Practice, practice, practice. I don’t believe I have never practiced nails so sternly than I have in the last week. Set after set I concentrated on every little detail; the smile line, the moons, the length, the c-curve, you name it. I’ve been practicing so diligently that I even took out a compass to know exactly what degree my arch was. Has my obsession officially swallowed me whole?

Nope! It’s just my way of “training” for ISSE Long Beach.

ISSE is now two days away, and I have chosen to enter the Hand Painted Nail Art competition with the theme of Paris by Night. As I mentioned last week, I have no plans of doing more than two events this weekend, but perfect practice does make perfect and in the world of competing, the goal is perfection.

I think one of the most stressful points throughout the preparation of my first competition is looking for a model. While you have several inquires with the thinking of all play and no work in sunny California sounds great, I’m finding it difficult to obtain that “perfect model.” (There I am, seeking perfection again.)

I might jinx myself in a moment, but I believe finding models is so mentally challenging because they are the most unpredictable “tool” you have with you come competition time. Actual competition time is only one hour and forty-five minutes, but with most ladies I know, that’s a very long time. I can see it now, a curious model wanting to see every detail of what you’re doing, wanting to start a conversation, and wait… a bathroom break?? Ladies please, if you would like to help us competitors, especially the newbie’s, please have mercy on us. :)

One short note to those whom are planning on competing next weekend, please time yourself. I have a timer on my desk for every service I do, and when I have a co-worker or friend that would like to help me practice for the competition, you can bet that timer is watching every second I take. This not only helps you for the competition, but in this business, time is money and if you can get your times down, you’re making more money. Remember back to K.I.S.S, make your goals simple and you will succeed; for instance finishing your set within the allotted amount of time.

See you at ISSE!

— Classic