There she is. My little Jenny. Completely unpredictable yet totally reliable, even at times when I thought it was impossible! I’ve been around the world with this girl. I’ve done more traveling with her than I have with my own husband. I would not have been able to do what I did as fast as I did without an amazing model like Jenny. (I don’t want to forget my other model, Jen Heard. She is awesome too, but that is another blog.)

Most new competitors don’t understand the necessity of a good model. Not just her hands, although my models have exceptional hands and nails, but her willingness to go the distance with me. We’re partners, you see? She makes it possible for me to do amazing nails. She doesn’t fight or question me. She’s been very well trained and knows how to hold her hands to make them look even better. I bet most people don’t even know that a person could do that? Hold their hands in such a way as to make them more attractive. But that is an easy skill to learn. And competitors would do themselves a great disservice by not training their model to hold their hands like they are displaying jewelry. Which is exactly what they are doing when their hands are under the curtain being judged, displaying their competitor’s “nail jewels.”

The models have to put up with so much from the competitors, nerves, jitters, snappy comebacks, it’s cold and early and they can’t leave, not even to go to the restroom. It takes a dedicated person to model for a nail competitor time and time again. Top competitors know this and that is why you will see them using the same two or three models for all their competitions. It just makes sense. When you are familiar with someone, it’s just easier to put nails on that person.

So with all that being said, please treat your models with sincere kindness and gratitude, even when they show up at your hotel at two in the morning, and you have to get up at 4:30 a.m. to compete; they are the ones that make it possible to compete in the first place.

Lovin’ my models.

— Lynn