Feature

Inside the March 202o edition of Scratch magazine – 7 pages of expert advice, hints & tips 

Featuring Alisha Rimando (USA), Samantha Goddard (Australia), Fereida Lydiate (UK), Hazel Dixon (UK), Stefanie Fowler (Germany), Katie Barnes (UK), Michelle Brookes (UK), Nina Lewis (UK), David Fowler (Germany), Sam Bidde (UK), Scarlett Senter (UK), Antony Buckly (UK), Belinda Price (UK), Agnes Dullo (UK), Tina Bell (UK), Sarah Marr (UK), Lauren Holmes (UK), Kayleigh Parr (UK) and Daisy Kalnina (UK).

Name: Lena Kurach
Years in nails: 15 years
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Business name: Q by Better Nails
Current brand you use: Q by Better Nails
Favourite technique: French
Favourite product system: Gel 

Q: What year did you join the nail industry and train in nails?

I joined in 2005 when I completed my first nail styling course and opened my first beauty salon.

Q: Who have you trained with & with which products?

During the first 10 years I worked on my technique alone, focusing on hard work and observing the work of others. Tom Holcomb was my main inspiration. Those years of practice helped me create my own style and motivated me to start competing. This all helped me develop my own, one of a kind technique – the NSM Manicure, which gains great results without the use of scissors or cutting tools. At that time I didn’t have a favourite brand, I preferred using different products and brands in order to understand their differences and create my own, optimal, high quality line of products.

Q: Why did you start competing?

When I started to compete, I noticed that my work positively stood out compared to the majority of other stylists’ work at the time. The drive to enter my first competition was fuelled by simple curiosity, which ended with a victory and left me with a burning desire to go further, keep learning and obtain more accolades.

Q: Where was your first competition?

My first competition was a local one, the Nails Olympic Show in Poznan in 2015.

Q: Why did you enter a Nailympia competition and where was your first one?

I appreciate all competitions as they give me a shot of adrenaline and help me improve my skills and work under pressure, but I think, and am certain that most readers will agree, that Nailympia is the most prestigious one globally and is the biggest event in this field. My first Nailympia competition was in London in 2015.

Q: Why did you want to win the Nailympia Global Cup?

I’ve always felt my skills could get me through the toughest competitions and winning the Nailympia Global Cup was my goal, which I’m proud to say, I’ve reached.

Q: You went to four locations – USA, Estonia, Australia & UK for Nailympia. What motivated you at this level?

My fellow competitors were very tough that year and that required an enormous quantity of motivation and concentration in order to make my dream of winning the cup come true. Although I didn’t want to win at all costs, my commitment allowed me to become the global champion, without any negatives.

Q: How has competing changed your nail career?

Competing, and most importantly, winning has helped me prove to my students that they learn from the best and I feel that, thanks to their trust, they’ve managed to become leaders and award-winning competitors themselves. Since my victories, my students are mainly nail educators who desire to improve their skills. Moreover, being a widely renowned nail stylist has allowed me to start thinking about creating my own team and line of products.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to compete?

A: Since my journey brought me this amazing victory, I can only unveil my own recipe: work, study, improve and find passion in all you do. Last but not least, play by the rules, respect yourself and others.

Q: What will you do now – what is your plan – will you compete, mentor or judge?

I feel like I’ve already reached the top acknowledgment when it comes to competitions, so for now I will not be competing. Instead, I would like to share my experience by teaching and preparing others for their own path. That’s why I’ve recently launched my own academy, The Annual School of Masters, which helps them to become better educators and bring them closer to winning.

Q: How do you feel now you’re a world champion of nails?

I’m extremely proud and motivated to spread my knowledge and passion for perfecting nail structure and design.

Q: What are your future plans?

My victory, as well as success in preparing other stylists for their own career and competitions, has allowed me to believe in myself. I’ve recently created my own brand called Better Nails and my own product line, Q by Better Nails. ‘Q’ stands for quality, which is the most important ingredient in everything we do. I’ve also put together a team of instructors who educate in Poland and a few other European countries.

My brand incorporates quality salons willing to benefit from my know-how that use my products. Currently my team has 25 extremely talented instructors, but will grow larger this year. I’m always looking for ambitious and talented nail stylists that are ready to spread my idea of fair trading, fair play and are willing to join a team.

