At three New York Fashion Week shows, Essie’s nail designs ranged from classic nudes to sporty tomboy and fierce rock and roll looks.

Rebecca Minkoff, who is also Essie’s global color designer, turned to Rolling Stones muse Anita Pallenberg for inspiration for her NYFW show. Running with that rock 'n' roll spirit, Michelle Saunders for Essie created a strip of Dressed to the Nineties surrounded by Girly Grunge to call to mind the sliver of a feline pupil using new Essie fall 2017 shades. The end result is fierce, yet refined.

To recreate this look, follow these steps:

1. Apply First Base Base Coat to dry, clean nails.
2. Apply one coat of Dressed to the Nineties down the middle of the nail from cuticle to tip.
3. To create two curved lines, apply the metallic Girly Grunge to each side of the nail, angling in slightly toward the middle at the top. This reveals a “pupil” of the Dressed to the Nineties layer below.
4. Finish the look in less than 60 seconds with Speed.Setter Top Coat.

The Kith Spring 2018 show was inspired by the idea of the modern tomboy, with flashes of red, navy, gray, cream, and shearling. Going with the theme, Alicia Torello for Essie played with flattering nude shades on some models, while giving others sporty nail art designs that included racing stripes and a take on the Champion logo.

To recreate this look, follow these steps:

1. Apply First Base Base Coat.
2. Add two coats of Blanc.
3. On the ring fingers, paint a half circle of Really Red with the flat edge going across the middle of the nail and the curved section dipping toward the cuticle area.
4. With a striping brush, add Butler Please along the flat edge of the semi-circle of Really Red. Then, apply it in an elongated “C” shape around the border of the nail, tapering in at the tips.
5. On the remaining fingers, paint a vertical line of Really Red slightly to the right of the middle of the nail. Then apply another stripe of Butler Please to the left side of the Really Red line.
6. Finish with Speed.Setter top coat.

To create the nude look, prep with First Base Base Coat and paint two coats with the nude of your choice: Bare With Me, Wild Nude, Mixtaupe, or Ballet Slippers. Finish with Speed.Setter top coat.

A pro tip from Alicia: You don’t need a steady hand to get a clean look when applying nail art — try an eyeshadow brush. Dipped in nail polish remover, it becomes an instant eraser around cuticles.

For Alexander Wang’s after-party inspired runway, Rita Remark chose Topless & Barefoot, a “chameleon nude” she says looks soft pink on some, ivory on others, and flattering on everyone. To recreate this look, apply a layer of First Base Base Coat, follow with two coats of Topless & Barefoot, and finish with Speed.Setter Top Coat for a high-shine finish.