Now in its eight season, NAILS Magazine’s Next Top Nail Artist (NTNA) is the premiere competition within the professional nail industry. This year, NAILS is delighted to be partnering with CND to bring this challenge to life.

Contestants who enter NTNA undergo a rigorous screening process where every brush stroke is scrutinized. After carefully evaluating hundreds of intricate hand-painted looks, sculpted acrylics, brushed on gels, and an array of mixed-media. 

The finalists are competing against each other through a series of design challenges, and Challenge #2 is in and ready for viewing and voting!

Challenge #2: CND Couture

The finalists were challenged to create a "couture creation" with these instructions: 

The Haute Couture shows of Paris Fashion Week occur every January and July and are known for their exceptional artistry. These “high fashion” shows will be going on the week this challenge is live. To get in the spirit, we ask that the Top 11 create nail fashion inspired by the exquisite craftsmanship of couture clothing. Choose a haute couture designer and look you love, and create a nail design inspired by this look. You can choose any haute couture look and designer throughout the history of Paris Fashion Week, so long as you include an image of it for reference. Because haute couture is custom-made by a skilled artisan in the fields of embroidery, stitching, and beading with high-quality materials, your final nail design should be done on 10 nail tips pictured on two hands, and must contain beading, stitching or embroidery elements created with CND nail products. Submit a 5-minute video diary depicting your inspiration and creation of your haute couture nail elements.