Alex Fox quizzes the 3^rd Nailympia Global Champion 2019 on her rise to industry notability.

Meet the Champion

Name: Joanna Bandurska
Location: Katowice, Poland
Business name: Centrum Szkoleniowe Joanna Bandurska (Training Centre by Joanna Bandurska)
Age: 29 years
Years in nails: 11 years
Favourite nail design: Pink & whites in gel and L&P acrylic & gel painting

Q: What year did you join the nail industry?
A: I’ve been styling nails since 2008. I was 18 years old at the time and knew right away that I wanted to do it as a career. I’ve been training since 2013 and have myself, now trained several thousand stylists from around the world.

Q: Who have you trained with and with which products?
A: I’ve learned from many. I’ve had the best education sessions with Madelene Wolf, David Fowler, Eva Darabos, Anna Pagel, Joanna Nawrocka, Vincenzo Russello, Adina Trojan and Marianna Sandor. They’ve all given me such a lot of technical and artistic knowledge that I’ve now developed my own style. I’ve worked with many different soak off systems, gels, acrylic, acrylic gel products, but my heart beats the most for Indigo Nails products. This brand meets my expectations and creates products that I care about.

Q: Why did you start competing?
A: It’s an obvious direction. For me, personal development is the most important thing in life. I love to set new goals and challenges for myself. I wanted to test my abilities and skills as they were judged. This constant assessment showed me what I needed to improve in my work. Every professional stylist should see their mistakes and strive to improve. I believe it motivates and develops skills and creativity.

Q: Where was your first competition and when?
A: My first championship was in Poland in November 2014. I won second place in the Nail Business French category. It was then that I realised I had to compete in more championships.

Q: Why did you choose to enter a Nailympia competition and when was your first?
A: Nailympia Competitions has always been associated with prestige. Stylists from all over the world take part in them; so that’s why I decided to started competing in London. It was a huge challenge for me, but I was I keen to see how the best stylists work.

Q: What year did you first come to Nailympia London?
A: My dream was to start in London, so I entered in 2015 and won a medal. This gave me an appetite for more!

Q: Why did you want to win the Nailympia Global Cup?
A: Because it’s simply the most important title in the world! I have in my collection 159 medals and cups from various worldwide championships; the only one I was missing was the most important one – the title of World Champion with the Nailympia Global Cup. I like to set the bar very high and decided to fight for this title. The Nailympia championship is very important to me. I’ve been participating in them (I’ve travelled to London, Sydney, Tallinn, Houston and Orlando locations) for four years and have accumulated 87 Nailympia medals! That’s over half of my collection! I love this championship for its different categories, judge selection and great atmosphere.

Q: You went to three locations in 2019 and four in 2018 – you were very serious in your desire to win…what motivated you at this level?
A: My subconscious told me I could do more, that I had to prove to myself that I could be better. I was competing with myself. Every championship was a science for me. I made mistakes, I analysed them and trained harder to correct them. I’m so proud of my progress. I worked hard day and night, focusing on how I could do better. There’s always something that can be improved, you just have to keep trying.

Q: How has competing changed your nail career – what positives have you experienced?
A: Taking part in the championships has taught me a lot of peace and patience – this is the key to my success. I’ve met many wonderful people who’ve supported me with many kind words. My success has brought many students to me and I’ve developed my skills, not only in nail styling, but also in knowledge that I now get to pass on to others. It gives me great pleasure and satisfaction. I’m now invited to academies around the world to present my training. It’s great and I’m very grateful.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to compete at Nailympia?
A: You definitely need to be very well prepared. Choose education or your mentor from people who know these championships and have won medals in them. The level is very high. However, the most important thing is that you get pleasure from participating. The championship is won by people who are passionate about nail styling. Learn to be patient and remain calm in stressful situations. Have fun and try to go beyond your limits!

Q: What will you do now, continue to compete, mentor or judge?
A: I’ll continue to educate and prepare stylists for nail championships, so they become the future champions. I’ll do this by creating new and innovative training programmes.
I’ve already acted as a judge and found it’s very hard work, but I believe I’m ready for this next step. I already have invitations for various competitions and since I know Nailympia inside out, I dream of being a judge in London.

