Do you eat garlic the day before work?

I did today, lots of... I LOVE garlic and today I made myself pasta-salad with lots of garlic for dinner. I think there is garlic in nearly everything today and I think most people are used to garlic-breath, at least that's what my clients are telling me when I excuse that I have been eating garlic the day before. Strange, isn't it... that if you excuse your garlic-breath. then people think it's ok, BUt if you just stink out without excusing, it's not ok... :-D I always excuse myself... :-D

Do your clients need to keep their shoes on while going to a sunbed?

Well... I have a client whose been to another tech for her toes. She had gotten a gift-card but didn't want to use it for her finger-nails, but thought it would be great for her toes. She went in, got her French toes and was told they would yellow in a sun-bed.

Because she wanted some tan before the summer she went to get some sun. She first tried it with her sock on. BUT for a strange reason she felt like they were still curing and that they got warm! Her next step? SHE PUT ON HER SHOES!!! When she told me this I laughed so much I couldn't sit still. I can imagine me her in the sun-bed, with her shoes on.... :-D Next time she will do her toes with me...:-D (And she said she will think of me next time she will go to the sun-bed!)

About pricing and choosing a marked

There are some fields in my industry I really burn for, and that is INCREASING the PRICES.

Our industry is one of the most increasing industry in the beauty-business. Why aren't our prices increasing as well?

I have travelled, and spoken to nail-techs from, all over the world. They all tell me they can't charge more than 30-70 USD for a full set of nails. I have heard competition champions charging as little as 40 USD! They all blame the clients, who don't understand they have to pay to get their nails done. Well, whose fault is it that the clients think like this? WHO is setting the prices and standard in our industry? The clients?

For me it seams like there is very little diversity in our marked and it looks like the little diversities that are here, has nothing to do with skills, as it normally is. It amazes me that competition champions don't dare to diverse themself from the other nail-techs.

In my opinion the pricing has a lot to do with daring to choose a marked and stay true to it. You can compare it with the clothing marked. You have H&M, Zara, Top-Shop etc.. in one end, and you have Gucci, Prada, Chanel etc... on the other end. You will never find any top at H&M for over 150 USD, and if you found one, I am sure nobody would have bought it. People expect to get cheap clothing there. On the other hand, would you find a top for over 150 USD at Cucci? Do you think they would get rid of it?

If people have money to pay a Gucci-top at 150-300 USD, why do you think they don't have money to get their nails done for more than 70 USD? It's all about what they expect to pay!

There is a marked for discount-salons, but trust me, there is also a marked for the more expensive salons, you just have to choose and stay true to it.

I found a picture of myself

here

That's how I look when working! :-D

HRTE Anaheim

I so WISHED I could go to this class! Unfortunately the only airfare to California at that time was for 1600 USD. So no, no way, my bank-account will not allow me to go. Besides, I have a full book at the dates, so no... but I wished... :-D

If you live close to Anaheim you HAVE to sign in to this class as there are so many great guest-educators there, among them is Trang Ngyen. Sign in here.

My practicing for 90 min. competition has payed off!

It looks like my practicing for 90 min. competition has payed off. The work at the salon is going quicker and quicker!

French overlay on natural nails.

Today I had a client who wanted French overlay on her natural nails. She had lots of eczema on her hands and her nails were also badly damaged from her eczema. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture before, but I remembered to take some after.

My practicing in sculpting

Yesterday, in between two clients, I practiced sculpting at myself. I THINK I have "broken the code" on how to do it, but will have to do a full set as soon as possible. The problem is that I am so very tired as I have been up at 02.30 am. and 03.40 am. due to jet-lag. I think I will have to recover from the jet-lag and survive the coming week at work before I can practice any more.

Here are some blurry pictures from my practicing.

So far, this is what I have done today

I know, I know, I should do my travel-accounts at once, I am just so very tired. At least I have managed to find all my receipts...

FUNNY? :-/ :-D

I AM HOME!

Can't wait to get to sleep in my own bed.

Tomorrow is 9-9 at work. Right now I am not looking forward to it, but I am sure it will be good when I get into it. The worst thing with having holidays is going back to work...:)

I have lots of pictures from the Las Vegas show, I will upload them later.

I wonder when I will stop beating myself up

Today, after the competition, I thought about something. Will I ever be able to stop besting myself up? Whether I am winning or loosing, I do it. When I won, both in Manchester and London, I was pretty sure I wasn't that good. I thought it was luck and that the competitions couldn't have been that stiff.

