Backstage at The Blonds Spring/Summer 2016 at New York Fashion Week

CND unveiled 24 gilded nail designs at The Blonds Spring/Summer 2016 Show at MILK Studios during New York Fashion Week. The Blonds Spring/Summer 2016 was a regal, glistening runway show of avant-garde fashion and artistry inspired by Cleopatra, the Sphinx and various elements of Egyptology.

The elite artists of the CND Design Lab Team hand-scuplted the nails and their larger-than-life embellishments with CND Liquid and Powder and BRISA Gel, then added layers of color with SHELLAC Brand 14+ Day Nail Color, VINYLUX Weekly Polish and CND Additives. Royal golden tones ruled the color palette - antiqued, shimmering and expensive - while accents of blue, turquoise, red and green added texture and dimension. Hieroglyphics, snake and crocodile skins, gold-plated wings, draped headdresses and scarab beetles were constructed and embellished with an array of unconventional materials, including feathers, foils, ribbons, chains, gems jewels and stones. A sarcophagus nail even opened to reveal a mummified pharaoh donning the actual golden locks of designer Phillipe Blond. These highly sculptural designs resulted in over 600 combined hours of production.

Jan Arnold takes us through the nail looks for the show

Lead hairstylist Kien Hoang for Oribe Hair Care takes us through hair looks reminiscent of a Pharaoh's headdress.

Get the Hair Look:

1.  Divide hair in half by sectioning from the front crown to the nape.

2.  Create two high, tight ponytails (pigtails).

3.  Braid each ponytail and wrap into a bun.

4.  Using half of a mesh hair donut, secure it in a crescent shape on top of each bun, and then pin securely.

5.  Prep the wigs using Dry Texturizing Spray ($42) on the roots and Soft Dry Conditioner Spray ($36) on the ends. 

6.  Form and mold the wig into a triangular shape using Superfine Strong Hair Spray ($37).

7.  Attach the wigs to each form on top of the bun. One secure, use clippers to cut a blunt, lip-level bob.  

Kabuki takes us through the make-up look this season.

"I would describe The Blonds collection as a fantasy of ancient Egypt set to a disco beat," says key make-up artist Kabuki on the inspiration for the make-up look this season. "I tried to capture this feeling by using lots of gold-on-gold tones and shimmers." The most theatrical element is a handmade gold chrome applique to immitate Egyptian eyeliner and compliment the jewelry. 

MAC products used include:

Matchmaster Foundation 

Studio Finish Concealer

Sculpt and Bone Beige Sculpting Powders

Vanilla Pigment 

Bam Boom paint

#33 Eyelashes

Haute + Naughty Mascara

Stripdown Pencil

"Pillow Talk" and "How Tropical" Matte Lipsticks

- Kim Weling

CND for The Blonds Fall/Winter 2015 at New York Fashion Week

CND unveiled 20 distinct nail designs at The Blonds Fall/Winter 2015 Show at MILK Studios during New York Fashion Week. Inspired by dystopian elements of several iconic films, the clothing and nails featured a clash of distressed and refined elements, best described as apocalyptic couture. 

The elite artists of the CND Design Lab Team handcrafted the nails and their dramatic embellishments with CND® Liquid & Powder and BRISA® Gel. Then, layers of high-shine color were applied using CND® SHELLAC® brand 14+ day nail color and VINYLUX® Weekly Polish, using innovative techniques to create matte suede texture. Accented with gold chrome accessories, textural elements and layering created serious dimension, while couture camouflage in industrial tones were embellished with hand-crafted molten paillettes. The bold 3D designs, which took over 900 combined hours to create, were pierced, draped, laced, torn and burnt, perfectly accessorizing The Blonds' theatrical collection.

Above photos by Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images for CND

Below photos by Arun Nevader/Getty Images for CND

- Kim Weling

Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Show

The Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Show included looks from the 2010 Rising Design Star recipients - The Blonds, Prova, Prabal Gurung, Siki Im, Altuzarra, Salvor and Organic.

Now in it's 9th season, the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation (EDFF) supports the careers of emerging fashion designers, awarding designers in four categories (women's design, sustainable design, accessories and men's design) with a $25,000 grant to go toward creating a fashion show during New York Fashion Week in February.

The Blonds showcased some flashy looks, with this black Swarovski crystal & pearl dress and black/white stenciled ostrich wrap (left) and a gunmetal jersey dress with spike/crystal/maille shoulder detail (right).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

Prova, awarded in the accessories category, is all about silk scarves with glass beaded fringe.

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

Prabal Gurung showed my two favorites of the whole show - an oxidized silver stretch lace and black wool faille dress (left) and a nude ostrich feather dress with laser cut petals and CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski elements (right).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

Siki Im's first look included a long, black Italian cashmere coat, black, slim Italian wool trousers and white, Japanese poplin band collar shirt (left).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

Altuzarra's looks included a black boucle jacket with goat fur panel and leather panel and peach stretch silk and wool ruched draped dress (left) and a black wool caban coat, black boiled wool jacket with stitched seaming and black stretch wool buckled laced pant (right).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

My favorite look from Salvor is this multiprint modal dress with double knit print leggings (right).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

Organic, awarded in the sustainable category, features a nouveau-print silk chiffon two-pocket shirt, an aubergine mohair sweater (worn as a scarf) and a bright pink Harris Tweed high-waist winter short (left) and a print silk chiffon zip-back dress (right).

Photos by Stevyn Llewellyn for Modern Glossy

- Kim Weling