Courtesy of Sydney Pang/Pexels

Graphic Eyeliner
Graphic eyeliner adds the ultimate pop of color to any festival ensemble. This trendy alternative to traditional eyeliner features sharp lines, geometric shapes, and daring placements that go beyond your everyday winged liner or smoky-eye look.
For graphic eyeliner, grab a neon liquid eyeliner and create an exaggerated winged look or head-turning shape. The goal is to get creative and use innovative placement to make your eyes pop!
Photography: Courtesy of Anna Shvets/Pexels

"No Makeup" Makeup
The “no-makeup” makeup trend is holding strong for festival season 2025, bringing a fresh, natural vibe to some of the season's trendiest looks. Spotted on celebs like Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber at Coachella, the look focuses on dewy skin, soft cream blush, and minimal eye makeup—just enough to enhance your features without overpowering them.
Lightweight tinted moisturizers and hydrating, sheer makeup formulas keep things breathable and low-maintenance, making this trend a festival go-to for long days in the summer sun.
Photography: Courtesy of Maddie Enos/@colorbymaddie)
Next, discover how to recreate some of the trendiest minimalist nail looks from this year’s Met Gala: 4 Showstopping Manicures From the 2025 Met Gala.