There’s an old saying: Comparison is the thief of joy. And as someone with a competitive nature, I need to remind myself of this constantly to keep me from being so hard on myself. But like a well-oiled machine, I couldn’t help but compare my work to that of my classmates. So school started to get pretty intimidating and stressful all at once. But then, something magical happened -- I made friends! That’s when I learned nail school isn’t a competition, it’s a community. You need friends to make the experience one that’s worthwhile.

I thank my friends Katie Masters (@nailthoughts) and Amanda Arellano (@rockdiamondnails) for being the first people to befriend me at Advance Beauty College. They were so selfless to offer advice, share notes, demonstrate techniques, and even show me the ropes around campus.

The sad part came shortly after when both girls graduated my third and fourth week of school. I do already miss them terribly but just like nail tip adhesive, our bond is strong. And I look forward to following both of their careers.

Week three was short because I traveled to Orlando with the NAILS Mag team to attend the Premiere tradeshow. Amid getting the scoop of what’s hot in the industry, it was great to reunite with nail friends and share about my experience at school too.

During week four, we got a demo on using CND Brisa Gel to create a gel enhancement. Per the image below, I had such a miserable first attempt, that I just had to laugh. 

I can only get better, right?