ok, here goes.
(just got my ear bitten of by samuel for taking to long perfecting my post... lol)
theres loads more but when i think of it then I'll post more...
I might be able to help. I have entered quite a few competitions & won a few too. I have won 'Best Nail Technician' for the Professional Beauty Awards twice in 2000 & again in 2001, I won the very first 'Virgins' competition in September 2000, I won the fibreglass category for British Nail Technician of the Year competition at Health & Beauty Salon - Brighton in 2001, and our salon (nails by celia) has been finalist for 'Best Nail Salon' for the Professional Beauty Awards twice in 2001 & 2002. Using none other than Designer Nails Fibreglass and Retention + with Perfect Colour Powders.
When entering a competition, I would not only find the PERFECT model with the PERFECT nails, but also someone who makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Your model should be guiding you with time by telling you how much time you have left, and not how much time has lapsed.
Presentation is important, as you will usually be given marks for presentation, tidiness, methods of working, & hygiene.
Have flowers on your table, clean fluffy towels that match (preferably a dark colour, avoid white, so as not to strain your eyes), a metal pedal bin (with a liner in it), barbicide with your tools immersed, a tabletop disinfectant like chlor-i-spray, eye protection, and all your products should be clearly marked.
Dress professional like how you would usually dress for work in a salon.
Prepare yourself... Ensure you have all the products you need in advance of the competition so you have time to order your products and be organised. Have a checklist of all the things you need to take and keep copies of your list so they can be used for the next comp.
What are the judges looking for? A beautiful set of nails that will make them 'WOW' on the first glance.
Your competition nails are different to salon nails, a competition set will guarantee you 5 broken nails in 24 hours. They need to be paper-thin & consistent, no use having 3 nails 0.25mm thick and 7 nails 0.5mm thick.
Apex placement should be the same on all 10 nails for your upper arch, and precise tip/form placement for your lower arch. Some techs apply all their whites first to ensure their smile lines are all the same & then apply their pink.
Use white 240 abrasives to eliminate the possibility of black grits in your finished nail enhancement when blending tips and finishing your product & a new 3-4 way buffer for each nail for that glass like shine.
When varnishing, no base coats, ridge fillers, or top coats, just 2 coats of creme red enamel. Varnish once you have finished that hand before you move on to the next hand whilst you are still calm.
To prevent bubbling, apply 1 coat and allow to dry for 2 mins before applying the second coat, and keep hand up out of dusts reach.
Put a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel under your models hands and your liquid and powder for the perfect mix ratio. Some products take longer to cure when they are cold.
Ensure you pace yourselves, some competitions you only get 2 hours others you get 2½ hours. It sounds like heaps of time but believe me its not.
Ask the judges about your scores when you get your sheet, they are only there to help. They may see something you were not aware of, and the next time you will do that something differently.
Hope this helps
I might come up with some more stuff, if I do then I'll let you know.
xxx