One of my favorite things about Fashion Week is when the nail brands and designers come together to create custom mixes.  Whether it’s to match a swatch of fabric or an inspirational image, I am always inspired to come home and franken up a new color or two.

Every so often, one of those backstage blends makes it into production which saves my mixing bottles for other creations.  That was the case with Dashing Diva Tibi Couture.  At last year’s Fall 2010 runway show, Tibi’s Amy Smilovic requested a greyed mushroom hue for her model’s nails and Dashing Diva’s Pattie Yankee came up with the perfect mix.

Being photographed at so many public, and not so public, appearances means your makeup, hair and nails have to be on point.  To keep her digits looking perfect, Katy has been relying on Manicurist Pattie Yankee, Executive Technical Director for Dashing Diva.

I spoke with Pattie to find out more about Katy’s candy coated tips from the performance and the glittering gray nails she wore to the Purr launch event yesterday in NYC.  Keep reading to find out how each look was created.

Not that you want to hear about any of that.  I was having an absolutely fabulous time so a little sleep deprivation is a small price to pay.  So Day 4 for me was Sunday.  It’s always one of my fave days at NYFW because it kicks off with the triple threat beauty team of Deborah Lippmann, Sarah Lucero from Stila and Ted Gibson backstage at Lela Rose.

Since I knew I’d be seeing Deb, I concocted a layering combo using her holiday color Today Was A Fairytale.  I’ve been pretty obsessed with it ever since I wore it to an Emmy watching party.  This time instead of using a pale blue underneath I opted for something a little more industrial and gritty, the new Dashing Diva Penthouse Views from their fall color collection.

Each season it’s not just about a moon manicure it’s about invoking a specific look or reference.  The Fall ’09 ruby colored moon (below right) was inspired by a vintage Vogue cover while the Spring ’09 raspberry and black art deco design (below left) was pulled from a tapestry.

For Fall ’10 the nail came together in a magical way. After meeting with the designers, CND’s Jan Arnold was walking the Manhattan streets when she looked up to see a crescent moon glowing against the midnight blue sky. The moon had a golden cast to it and she was immediately inspired. When she spoke to the designers, they had also seen the moon and had the same thought to translate it onto a nail.

Now thanks to Dashing Diva’s Design Nails on the Go… you can bling your nails like Beyonce for a fraction of the Minx service price.  These full coverage stick-on nails come in range of chrome finishes and animal prints.

I had the good fortune of running into Pattie Yankee, Product Development Advisor and Lead Educator for Dashing Diva Professional, backstage during Fashion Week where she showed me these fun tips.  She sent me home with a set in Gold Digger to try out and they are just what I was looking for.