CND
Fashion Forward with CND
The ribbon cutting to signify the official start of New York Fashion Week is less than 24 hours away. The backstage madness is about to begin for all the models, makeup artists, hair stylists and nail techs. And this season yours truly will be joining them to report the upcoming nail trends straight from the tents, as they’re happening. That’s right, I’ll be at Fashion Week!
So to get an idea of the kind of preparation and backstage frenzy that surrounds Fashion Week, I had a nice little chat with Roxanne Valinoti, CND’s Backstage Nail Team Manager. An accomplished nail artist who has worked with countless celebrities, Roxanne is an International Educator for CND who has been part of the Fashion Week team from the very beginning. During our talk, we not only discussed Fashion Week but also CND’s Spring trend forecast and manicure techniques.
Fashion Week
Last September, CND ascended on New York Fashion Week with a team of 20 artists to tend to more than 37,000 fingers and toes at 62 shows in only 10 days. Now that’s a lot of polish!
So what goes into the planning and preparation for taking on such a venture? Two months prior to show time the CND team starts working with the fashion designers to plan the right nail look to showcase their collection. And at the two week mark, a team of three artists get to work in CND’s production suite creating pre-made tips.
The creative process is a collaborative one between the designers and CND Co-founder and Style Director Jan Arnold. Even though each designer has a specific look they want to convey, Jan is always at the ready with ideas for different nail styles, designs and colors. When needed, colors will be custom blended to match a pantone or fabric swatch. Last season there were custom blended shades making their way down the runways at 3.1 Phillip Lim, Akiko Ogawa, Benjamin Cho, Costello Tagliapietra, Karen Walker, Malandrino, Ports 1961, Three as Four and Twinkle.
Then there are the designers that really take it to another level with custom designed nail tips. For example, when Kimora Lee Simmons announced the Russian theme for her Fall 2007 Baby Phat show, Jan showed her handmade badges she brought back from Russia. Kimora wanted them on every nail of the models hands but production for that would have taken months. In all 40 badges were made from a mix of liquid and powder that were then painted and embellished before being attached to each model’s thumbnail. Last season, L.A.M.B. had reverse french tips, Renee Larc requested a pink and white moon manicure and the Snoopy For Fashion charity show featured Peanuts characters. They were all created in advance and applied with a nail shield that peels off to prevent damaging the nailbed.
Trends
When it comes to nail trends, CND doesn’t follow them, they set them. And this is what they see for Spring 2008.
Healthy, clear pastel tints, like lip gloss for the nails
CND’s spring collection, Plexi Pop is filled with sheer, glossy shades, resembling lucite. They were shown on the models at BCBG, Behnaz Sarafpour, Chaiken, Chris Han, Douglas Hannant, Luca Luca, Peter Som and Rachel Roy just to name a few.
Bright pops of hot pink
Brights including pink popped on the runways at DKNY (Hot Pop Pink and Hot Pop Orange), Lyn Devon (Passsionfruit Poppy) and Pegah Anvarian (Studio 54, Burn and Orange-a-Peel).
Dark nails are the new classic for dressed up events
Chic dark tips and toes graced the scene at Badgley Mischka (Fedora topped with Decadence), Marchesa (Nail Noir), Max Azria (Limited Edition) and Proenza Schouler (Moroccan Ruby).
Techniques
Working in such a fast paced environment takes poise, patience, skill and the right products. Roxanne shared with me some of her favorite products and techniques for surviving the backstage insanity.
- 5-6 designers requested a matte finish. To achieve the look wait for you top coat to dry and hit it with the gray side of the girlfriend buffer.
- When it comes to mixing polishes, be careful. Roxanne suggests you stay within the same brand to avoid any dangerous chemical reactions.
- CND Air Dry is the preferred top coat for its shine and drying time even though Speedy is faster.
- CND Serenity is the backstage basic nude and all around go to color for a clean polished look.
So now that we’ve seen what Spring has to offer, I look foward to bringing you with me as I go backstage to see what Fall 2008 will be all about. Stay tuned!
CND Spring 2008 – Plexi Pop
The sheers are coming! The sheers are coming! Take cover vampy girls for the sheers are a-coming! This spring will be a sheer lover’s paradise according to the spring collection previews. You all know I’m not a fan of sheers but I’m going to try my hardest to remain objective.
CND‘s collection for Spring, Plexi Pop, is sheer-gasm of pinks, peach and aqua with an opaque white cream. If you followed my coverage of the Spring 2008 New York Fashion Week shows, you know that a lot of these colors popped up on the runways of fashion’s biggest designers. At the time they were still unnamed but here they are in all their glory.
