 "Beautiful Liar" is a mid-tempo song; musically, it is a melding of Shakira's Latin and Arabic styles with Beyoncé's contemporary hip hop and R&B styles.Its theme is female empowerment; two female protagonists sing about being charmed by the same man, but instead of fighting over him, both ladies agree that he is not worth their time.The song was well received by music critics, who praised generally Beyoncé's and Shakira's collaboration.