We love it when we hear about students who realize their passion for nails while still in cosmetology school. We recently heard from Heather Smith of Nescopeck, Pa., who created these sculptured nails — very impressive, especially for a newbie! She says, “I attended Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Tech School in the cosmetology program. Every year the school gives graduating seniors a chance to showcase what they can do through a senior styling competition. We had to pick a theme and do our model’s hair, nails, and makeup based on the theme, as well as her clothing and a display. Since I love nails, I decided to take it farther and try a 3-D acrylic sculptured peacock on the index finger nail. I mixed clear acrylic powder with a little color and glitter acrylic, just enough to bring the color out when I sculpted it. I sculpted the rest of the nails with the same colors, but just used the colored acrylic for the French tip look and just clear for the nail bed itself. Overall I won third place with everything I did.” Congratulations, Heather, and keep up the great work!