Today, when I didn't make it to the top 10, I also beat myself up. I should have done, I shouldn't have done, I am a looser, I am not good, see, it MUST have been luck - my previous wins... etc.. etc...

I am afraid that the competitions, instead of making me a better tech and a more confident one, will make me feel the opposite. It is like no matter what I do and how I do it, it is not good enough for me. This has nothing to do with pressure from other, but the pressure I make to myself. I hate it...

My competition-nails, Las Vegas

I am not proud of these nails, but it was what I managed to produce in 1,5 hour... I know, I know, they are fanning out and the line of light is not perfect and well... there are very much that is invisible at the picture that is not good too.

Not as good, but not as bad either

I don't know what to say...

The competition today went much better than last time. I felt calm and I did the best I could, with the time i had, BUT it was far away from good enough as I didn't make it the top 10. It's only the top 10 who get to know their score and their placings, so I don't know more than that. On the other hand I am totally aware of what I have to do better. I have to practice like MAD to get my timings down so I can not only be finished, but make a good set of nails too. That is my next goal. I will also begin practicing doing sculpting instead of tips, I think that can help me both with timings and the issues I am having with the tip-fitting (not straight sides etc...). I also think it might be easier to use an unknown model with doing sculpting. (This is not an excuse for my bad performance, just a note to myself.)

I have pictures, but haven't loaded them to my computer yet. I also have a lot more to say about the competition, how I feel about it etc... but I am on my way out now, so I will have to write about that later.

The clock is

06.06 am. and I am on my way to the convention-center.

Today I have decided to do everything as I usually do, although nobody else do it, I will use my uniform. If you see a woman with the name "Mica" on her uniform, please come and say "hi" to me.
I feel more calm today than I did last Monday. Fingers crossed that is a good sign.

Thank you!

Over 400 people have been visiting this blog the last 7 days!

I have gotten e-mails and private messages from all over the world telling me they admire me because I wrote about my "screw-up" in Orlando. Even at the show, yesterday, people came to me, looked at my badge and said: "Wow, it is YOU, so nice to meet you, I have read your blog and I really like it!"

THANK YOU!

I am very happy I went to the convention-center

Yesterday I had a great day.

Before I went to the show I got an e-mail from Iryna Giblett. She asked me if I still needed a model for the competition at Monday! I did have a model, but she wasn't the very best and after looking at Irynas nails I was sure she was much better. I have to give credit to the woman who originally said she wanted to modeling for me. She has always said that if I find a better one, I should go for the best. Not all models are like that, some get offended if you don't use them! In one way I can understand it, but if the model is a nail-tech, she should know how important it is to have *the* model.

At the show I met so many nice people. Some new and many who I have met at other shows, both in Europe and in the US. I feel very fortunate to be part of this industry when I am getting friends from all over the world.

After the show I went to see Iryna, to take off her nails, and after that we went for dinner. What a great couple Iryna and Bob are! We had so much to talk about and I had a very nice evening. I am now a little less nervous for Monday!

The nerves are coming back!

It looks like I am beginning to get nervous for Monday. I am scared I will screw up again... No, no, no, I have to stay calm. I have to tell myself that it doesn't matter and it can't get worse than Orlando... Or can it?????

I am on my way to the convention-center in Las Vegas!

My plan is to be at the convention-center Saturday, Sunday and Monday, but the pool at the hotel is sooooo nice..... I am very tempted to skip tomorrow, but I also know there are two classes I really want to join tomorrow. Monday is competition-day... And today there are also some classes I want to join... Well, it looks like I can't have both things! Luckily the flight back to Orlando isn't before Tuesday at 4pm!

I have a back-up model for Vegas!

She is not the best model, but she is certainly not the worst either, so if I can't find another one, I will use her.

When I got the picture of her nails and her msg. that she WILL be there for me if I need her, but if I find another, better one, she understands, I felt a rush of excitement. I am sitting here, in the USA, and I have people here who is cheering me, hugging me, letting me cry on their shoulders, laughing with me, making posters for me, giving me THEIR model (thanks Bethanne, I still don't know how to thank you!) teaching me etc... etc... I am feeling honored to know all these great people who stands up for me and I don't know what I have done to deserve it! *THANK YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, YOU ALL ROCK!*

SEE YOU IN VEGAS!!!

