Yesterday, I attended the preview event at Her Majesty’s Pleasure in Toronto for the CND Craft Culture Collection, which officially launches in July!

Inspired by rugged charm and an artisan hard at work, the CND Craft Culture Collection includes shades that call to mind rich textures and familiar fabrics associated with craftsmanship.

The abundance of rich shades makes it easy to fall in love with at least one!

Edit: Check out my post with CND Craft Culture Collection swatches of all 8 Vinylux shades!

As per usual, when it comes to press-release posts, I love creating my own image that I feel represents the collection and that shows you all of the colours in a glance. (To see the official CND images, scroll further down this post.)

At the preview, I met Liliya (@liliyalehetacnd on Instagram) who is an Education Ambassador for CND. She painted my nails and did a freehand ripped-jeans design!

At the CND Craft Culture Collection preview event, there were some props available for a photo op. Obviously, I wouldn’t be a blogger if I didn’t play around with them, right? 😉

This was my favourite snapshot:

Keep reading the rest of this post for more information about the CND Craft Culture Collection and the preview event!

As Liliya prepared my nails for a fresh manicure, we chit chatted, and I asked her a bazillion and one questions about ridges, nail shaping, cuticle removal, yellow nails from polishes that stain, etc. She was very friendly and patient, providing me with valuable knowledge cultivated from her years of experience.

Confidently brandishing her nail file like a wizard waving a magic wand, she worked hard to give me a new nail shape: almonds! She also explained each step, to help me learn the technique, in case I wanted to maintain it.

I have always had rounded nails, so almonds are a nice twist. I’ll try it out for a bit to see how I like it.

Since I have some manicures previously photographed, you may notice that my old shape will surface on here and on my social media.

Most likely the first time that I showcase the new nail shape with a solid colour will be when I swatch all the CND Craft Culture Collection Vinylux shades. That post will be coming soon! (When I publish that post, I’d love to hear your opinion on the almond shape, whether you love it, hate it, or simply don’t care either way.)

In case it’s easier to see the shape, here are my naked nails.

While they’re far from pointy, they are more tapered than before, and it gives an elongated appearance…not that my chopstick fingers need any extra length. Haha!

The nail technician painted a cool ripped-jeans nail design using CND Shellac Cream Puff and CND Shellac Denim Patch. To achieve the fading and streaks, she used a brush with flat bristles and dragged it vertically along my nails. Occasionally wiping off excess polish onto a little pad with alcohol, she sometimes went back to take away more of the blue, which revealed the white underneath.

For the finishing touch, she carefully brushed on two different CND Additives pigments, which were very fine and shimmery. This added more dimension. Whenever I moved my fingers, the Additives would catch the light and twinkle like fairy dust.

This was my first time trying Shellac. I was blown away by how fast the polish cures, after you put your hand into the LED lamp – mere seconds!

It was funny because following the top coat and putting my hands into the UV lamp for the final time, she took a cotton pad and wiped my nails and cuticles. My initial reaction was to gasp loudly because I’m used to waiting for my manicures to dry. Even though it was Shellac this time, I clearly had trust issues.

Not a single fuzzy bit from the cotton stuck onto my nails, and there were no dents. (I even tried later to see if it would dent if I applied some pressure onto it with another nail. Nope – rock solid! Now I’m a believer…but I still don’t think I could wear the same colour or design for 14 or more days. I enjoy changing up the colours. I will wear this nail art for as long as I can, though, but I’m itching to swatch the entire CND Craft Culture Collection right now!)

Later during the event, I was introduced to Casamigos Tequila, but don’t worry, it wasn’t one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! 

I don’t keep up with tequila news, so the award-winning Casamigos Tequila was new to me. The only premium tequila I’ve ever had was Patron. All the other tequilas were just run-of-the-mill stuff like Jose Cuervo. The interesting thing is that Casamigos Tequila is by George Clooney (yes, the actor), Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman.

Mixologist Zak Doy led a one-hour Casamigos Tequila Master Class and explained each of the three tequilas, as we got a little taste test. Three attendees also got a chance to mix their own cocktails, which was fun to watch!

When I first arrived to the event, I had a choice of the Brass Button cocktail or the Hand Fired cocktail. I chose the Brass Button, which contained Casamigos Reposado Tequila, fresh lime juice, clove simple syrup, ginger syrup, and club soda.

The Hand Fired cocktail had Casamigos Blanco Tequila, blood orange juice, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, firewater bitters, and a salt-rimmed glass.

CND Craft Culture Collection

There are six shades in the CND Shellac Craft Culture Collection:

• Oxblood
• Leather Satchel
• Denim Patch
• Brick Knit
• Patina Buckle
• Hand Fired

There are eight shades in the CND Vinylux Craft Culture Collection:

• Oxblood
• Leather Satchel
• Denim Patch
• Brick Knit
• Fern Flannel
• Patina Buckle
• Hand Fired
• Brass Button

CND Craft Culture Collection Press Release

Embrace the beauty in raw imperfections, earthy colours, and weathered textures with the new Craft Culture collection from CND. Handcrafted artistry inspires a rich, one-of-a-kind palette that reflects authenticity, warmth and ruggedness.

“This season, smoky red oranges, deep reds and weathered blues capture the unique character of custom made goods. These rustic tones give the Craft Culture collection a rich depth fro timeless style,” said CND Co-founder and Style Director Jan Arnold. “The nail silhouette is short and tight with industrial finishes, evoking the heritage of artisanal craftsmanship and honouring the enduring quality of an artisan’s work.”

Shellac Brand 14+ Day Nail Colour

Experience rich new shades in Shellac Brand 14+ Day Nail Colour.

Featured Benefits:

The 8-patented Shellac system delivers high-performance wear and stunning crystal shine with effortless, glide-on application and no nail damage when used as directed; can be layered for endless colour customization; Shellac Xpress5 Top Coat and CND LED Lamp deliver faster-than-ever service time and amazing 5-minute removal with Shellac Nourishing Remover and CND Foil Remover Wraps

Availability: Available worldwide July 2016; for more information, visit cnd.com

Oxblood

Leather Satchel

Denim Patch

Brick Knit

Patina Buckle

Hand Fired

Vinylux Weekly Polish System

Change your Craft Culture manicure or pedicure every week with rustic shades in Vinylux Weekly Polish.

Featured Benefits:

Vinylux Weekly Polish delivers 7-day, chip-resistant wear; fast-drying, 2-step application, increased durability with natural light; brilliant shine that lasts

Availability: Craft Culture Vinylux Weekly Polish and Vinylux Weekly Polish Minis (.125 fl. oz) sets available worldwide July 2016; for more information, visit cnd.com. When it launches, you’ll be able to find it at Trade Secrets, Chatters, and CND.com/find-salon.

MSRP for Vinylux: $12.50 for 0.5 oz.

Oxblood

Leather Satchel

Denim Patch

Brick Knit

Fern Flannel

Patina Buckle

Hand Fired

Brass Button

There are also CND Craft Culture Collection Additives Pigments:

Which colours are you looking forward to in the CND Craft Culture Collection? Do you prefer wearing Shellac or the Vinylux formula?