Q: Tell me how you feel now you’re the world champion for nails?
A: Oh Alex, it’s amazing; it’s hard to describe! I feel fulfilled, I’ve achieved my highest goal, which I worked so hard for. It’s a great feeling to look at your own development, your personal progress and feel joy from it. I had a feeling 2019 would be my year – and it was. I love nails and enjoy my career.
I wish everyone this strong sense of self. Fight for your happiness and pursue your chosen goals, regardless of the defeats you encounter along the way.

Q: Tell me all about your academy, salon and future plans?
A: My academy and salon are in Katowice, Poland where currently three educators work with me. I deliver high standards and expect the same from my colleagues. My future plans will encompass trips around the world, developing education and creating exciting products for nail stylists. I want to introduce a fresh approach to this industry and show how much fun can be had. New training programmes, YouTube tutorials, and webinars are just some ideas I’m looking at, but I still have to keep some little secrets to myself.

The fantasy aspect of nails is where I see boundaries stretched the most, and over the years I’ve seen amazing creations spawned all over the world at various Nailympia events. Moving parts and flashing lights are no longer a surprise and really quite easily incorporated into designs since battery packs can come in very small packages. Inspiration for themes can be gleaned everywhere. A walk in the park, a visit to the zoo, a train journey, a city break, a film, book, a podcast or trip to your local newsagent or supermarket.

Inspiration is literally everywhere we are and everywhere we go. It’s about being in tune with our environment and present to each moment, then through this new perspective ideas will be revealed and once they start, they will flood into the mind and the rate at which they arrive becomes blinding as you get more engrossed in the theme.

Once the theme has been established research is the next stage of creativity. If you’ve found your theme through books or media make sure you check if its protected by copyright. As some competitions, such as Nailympia, do not allow copyrighted material to be showcased.

Once you’ve secured the theme, it’s time to create a mood or vision board. Start collecting imagery, quotes, textures, colours and shapes and add them to a board that threads the theme. This way you are collating necessary details to help you form the growth of your piece. Naturally, when I say piece, I mean many, many tiny, detailed pieces that must birth from each nail into one giant theme that one hopes will wow all judges.

My top tip for those moving into this competition sphere is that judges want to be see something they’ve never seen before. They want to see minute details, tiny, careful precision of miniature replicas with an accuracy that blows their minds. Make sure your theme is unusual, unseen before and cleverly executed with some ingenious touches that show you’ve done research and beyond!

Growing in popularity, the Fantasy Complete Look competition is the most challenging & exciting category to enter. Scratch finds out just what makes this competition so magical & inspiring.

Alex Fox reports

The fantasy art category pushes the boundaries of creativity to incredible new heights in the nail industry. It takes the tech to new realms and gives him or her the opportunity to showcase their true skills, ability and depth of imagination. Fantasy has been stretching techs since the early 90’s when techs began sculpting beyond the nail to see what they could create and where they could take these exciting new skills and their genius. The idea of sculpting 3D media was becoming more exciting, especially with the advent of coloured acrylics and a new generation of forward -thinking artistic techs such as Trang Nguyen and Tom Holcomb, who began building and shaping art above the nails’ surface. After prodding around and digging deep, I uncovered that the first Fantasy nail competition was hosted by the late industry icon, Vicki Peters, around the year 2001 in Atlanta, USA. It appears that Vicki spent some time beforehand playing with the possibilities of sculpting coloured acrylics and building creative structures on the nails and was keen to marry this idea with a complete themed look encompassing make-up, hair and a costume – with the main focus being on the nails. Hugely popular with some techs, yet terrifying to most, this is the most challenging competition category the nail world sees as it asks for absolute originality, precise detailed work and hours of dedicated time to bring it together. On average an award-winning tech spends more than six months on their entry.

Over the years, working on Nailympia Competitions, I’ve seen moving water encapsulated in clear acrylic, I’ve watched merry-go-rounds and observed LED flashing lights, all used within a fantasy theme. This category truly knows no boundaries and offers unlimited opportunities for those that think outside of the box.

“Fantasy is the avant garde aspect of the hairdressing and nail worlds and just like fashion runways are to the culture of fashion, it’s over the top, extreme work created using nail products,” notes Gemma Lambert-Lewis. “Fantasy styling is unwearable on normal nails, but an amazing way to show off control skills when using nail products.”