Clearly Pink – a milky pink sheer, it reminds me of my beloved OPI Passion (not the Designer Series version). It applies streak free and adds a slight hint of creamy pinkness to my nails. The only downside for me is that with my whites being slightly yellowed from dark polish use, Clearly Pink’s milkiness didn’t help brighten my whites.
Nail Gloss – Is a straight up pink sheer. No milkiness, just a pink tinged clear. It really is like lip gloss for your nails. It reminds me of one of my favorite lip glosses from my early 20s, Bonne Bell Lip d’Votion in Fresh Melon, super glossy with the slightest hint of color.
Plexi Pink – is a pretty hot pink sheer with subtle bluish-purple shimmer that gives the shade some pop. It’s more pigmented than the other pinks but still not buildable to opaque.
Retro White – This slightly creamy white was a nightmare for me. I’m not gonna lie, I tried three times to get an even application to show you all and it wasn’t happening. The picture below is with three spaced out coats, to allow proper drying, and it was still streaky as all get out. Just look at the massive dragging near my cuticles. I assume that this shade was intended for use in an american manicure but I can’t recommend it.
Translucent Tangerine – A glittery peach sheer, this color didn’t work for my skin tone but it’s really pretty in the bottle. I’m sure warm toned gals would love this. And despite the high glitter content, that polish felt smooth on my nail.
Turquoise Tint – To me, I see this color and immediately think layering. A turquoise sheer just isn’t something I’d think of wearing. It looks so unnatural and alien-esque on me. Though the cellophane finish is pretty cool.
Plexi Pop will be available in salons, spas and professional beauty stores as of March 2008. Each enamel retails for $6.00 US/$9.40 Canada.
CND Spring 2008 Preview – Plexi Pop
Introducing Plexi Pop – CND Color Collection Spring/Summer 2008
Lip Gloss for the Nails
Give fingers and toes a dose of radiant energy! CND’s new Plexi Pop Collection for Spring/Summer 2008 is inspired by colorful Lucite designs from modernist 60’s interiors. Bold in the bottle translates to subtle, optically-interesting color on the nail. The collection is an energetic palette – couture in spirit and NOW in look.
Rising temperatures call for translucent nail tints in a range of moods from understated soft nudes that are like lip gloss for the nails to vibrant flashes of carefree color. The length and look this season is past the tip of the finger in a soft and tapered shape. The collection includes two healthy pink clears, three opalescent bright sheers in hot pink, coral and turquoise, and a mod crisp white cream.
Retro White – bright white opaque crème
Clearly Pink – translucent light pink sheer
Nail Gloss– translucent medium pink sheer
Plexi Pink – vibrant pink opalescent sheer
Translucent Tangerine – coral shimmer sheer
Turquoise Tint – aqua opalescent sheer
These shades debuted on runways during Spring 2008 Fashion Week in New York and London .
Clearly Pink glowed at Badgley Mischka, Bruce, Chaiken, Luca Luca, Peter Som, Philosophy, Nili Lotan, G-Star, Tory Burch
Nail Gloss was worn by models at BCBG, Behnaz Sarafpour, Jasper Conran, COS, Carmen Marc Valvo, Nary Manivong, PHI, DKNY, Rachel Roy, Reyes, Rosa Cha, TSE and Yigal Azro
Translucent Tangerine premiered at Douglas Hannant
Turquoise Tint glimmered at Ashish N Soni and Chris Han
Retro White was part of the revolutionized black and white French manicure at L.A.M.B. and Jayson Brunsdon
The Plexi Pop Collection will be in salons, spas and professional beauty stores as of March 2008. Each enamel retails for $6.00 US/$9.40 Canada .
Customization: Frankenpolish & The Art Of Layering
Ask any beauty junkie and we’ll admit, no matter how many shades, fragrances or formulations are thrown our way we are still restless for more. Even if we find that perfect product, after a while we’ll wish it was a bit more “something”. Deeper in color, smoother in feel, slightly more floral, etc. Let’s face, it we’re just never satisfied.
As we’ve learned from magazines, makeup artists and our fellow product junkies, beauty is like Burger King; we can have it our way. All it takes is a little customizing. Whether it’s layering your favorite perfumes to create a signature scent, mixing your moisturizer in with your foundation to make it sheer and dewy or blending eight different shadows to achieve that perfect smokey eye we love to alter and combine our favorite products.
