Bustle’s 2025 Beauty Icon Awards: The A-List Glam Squad

Celebrities don’t just roll out of bed looking ready for a Getty close-up. Behind every glowing cheekbone or impossibly glossy blowout is a small army of pros who prime, sculpt, tan, smooth, and generally zhuzh them into perfection. Think of it like an assembly line — except instead of gears and levers, there’s a colorist custom-formulating their shade, a facialist manually draining puffiness, and a cosmetic dentist making sure their smile sparkles like a disco ball. Every square inch is accounted for — and elevated.

Needless to say, it absolutely takes a village. And when it’s red-carpet season — or party season, really — that village becomes the A-list glam squad: the artists and experts your favorite stars rely on to look camera-ready at all times.

This time of year, these beautifying experts are in high demand. Among galas, premieres, awards shows, and brand events, celebs’ calendars are stacked — and, as such, they require long-lasting, foolproof glam and treatments that’ll keep them bright-eyed and bushy ponytailed well beyond New Year’s. Beyond delivering on exactly that, these pros — with their behind-the-scenes magic — also set the tone for next season’s trends. All eyes are on the aesthetics they craft for the red carpet — which ultimately become what millions pin to their mood boards.

Ahead, meet the A-list glam team of Bustle’s 2025 Beauty Icon Awards.

The Spray Tan Artist: Isabel Alysa

Why risk sun damage when you could just get an incredible spray tan from Isabel Alysa? At least, that’s what her celebrity clients — Alix Earle, Kim Kardashian, and Selena Gomez among them — must be thinking. Landing an appointment with the glow queen herself might not be easy, but her signature bronzed look is more accessible than ever with Dolce Glow, Alysa’s own self-tanning line. The brand’s viral mousse has quickly become the golden standard for at-home tans, delivering the same streak-free, hydrating finish Alysa is known for on set. So, even if you can’t get in her books, you can still get that A-lister glow.

The Smile Architect: Jon Marashi

You might have seen people on TikTok asking “Why do celebrities get such bad veneers?” Just know they’re never talking about Dr. Jon Marashi’s clientele, which includes Lindsay Lohan, Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, and Cher (who once dubbed him the “Tom Ford of cosmetic dentistry”). Aside from veneers, Marashi, D.D.S., specializes in full smile design, bonding, and whitening — treatments that he uses to elevate a patient’s natural features. The result is a smile that looks subtly enhanced but effortless. And, in a world where overly bright veneers can ruin someone’s red-carpet look, that tailored approach is exactly why A-listers trust him to deliver camera-ready results.

The Sculpting Magician: Flavia Lanini

If you’ve ever wondered how models manage to look (even more) snatched before a Victoria’s Secret runway show, chances are Flavia Lanini had something to do with it. The Brazilian-born lymphatic drainage guru is known for her signature contouring massage that everyone — from Lizzo to Kim Kardashian — swears by for flushing out toxins, defining curves, boosting circulation, and reducing bloating. Needless to say, her hands have become a fashion show and Met Gala pre-game staple. Lanini’s technique blends classic lymphatic drainage with a focus on head-to-toe sculpting, making the results feel part spa treatment, part instant camera trick. It’s no wonder she’s the not-so-secret secret among supermodels, glam teams, and anyone who needs to look lifted in a matter of minutes.

The Makeup Maven: Melissa Hernandez

Thanks to Melissa Hernandez, old Hollywood glam is back on the face of your favorite A-lister — but with a subtle, striking, modern-day upgrade. Whether it’s Olivia Rodrigo or Sydney Sweeney, the star makeup artist’s clientele has been opting for timeless elegance with a trendy twist — think crisp red lips, defined cat eyes, or velvety complexions paired with something more unexpected, like maroon lids or frosted inner corners. Her work is proof that the classics stay timeless — especially in the hands of someone who knows exactly how to update them.

The Mani Master: Kim Truong

Kim Truong wants you to have fun with your manicure. The nail artist, whose recent sets include a “noir French” on Kourtney Kardashian and tortoiseshell print on Dua Lipa, has mastered the art of balancing details with a polished finish. But the best part? Her range. Truong can deliver a playful set one day and a clean, chic one the next. Whether she’s glazing a nude nail or reinventing a French tip, her mix of patterns and textures always looks elevated rather than overdone. With your hands in hers, even the simplest mani becomes a standout.

The Skin-Boosting Star: Joomee Song

Facialist Joomee Song’s technique goes beyond usual skin care concerns like dryness or acne. Her secret to glowing skin is giving your face a workout. Her method combines lymphatic drainage with targeted massage, focusing on key areas like the overworked masseter muscle, to create pathways that help blood circulate more freely and reduce tension. The result is a lifted, sculpted look that feels as good as it appears. According to Song, facial massaging is an often-overlooked step in skin care, tackling issues from the inside out while enhancing radiance and reducing puffiness. (Look no further than Lady Gaga for proof that it works.)

The Hair Designer: Nikki Nelms

Nikki Nelms is more than a stylist — she’s an artist, and hair is her medium. From gravity-defying updos to intricate braids and flipped bobs, she’s been turning looks into moments — not the least of which is Zoe Kravitz’s recent side bang. Whether it’s for the red carpet or an editorial shoot, every style feels inventive and perfectly executed, like watching a master painter in motion. Her genius lies in her ability to push boundaries without losing intention: every braid, bend, and unexpected accessory tells a story. And yet, even with all the experimentation, her work always feels deeply considered — wearable, beautiful, and undeniably cool.

The Tweakment Guru: Laura Devgan

Sometimes the most impactful treatments are the ones you don’t even realize happened. While you can often credit a celebrity’s extra luminous glow to a facialist, Dr. Laura Devgan’s touch is so masterfully subtle — even if a star patient went under the knife, they simply show up on the red carpet looking inexplicably well-rested. That kind of magical discretion is exactly why the Upper East Side plastic surgeon is so beloved by A-listers. Whether she’s wielding a hyaluronic acid–filled syringe or the lightest flick of a scalpel, Devgan, M.D., delivers a glow-up that makes you question whether anything was “done” at all — only that they look undeniably, effortlessly elevated.

The Hollywood Colorist: Matt Rez

Matt Rez is the celebrity colorist everyone calls when they want to take their hair to the next level — literally. From Hailey Bieber to Tate McRae, he’s built a cult following of it girls rocking his signature “midlight” technique, a candlelit blend of highlights and lowlights that adds soft, natural dimension from within. The effect is polished yet effortless — the kind of luminous color that somehow looks even better under flash photography. His hallmark? Making hair look like the best version of itself — elevated, dimensional, and undeniably red-carpet-ready. It’s proof that even the stars want something beautiful but low-effort — because who has time for a grow-out phase when you have a premiere to attend?