Hey lovely nail techs all over this wonderful world, I am Roxy Carrillo, cosmetologist and makeup artist.

Recently I’ve become a Nubar educator and I have been going to shows and viewing more and more nail art every day. As a student I did a lot of art and entered school competitions, but I didn’t enter an industry competition until last year at Sacramento for the flat nail art category.

I thought that when I’d finally finished the competition I would be able to lay back and be stress-free as I awaited the results. But nope. The butterflies flew faster and harder than ever. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was also demonstrating at the Nubar booth I would have bitten through my acrylic nails.

I placed fifth, which I thought was amazing since it was my first time.

When you decide to do something and carry it out to the end you’re always a winner in my book.

The next competition I entered was the NAILS mural contest where I tied for third. The feeling was awesome and the feedback from peers was priceless. For ISSE Chicago I will also be entering the flat nail art, which is themed “Time.”

I’m trying to think outside of the box on this one. Yeah time can mean watches and clocks — but that's not all ;)

I enjoy watching everyone at the show during the competitions. Observing them allows me to see different strategies and set-ups, which is good to see no matter how long you’ve been doing nails. There’s always something new you can learn.

After every competition I do this year I am also planning on posting step-by-steps on how I got there. It’s great to see how things become what they are at the end so I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ve got to go do my art now. All I have to say is come out and compete!

Come say hi to me when you get a chance at the show and let’s get on this ride together. Practice makes perfect and remember, beauty and art are in the eye of the beholder so you might not agree with the decisions but practice and keep it coming. Have fun nailing!

— Roxy