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ORLY‘s presence at this year’s September New York fashion week was wide, with Key nail artist Holly Falcone (@hollyfalconenails) lead the charge. Falcone designed and executed elegant nail looks for a variety of luxury fashion labels including Susan Alexandra, Sandy Liang and more.
Falcone particularly praises ORLY’s Shining Armor Longwear Top Coat for its fast drying time and high gloss as well as their Builder in a bottle gel for the strong bond of gemstones, expressing both of which were a tremendous asset when working backstage to create those particular runway looks.
Chloe Fineman’s Beetle-Inspired Look – Susan Alexandra
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
ORLY
“For this show we had 12 different looks that were ’90s glamor with a touch of Susan Alexandra,” says Falcone. “The ’90s was all about square nails in vampire colors, metallic greens and blues, confetti, and of course, a classic French tip. Since Susan Alexandra is all about accents, we used ORLY’s Builder in a Bottle to glue crystals onto the nails.”
Uniformed Black Man – Sandy Liang
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
Courtesy of ORLY
For the Sandy Liang show, Falcone performed three different nail looks to complement the ensembles. “Most of the girls wear short black fingernails as the collection is an ode to uniforms,” she explains of the first set. “Black gives it that uniformed look, plus it takes the nostalgia of an angular girl in the ’90s and translates it into a simple, elegant woman with an edge of today.”
Pink Ballet but Anime – Sandy Liang
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
Courtesy of ORLY
About the pink nails, Falcone says the look “is a nod to that ballet-inspired pink satin look, but makes it into an anime. The metallic pink of ORLY’s Can’t Jet Enough is like the spiced up version of Sailor Moon.”
French Bridal Tips – Sandy Liang
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
Courtesy of ORLY
“Although this isn’t a bridal collection, at the end there are two brides wearing the original French manicure with thin white tips,” adds Falcone. “Two fingers are accented with a white bow applied with a detail brush.”
3D Bubbles – Priscavera
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
Courtesy of ORLY
“This collection features materials in so many colors and textures that we decided to match the nail color and finish to the materials,” says Falcone. “We were able to get exact matches to existing ORLY shades, which made it easier. For these we enhanced the shine with ORLY’s Shining Armor which is really a game changer for backstage. [ORLY’s Builder in the Bottle] can be used to create incredible 3D textures like these bubbles, or to securely attach the gems and crystals.”
Pink Gingham—Batsheva
Holly Falcone nails with ORLY
Courtesy of ORLY
“We were directly inspired by Batsheva’s variety of prints, fabrics, model personalities and colors,” says Falcone. “The nail looks are a twist on the classic elegant long nail, but they are longer, almond shaped and feature more colorful tones and textures.”
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