Orlando
The 4th Nailympia Orlando 2024: A Glittering Success
The 4th Nailympia Orlando has concluded, marking another milestone in the world of competitive nail artistry. This year’s event was nothing short of spectacular, with 84 competitors occupying 384 seats, representing 14 countries including Serbia, Hungary, Cuba, Aruba, Italy, Germany, France, Trinidad & Tobago, USA, UK, Spain, Argentina, Ukraine and Canada. The diverse international participation contributed to one of the most exciting competition floors seen in the USA for many years.
The atmosphere was electric, with camaraderie and creativity flowing freely among the participants. A total of 99 medals and 6 trophies were up for grabs, highlighting the high stakes and intense competition. Alex Fox, the event’s organiser, expresses her delight at the overwhelming response, “It was truly magical to see the amount of people in the arena. We started this journey with Premiere Orlando in 2019, and each year it grows in popularity as more and more people support Nailympia Orlando, coming to test and showcase their skills, network, and stretch their creativity. I’m so pleased to see we have injected the competition bug back into the American nail industry. I was stunned and delighted to sign up 29 judges who all showed up in person and judged their respective categories and policed the floor.”
The event was generously sponsored by Glitterbels, the UK nail brand that has recently launched into the USA from its headquarters in Atlanta, along with Aprés and Americannails, who donated the desk lamps. The seamless organisation and execution of the two-day event made it a nourishing experience for all involved.
One of the highlights was the presence of Scratch magazine’s editor, Helena Biggs, who managed the scoring system. She also hosted the first Scratch Social party, during which the new NASNA (North America’s Star Nail Artist) annual competition for North American nail professionals was announced, adding another layer of excitement to the event.
Nailympia Orlando 2024 not only celebrated technical skill and artistic expression but also fostered a sense of community and professional growth among nail artists. With its growing popularity and the increasing number of participants each year, it is evident that Nailympia Orlando has become a cornerstone event in the nail industry calendar, inspiring artists and enthusiasts alike.
INDIVIDUAL TOP SCORER
Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland –
DIVISION 3 – 850 pts
WINNER OF WINNERS
Division 3 – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
Division 2 – Veronica Luviano – USA
Division 1 – Tatiana Savostikova – USA
ART WINNER OF WINNERS
Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
TOP USA TECH
Shayna Osazuwa
REALITY NAILS
Division 1
1st – Nikki Tran – USA
2nd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
3rd – Gisèle Dirn – France
Division 2
1st – Lecah Maloney – Trinidad & Tobago
2nd – Veronica Luviano – USA
3rd – Jessie Benard – France
Division 3
1st – Olena Oezman – Germany
2nd – Hazel Dixon – UK
3rd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
FLAT ART
Division 1
1st – Diem Vo – USA
2nd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
3rd – Aura Aponte-Flores – USA
Division 2
1st – Jessie Benard – France
2nd – Thao Nguyen – USA
3rd – Guadalupe Munoz – USA
3rd – Division 3
1st – Diana Vig – UK
2nd – Hazel Dixon – UK
3rd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
SALON NAILS
Division 1
1st – Vira Dovbeniuk – USA
2nd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
3rd – Gisele Dirn – France
Division 2
1st – Jessie Benard – France
2nd – Delphine Derhe Spoor – France
3rd – Veronica Luviano – USA
Division 3
1st – Alessandra Pizzari – Italy
2nd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
3rd – Olena Oezman – Germany
RUNWAY NAILS
Division 1
1st – Diem Vo – USA
2nd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
Division 2
1st – Chantal Vasquez – USA
2nd – Jacqueline Elmore – USA
Division 3
1st – Hazel Dixon – UK
2nd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
3rd – Anastasia Totty – USA
THE JOY OF NAILS
Division 1
1st – Gisele Dirn – France
2nd – Julieta Ramos – Argentina
3rd – Vira Dovbeniuk – USA
Division 2
1st – Lecah Maloney – Trinidad & Tobago
2nd – Delphine Derhe Spoor – France
3rd – Jessie Benard – France
Division 3
1st – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
2nd – Olena Oezman – Germany
3rd – Anastasiia Rozdobutko – USA/Ukraine
TO STILETTO & BEYOND
Division 1
1st – Natasha Oquendo – USA
2nd – Tatiana Savostikova – USA
3rd – Gisèle Dirn – France
Division 2
3rd – Jacqueline Elmore – USA
Division 3
1st – Anastasia Totty – USA
2nd – Mino Vo – UK
3rd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
POSTER EXTREME NAILS
Division 1