In the world of lacquer it’s no different. When we can’t find the color we want we become kids again, mixing lacquer like we used to mix our finger paints. It’s all about experimenting, letting your imagination go and relying on our childhood art lessons about the color wheel. Say it with me folks, yellow and blue make green. Now I’m having Ziploc commercial flashbacks.
There are two methods of customizing polish:
- Layering – Using multiple layers of different colors to create the desired shade
- Mixing – Combining two or more lacquers in a bottle (aka Frankenpolish)
First let’s discuss the easiest way to customize your color, layering. It’s very no muss, no fuss. The only real trick is making sure the edges of each layer line up. If you have a shade that is too light or dark, layer it over white or black. Is your polish to sheer? Layer it over a similar hued opaque formula or black. Everything looks more intense over black. Love the shade of your chrome or metallic finish polish but hate the brush strokes? Add a sheer on top to achieve a smoother finish. Here are some examples from my own experiments.
I was so excited when I got China Glaze Kaleidoscope Him Out and He’s Going In Circles because not only are they holographic but they’re blue and green holos. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that the green and blue made enough of an impact.
So I layered them over opaque creme lacquers and pow! Instant intensity.
Here’s an example of how I combated brush strokes in a metallic finish. I love the color of China Glaze Open Sky but the finish left something to be desired. So I turned to a holo for help. Adding a layer of OPI Blue Moon Lagoon didn’t alter the beauty of Open Sky, it just added a little bling and a smoother look.
These two were just for fun. I love my greens but a girl can never have enough options.
Now on to the science project that is the Frankenpolish.
My first try at making my own polish was to mix MAC pigment with clear lacquer. Mixing pigments can be a lot of work but if you have a gorgeous shade that would look great on your nails, it’s worth it. I buy Milani clear polish but others like using Sally Hansen Insta Dri. I add 1/4 tsp. of pigment at a time and mix, mix, mix before I test it on the nail. Just keep adding pigment until you’ve reached the desired opacity. If you can, add a couple mixing balls because the pigment will settle out when not in use.
Here are the results of my first ever pigment mix. This is MAC Entremauve in Milani Crystal Clear lacquer. The pink sparkles in Entremauve really pop as a polish.
The other method for mixing your own polish is to combine different lacquers to create a new shade. The true Frankenpolish.
Disclaimer: Due to the volatile nature of nail lacquer ingredients I do not condone or promote mixing formulas from different manufacturers. There is no way to know if they will safely combine. So franken at your own risk.
For great tips on the supplies, process and recipes, check out the Frankenpolish Notepad on Makeup Alley. Bravo to Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic for creating it and to all the lovely MUA members that contribute to it.
These lovely frankens are the creation of MUA member jennyferr.
45% OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, 10% Black
Camouflage, 1/3 Zoya Tangy
Now it’s your turn. Share your favorite layering combos and recipes.
photos: All Lacquered Up and jennyferr on MUA
CND Holiday
I’m going to say something that probably won’t make any of you happy. The holidays are just around the corner. Depressing to think about, isn’t it?
Well, at least you have the holiday lacquer collections to look forward to. This year instead of releasing just one set, like last year’s glittery Holiday Bling, CND is introducing three seasonal nail style kits. Each one is tailored to meet all your holiday nail needs and comes with a free gift and nail style guide. To see the actual packaging, check out my Holiday Preview post.
The Glamour kit includes Ruby Red and Deep Velvet polishes and a set of clear rhinestones.
Ruby Red
Deep Velvet
CND suggests using this kit to create a modified french with Deep Velvet at the base and Ruby Red on the tip. Add a rhinestone along the smile line and cuticle and you’ve got one daring and bold style that is sure to be noticed. The look is more than I could pull off but for a day, who cares. It’s only polish, it’s not a tattoo.
The Festive kit includes Hollywood, Black Platinum lacquers and a bonus gift of glitterosity, Mother of Pearl.
Hollywood
Mother Of Pearl
Black Platinum
The look for this set is a nail art design of red and silver poinsettias on a glittering backdrop. Way too crafty for my meager nail painting skills. If anyone recreates this or something similar, I’d love to see it.
The Count Down kit includes Smooch and Pucker Up lacquers with a gift of Air Dry top coat.
Smooch
Pucker Up
The look for the Count Down kit is more subdued than the others. This is a more festive take on a traditional french manicure with Pucker Up’s jelly finish as a base color and Smooch adding glitz to the tips.
Lisa N.
Ms Meatballhead
Birdie
Spa pediccure chairs