Hahahaha, I am soooo relieved!

I recently looked up the rules for Nailympics. For a strange reason I thought I had to be in the Master-division, and do at least 3 competitions. Luckily I found, right now, that I don't have to be in that division! THAT is a relieve for me because I now don't have to learn myself l/p in the summertime and I can get away with doing only one competition, the gel. I am sooooo happy now!

What is wrong with this industry?

Yes, I know, I am still in Orlando and I should be pool-side sunbathing, but I just have to let something off my chest.

When relaxing at the pool I got a sms from a former client of me. She moved to another city, a year ago, so obviously she had to find a new nail-technician. She have been trying lots of nail-techs, used a fortune of money, but either they have fell off after some days, or she have been taking them off because they have looked so bad she couldn't stand them. She tried a new one today, and it was a disaster, so she texted me.

"Do you know anything about the nail-products I can buy at the iternet, I have to try to fix my own nails!"

Well, what do you answer? In the beginning I thought it was a strange question to ask me, as she know I am a professional. But in another way... I do not blame her. She has been a client of mine for many years, she never complained about my prices and she never thought about doing her own nails, so she is not doing it to save money. She is doing it because she thinks she can do it better herself. She knows how a good nail should be and she is a hairdresser, so I guess she has some kind of artistic talent. So yes, it might happen she WILL do a better job...

And THAT is what making me fuming mad. WHY ON EARTH IS THIS PROFESSION SATURATED WITH PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THEIR JOB????

I would like to blame somebody, but I can't. The only thing I know is that there is something wrong with our education-system. In my opinion it is wrong that the product-distributors are doing the foundation-courses. I know, I know, some of you would say that college-courses or other independent courses, is the worst, and I can not argue about that, because I don't know about it. What I am pretty sure about is that we would never allow the medical-companies to do the foundation-courses for the doctors to be. Why should our industry do it then? I know that the medical-companies have courses and that they are into the education-field, but that isbbbbbb decisions.

I could blame the distributors, who are selling professional products to everybody. And yes, I do blame them, but in another way... What the heck... If WE could do a PROFESSIONAL job, why would anybody non-educated, try to do their own nails, thinking they could do a better job themselves?

If you have any opinion on this, please write it here, I would LOVE to hear what you all think about this.

I screwed everything!

Well, I have been sharing my ups, now you'll get the downs...

I went to the competition-area early. I set up my station, prepared my tips and prepped the nails. When the competition started I was relaxed and not nervous anymore. Not that I were aware of, at least... :)

The disaster already began with the first tip. Silly me thought that a resin was a resin. As I bought the competition-polish from OPI, I thought it would be nice to get some new glue too. WOW, a resin is not a resin... :-/ It was so thin and it floated all over the tip. I didn't realize this before I understood I had nearly glued myself to the tip!!! This is the only disaster I UNDERSTOOD there and then, that did, the rest of the disasters just happened. The next disaster was that I made the nails way too long. And this really made all the other disasters....

I promise, I have NEVER made that horrible nails before. I was so embarrassed and angry that I cried like a baby after the competition. And that too was embarrassing. I knew I would not get at the top ten, so i waited for my model, took her outside, and redid her nails sitting on the floor, in the hall without light. And guess what? Those nails came out WAY much better. How irritating is that?

I felt it very, very bad at the time. Every time people were asking me about how I did it, I began crying and I became even more embarrassed. BUT looking back at it now, I can clearly see what I did wrong, why it went wrong and what I have to do better for next time.

I think I put too much pressure on myself. Because I won the Championship in London I also had a reputation to take care of. I have NEVER been as nervous as I was today and I think the nervousness got to my head. I forgot everything I have learned and screwed everything.

Straight after the competition I told Amy, with tears in my eyes, that I will never compete again, not in the US at least. I felt like the worst tech ever. And I didn't cry less when I saw Athena, a good friend of mine, whom I met in Chicago, had made a "good-luck poster" for me and Gina. How cute is that? Hahahaha, and Nails mag were there... Taking pictures of me crying because I did rubbish... That was NOT my plan!!! :-)

Now I have a different view... After this day, I can only do it better in the next competition. I am so happy I redid my models nails, I learned a lot from it, and I got a little bit of confidence back. I have also learned that nerves and a bad day can, and will, happen.

