The modeling gig for ISSE Long Beach was really eye-opening when it comes to competing. You have to be really diligent about following every single rule. You have to have models ready to go and a plan B, plus get the nails done in a certain amount of time.

Guin put me right at ease. She had a certain amount of time to prepare the nails, and then there was a short period of time in which the competitors could ask questions to clarify the rules. At the end of question time, the beginning of the timed portion was announced. I tried to be diligent in keeping my hands far enough across the wide table to make it easy for her to apply the polish. As she is competing with the Nubar team, she used their gel-polish on my nails.

Once the time was up, models were asked to put their hands up in the air as no further work was allowed. We were then lined up along one side of the room so that the competitors could look at the nails that had been done before the judging began. Once the last competitor had gone through the line of models, we were asked to go to another side of the room, sit at a long table, and place our hands under the curtain. Models were asked to remove all jewelry and to remain completely silent throughout the judging process. This keeps the judging as anonymous as possible. After a while, all but the top ten are let go. Amy Becker was on site and offered to give pointers on the nails for future competition improvement. This insider look at competition answered a lot of my questions. Now to work up the courage to give it a shot sometime!

— Holly