As fashion month continues overseas, we’re taking a break from stalking next season’s big beauty trends to give you a behind-the-scenes peek at what life is like for a backstage veteran during New York Fashion Week. So, to get a real insider’s look at all the craziness, we asked nail guru Deborah Lippmann to keep a photo diary of all of her fashion week highlights, from her favorite places to eat to the famous faces she hangs out with during and after the shows. She even spills her sources of inspiration!  Click through the slideshow to see how she survived it all.

"Spending time with my family is so important, especially before something like NYFW! On Tuesday, I had a fun-filled dinner to welcome my niece, Sarah Nederlander (on my left), to New York for her freshman year at NYU. Joining in on the celebration at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que was hubby, Jude Severin (far right), my nephew Tyler Levine (on my right), and his dad, Gary Levine (front left)."

“It was a denim lover’s dream backstage at FRAME Denim for the launch of the Spring 2015 collection. Two of my dear friends, the iconic fashion photography duo and artists, Inez (van Lamsweerde) and Vinoodh (Matadin), just launched a fabulous jean collaboration with the brand this summer, which I spotted backstage! They are 'the perfect pair [of jeans] for him and her!'”

"The energy at Kate Spade’s presentations is always high and the looks are fun, fresh, and youthful – it’s completely inspiring! Here, I am creating a graphic nail using my pure white crème lacquer, Amazing Grace. After I finished, I applied black striping tape for a striking, modern nail that complemented the mod eyeliner."

"Another reason I love Fashion Week is meeting new and INCREDIBLY talented designers. This season, I had the absolute pleasure of working with CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist Eva Fehren as she previewed her Spring/Summer 2015 jewelry collection. She has a creative genius in the way her mind works — it reminds me of Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte."

"For Eva’s presentation, the nails are seen up-close, a departure from most of the runway work I do, so the level of perfection was paramount. Hearing her inspiration and trying to come up with something that matched was my biggest and most fun, exciting challenge this Fashion Week!"

"This man can always make me laugh! The always-creative makeup guru, Dick Page, keeps his thoughts short and sweet at the beauty test on Sunday (check out those ‘CRAP’ glasses)! In fact, while wearing these eloquent specs, he asked me about the new Summer 2015 lacquer shade I was debuting at the Narciso Rodriquez S/S 2015 NYFW Runway Show – Terra Nova, a camel colored lacquer – asking if the models would have, and I quote, ‘camel-fingers and camel-toes!’”

"... and Monday, September 8th.

"The final selection for Donna Karan! I created a sheer grey veil over the nails to match the monochromatic and natural makeup. The toes were fashioned in a true classic red – My Old Flame – which was purposely chosen so that it did not exactly match the red in the clothing. Fun facts — it was the first red I ever created 15 years ago and is the one I will most often feature on my clients walking the red carpet."