In fact I am looking forward to Las Vegas. I am looking for a revenge, not compared to all the others, but compared to myself. I know I can do better and I WILL do better!

I am embarrassed because I didn't handle the disaster very well. I felt like a little kid when crying because I was so disappointed at myself. I will have to work with my feelings, but really don't know how to do it. That is how I am, crying when I am happy and crying when I am disappointed and even mad.

My friend from UK, Judy, once told me to "rock the socks" before a competition. Unfortunately the socks had gone today! :-D

A good night sleep? Hahahahah...

The clock is now 06.03 and I am soon ready to go.

I am not sure if I have slept at all tonight. Maybe I fell asleep between 02.00 and 05.00, but I didn't sleep very well...

Right now I am fed up with my nerves, my work, with everything. I just want to finish this competition, no matter how it goes, just FINISH, so I can relax.

Fingers crossed my nerves will not ruin everything....

What a day....

My search for a model has been nerve-wrecking. I woke up, went to the show and started looking. Finally I found a girl with LOVELY hands. Both me and Amy JUMPED up and grabbed her. Haha, Amy's husband said that while we were looking at her hands and nails, he looked at her face and she looked kind of scared...:) I convinced her she had to model for me and we decided to meet later. She never turned up.... This was at 5 pm. and the show finished at 6... I felt really, really bad. I didn't have a model and the time to find one was running out. I felt really, really lost, so lost I... yeh... as usually... I had to cry a little bit... Grrrr... I felt like a little child... I HATE it, why can't I just be like all other grown ups????

Luckily Bethanne decided she wanted to give HER model to ME! I really don't know how to thank her, and I will feel very guilty if I don't do a good job tomorrow... I just hope her model will show up... I know she will... :-D I hope... :-D

After the show the team went to eat dinner and we had a really nice time.

Now I have been practicing a little bit. I have just been playing with the wet gel, taking it on and off to get the feeling as I haven't been doing nails for 4 days.

I have to go to sleep... It will be a loooong and exhausting day tomorrow. WATCH out for the crying woman....:-D

Me, a veteran?

As I have told before, I have to compete in the veteran class now. It feels very strange as I don't feel like a veteran at all, I still feel like a beginner. Yes, I HAVE been doing nails for 11 years (or is it 12??? I may think it is 12.... yes it is... sorry...:)), but I have only done competition for 1 year and this is my 5th. competition. How on earth can I be a veteran?

It's only 2 days left... and still no model... Haha, if any of you are going to the show, don't panic if you see a strange woman studying your hands, it is probably only me looking for a model! :)

The convention-center from the outside

These pictures has been taken from our hotel-room at the 27th. floor!

I can't wait to see how it is inside... I may have to buy a new suitcase!

I am in ORLANDO!!!

The 23-hour flight went very well, no delays and all my nail-stuff came through customs without any problems.

I am settled in my hotel, just across the street from the convention-center where the Premiere Orlando is going to be held. WOW, the convention-center is HUGE! The show will not open before tomorrow, but I hope to get a "sneak-peak" into it today as I will help Amy and the team to set up the booth.

Tonight I am going to the BeautyTech networking BBQ. I have heard there are 100 attendants from 7 countries! I know I will meet some of my friends from the HRTE-Chicago and can't wait to meet all of them. I also know there will be some new faces, some that I have been in contact with through the internet, but never met. How exciting is that? I have brought my family, my husband and our son at 14, but decided it's better to go to the networking dinner alone. It's more scary, but I also know it's much easier to get in contact with people if going alone.

I have to run to pick up some breakfast. See you later!

I LOVE my clients!

Today was a good day at work and I had some great words from my clients. One of them said: "Well, you don't have to show anything, all your clients know that you are the best, so relax and have fun!"

I have now packed and I am very soon ready for my trip OVER THERE again. I can't wait to meet all my nailfriends. Haha, the Norwegian chocolate has been packed, so I am ready to get some new friends...:-D

SEEEEE YAAAAAAA!

I have done this for 11 years

and I still have days that I am struggling a lot. Today was one of those days. It was like the gel didn't want to go *my* way. No matter what I did, it just didn't want to be where I wanted it to be. I am sure my clients didn't see how much I struggled, but deep down my throat I was swearing... I know the end-result was good. Although I managed to keep my time-schedule it felt like it took me ages to get there.

I hope tomorrow will be a better day as that is the last working day before I leave for Orlando and Vegas. I *NEED* a good day...