1st – Miguel Vallina Fernandez
2nd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
3rd – Sheridan Moore – USA
Division 2
1st – Ivana Todorović – Serbia
2nd – Larissa Hamilton
3rd – Carlos Escobar
Division 3
1st – Evelin Nagy – Hungary
2nd – Eidelyn Ruiz – Cuba
3rd – Anastasia Totty – USA
Acrylic L&P TIP & OVERLAY
Division 1
1st – Julieta Ramos – Argentina
2nd – Tam Le – USA
3rd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
Division 2
1st – Veronica Luviano – USA
2nd – Duc Ha – USA
3rd – Delphine Derhe Spoor – France
Division 3
1st – Alessandra Pizzari – Italy
2nd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
3rd – Olena Oezman – Germany
Acrylic L&P SCULPTURE
Division 1
1st – Julieta Ramos – Argentina
2nd – Tam Le – USA
3rd – Thi Huynh Le – USA
Division 2
1st – Veronica Luviano – USA
2nd – Duc Ha – USA
3rd – Delphine Derhe Spoor – France
Division 3
1st – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
2nd – Alessandra Pizzari – Italy
3rd – Olena Oezman – Germany
Acrylic PERFECT MATCH
Division 1
1st – Tam Le – USA
2nd – Julieta Ramos – Argentina
3rd – Thi Huynh Nhu Le – USA
Division 2
1st – Veronica Luviano – USA
2nd – Delphine Derhe Spoor – France
3rd – Duc Ha – USA
Division 3
1st – Olena Oezman – Germany
2nd – Alessandra Pizzari – Italy
3rd – Natalia Trefon-Ociepka – Poland
STILETTO NAILS
Division 1
1st – Tatiana Savostikova – USA
2nd – Gisèle Dirn – France
3rd – Vira Dovbeniuk – USA
Division 2
1st – Duc Ha – USA
2nd – Veronica Luviano – USA
3rd – Jessie Benard – France
Division 3
1st – Alessandra Pizzari – Italy
2nd – Olena Oezman – Germany
3rd – Natalia Wiatrek – Poland
1st AMERICAS CUP 2023: Katarzyna Kruszynska – Ireland
In the competing world, Katarzyna (Kate) Kruszynska has achieved the highest championship title in Ireland: ‘Irish National Nail Champion. She’s also a multiple award winner in nail styling championships’ all over the world. Recently, in the past year (2023), Kate has represented Ireland in Mexico, Germany, USA: Orlando, Texas and Ohio where overall she won 40 medals and trophies.
“This year I was honoured to achieve the Nailympia Americas Cup, The Nailympia Premiere Cup, Nailympia Art winner of winners and Individual Top Scorer awards. Also, the success of my business was recognised with the ‘Best Established Business’ award from the Local Enterprise Office in 2019.”
Born and raised in Poland, Katarzyna Kruszynska worked as a police officer in the Traffic Accident Department for a number of years, before deciding to follow her heart and move to Ireland.
In 2010 nails became her full-time job starting with a small nail table in the corner of her kitchen where she would find herself often in tears believing she wasn’t good enough.
However, with the support of her family and friends, Kate did do it and eventually opened a nail bar in 2015.
“I have been successfully running Beauty Vision Ltd and an accredited training centre and am the creator and owner of the Kohana Professional nail brand. Kohana is my brand of professional beauty products for nails, eyelashes and eyebrows. The name Kohana comes from many different places and is very unique. In the Japanese language it means ‘little flower’, but it has two more very personal meanings for me: I love Walt Disney productions, and in the movie Lilo & Stitch, I heard that: ‘ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten’, and from there the Kohana name was born. Using ‘K’ for Kate, and ‘Ohana’ for family. Together they make ‘Kohana’, for Kate’s family.
1st Nailympia Premiere Cup 2023
“The other very special meaning with Kohana is in the Polish language Kohana means ‘loved one’, and so I thought that this was just prefect for my brand name, because every person is loved and considered family.
“Behind the business, I’m a loving wife and a mother to three wonderful children. I am an animal lover, with two dogs and one cat at home. I love travelling and trying different foods, and I’m hugely passionate about a fit and healthy lifestyle.
“I’ve been sharing my work and knowledge on social media to help others for a while now and absolutely love this element of my work. I started posting on different social media platforms three years ago and since then I’ve reached over 60,000 followers. The content I share is all about nails, nail art and beauty as well as my business.
“To think that I’m sharing my creativity with so many is an amazing feeling and being able to meet other nail enthusiasts through the world of social media is exciting. I enjoy teaching people who are also passionate about this line of work through my courses and I pride myself on Kohana being a place where someone can learn new skills in a great atmosphere.
“I’m so thankful for the life this business has given me. Not everyone can say that they love their job, but I’m one of the lucky few who can.”