How do YOU prepare for a competition?

[xAnnaBannAx]

The comps are almost here again and im sure there are many on here (including myself) that has never competed before but would maybe like to give it a go one day...and im sure there are many that don't think they are good enough to enter a competition so wont.

I personally would like to take part as a learning curve and a bid to improve my skills overall...I have 2 big downfalls at present...1) I constantly battle with my timings. and 2) French smiles with L&P. I guess these are 2 major things you need to be good at to stand a chance of even finishing the set off in a competition!!!

So on behalf of everyone thinking of entering and also of anyone who is entering.. I would like to ask those that have competed before what advice you would give to us... do you have any great tips, any time-saving tips...and advice on how you prepared for a competition and how you should prepare your model?

and to any judges out there what advice would you give to a new competitor or to anyone just thinking about entering please...

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

**bump** :green:

 

[Vetty]

Just as the title says...How do YOU prepare for a competition? and to any judges out there what advice would you give to a new competitor...

I just kind of went for it and did it!! My model was a client with gorgeous nail beds and who likes her nails longer anyway, so I made sure I kept them thin and aimed for my usual nails only better... Sorry that's not really very helpful is it?!

Couple of tips from me though: I lost loads of marks for dust underneath so brush them thoroughly, and my polishing wasn't top notch. Again, marks easily dropped.

Good luck!

Hth's

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

I just kind of went for it and did it!! My model was a client with gorgeous nail beds and who likes her nails longer anyway, so I made sure I kept them thin and aimed for my usual nails only better... Sorry that's not really very helpful is it?!

Couple of tips from me though: I lost loads of marks for dust underneath so brush them thoroughly, and my polishing wasn't top notch. Again, marks easily dropped.

Good luck!

Hth's

Yeah I heard its a good idea to use an air can to blast away all the dust before polishing!

A few questions...
How did you prepare your model and for how long before the competitions?
How much preparation work can you do prior to the comp....i.e can you have the tips sized up and tailored ready to go straight on?
Can you mostly prep the nails the night before?

and on the polished hand...do these nails have to have had the french overlay on first or could you just do say a clear overlay on this hand as its going to be polished anyway?

 

[busybee32]

As far as Im aware hun, both hands have to be french look.
You would need to check with the rules as I know Gemma said that with one comp you could do clear overlay and another had to be both french.
One thing to be aware of.......
Consistency, make sure all the nails are consistant, same length, same smiles etc you can lose a lot of marks for inconsistencies.
It doesnt matter about length as long as all nails are consistent.
Salon nails should be cc thick and comp nails business card thick.
Just keep practising practising.
The rules will also state what you can have prepared before hand, i tink cuticle work can be done before the comp. Again just check the rules to be sure
Jen xxx

 

[Crystaltippers]

Maybe try entering Salon Nail Challenge at Manchester to get you into the competition arena. It's less technical than the tip and overlay categories and you can use white tips if you wish or use natural tips too. You can also use a gel top coat which saves the buffing time. Quite a few newbie competitors are using this as a stepping stone to the tip and overlay categories. Also, you could try Manicure. Some techs do Salon Challenge on the Sunday as a run in to doing Tip & Overlay on the Monday. Check out the Professional Beauty website for the rules and criteria.

The key to what the judges are looking for is Consistency. Length, shape, smile lines, apex, c curve and a good red polish on the right hand. In the Tip & Overlay categories smile lines are only scored on the left hand so that is the hand to get perfect lines on. Practice your smiles on your right first and get rid of any nerves and then they are polished over in red.

Please feel free to pm me if you would like any more info re Manchester as I assist in the organisation and also judge on occasion.

HTH

Sue