Posts Tagged ‘nail artist’
Invite this Wolf right up to your salon door
The first Nailympia global champion back in 2017, Sweden’s Madelene Wolf, has jumped into the slipstream of her success and launched a new nail system with education, known as Wolf.
“For a long time, I dreamt of having all the best materials gathered in one place instead of having to look for products I like from different suppliers,” reveals Madelene. “I also wanted to help others work with the best products in as simple a way as possible.”
Working alongside chemists since 2019, the Wolf nail system began its development journey with a vision of producing high quality products with fine pigments. Durability on the nail was another important factor for Madelene throughout the manufacturing process. “When I started my brand, it was not only to offer high-quality products that create beautiful and personalised nails, but also to help other nail therapists become the best in the world at their craft,” enthuses Madelene. “This is why I offer professional nail products and diploma courses in nail design at my Wolf Nail Academy, resulting in world class nails. People don’t really buy the products, they buy the purpose of them and the results they get.”
With an already saturated market, Madelene affirms she was guided by needing, “The best products for sale, salons and students. When I couldn’t find the level of quality on the market I required, I decided to produce my own.”
Training in nails back in 1996, this world class nail stylist from Gothenburg, has been working with nails ever since. “After being hired at various salons, I’ve had my own salon and school since 2008,” cites Madelene. “I train future nail therapists at the Madelene Wolf Nail Academy, however, no matter how much I think I know, I will never be fully trained and, as I love learning new techniques and shapes, I also make sure I regularly take courses myself.”

Reflecting on her journey into nails, Madelene fondly recalls, “I’ve been interested in nails since childhood when I would glue pieces of tape together, then cut them out to put on my nails. I then borrowed my mum’s red nail polish and thought the finished product looked great.”
Getting hooked on the idea of nails as a career was born from Madelene’s regular nail appointment leading her into a beginners’ nail course. “I thought nails looked like so much fun, so I went on a course and found it a great way to channel my creativity. I then decided to get further education.”
Climbing to the top of an industry ladder means taking education seriously, and as such, Madelene made it her mission to train with the best. Citing Najet Hamila Strand, Tom Holcomb and David Fowler, among a long list of industry greats, Madelene highlights, “If I have to pinpoint one industry professional I currently admire, it would be Olena Oezman, for her great passion for perfection. I can’t stop looking at her nails! But I also admire those who dare to follow their dreams and never give up, those who enter competitions and continue to take courses to keep improving.”
Proving that competing in nails can have a profound and positive effect on a nail career, Madelene notes her competition career (2001-2017), has afforded industry recognition, world travel, networking and further training and now the advent of her own nail brand.
“My biggest career highlight was when I became Nailympia Winner of Winners (Div 3) in London 2014, and then Nailympia Global Champion 2017. That is hard to forget! My heart was pounding so hard, and for a second I thought I would pass out before the results were announced. Another highlight is all the nail courses I’ve had the opportunity to arrange around the world, and now I’ve finally followed my dream of starting a nail brand.”
Living by the doctrine of never giving up on her dreams and living in a state of self-belief, Madelene’s eye for perfection and precision, alongside her persistence and determination, have led to the birth of an elegant and stylish product line, which delivers, in her own words, “Durability on the nails, ease of use and smooth application, high colour pigmentation, with brushes carefully developed by my colleague, Sandra Bergstrand, who’s been extremely picky regarding their quality throughout the production process.”

The Wolf nail system currently presents UV/LED hard gel, UV/LED gel polish, L&P acrylic, nail art products, brushes and accessories. Team Wolf is now delving deep into the R&D for an acrygel product to join the Wolf nail pack.
“I want to reach the whole world with my products, work with those who are passionate about the same things as me and train even more nail therapists worldwide,” smiles Madelene. And offering her expert advice to aspiring nail professionals, she notes in closing, “You have to believe in yourself and never give up. Follow your dreams and goals!”
The WINNERS Nailympia Online 2nd edition 2022
Watch the awards ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrdselMXrZQ
Nailympia Competitions, in association with Scratch magazine, has announced the winners of the second edition of Nailympia Online.
The international nail competition welcomed 13 categories with three divisions, plus a fourth and unique division for gold medalists and nail champions; Division 4 VIP Nail Challenge.
Competitors were judged by a 42-strong panel and the winners were revealed in a Facebook Live presentation on 21 February 2022 hosted by Nailympia competition director, Alex Fox and Scratch’s managing editor, Helena Biggs.
This second edition attracted 170 individual competitors who afforded a grand sum of 406 entries from 32 countries. Forty-two judges representing 24 countries deliberated over and assessed the nail work during an 8-day span of February.
Check out the winners below…
Winners Nailympia Online 2nd Edition 2022
OVERALL INDIVIDUAL TOP SCORER
Mino Vo – UK – 630 points
Division 4 – 5-SHAPE CHALLENGE CHAMPION
Stiletto (art), razor nail (art) , lipstick (single colour) , Russian almond (French), Edge (art)
Out of 360 points from 10 judges – 28 criteria judged
1st – Genki itou – 289 points – Japan
2nd – Ágnes Mojoros – 270 points – Hungary
3rd – Erika Nortier – 250 points – Italy
ART WINNER of WINNERS
Division 1 – Jacqueline McClement – Canada
ART WINNERS of WINNERS
Division 2 – Paulina Mucha – UK
ART WINNER of WINNERS
Division 3 – Erika Nortier – Italy
WINNER of WINNERS Division 1
Brigitta Fajt – Hungary
WINNER of WINNERS Division 2
Gosha Walczak – UK
WINNER of WINNERS Division 3
Mino Vo – UK
POSTER EXTREME NAILS & FACE: Light warrior
Division 1
1st – Sabina Zsemlyeova – Slovakia
2nd – Irina Smetanova – Russia
3rd – Iana Belugina – Russia
Division 2
1st – Viktória Kiss – Hungary
2nd – Nóra Kovács – Hungary
3rd – Regina Sztancs – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Anna Grishankova – Russia
2nd – Melinda Tamás – Hungary
3rd – Ralitsa Kirilova Geogieva – Bulgaria
POSTER – MANICURE
Division 1
1st – Ivett Varga – Hungary
2nd – Mariya Doronina – Russia
3rd – Janne Vörk – Estonia
Division 2
1st – Victória Kiss – Hungary
2nd – Veronika Golitsyna – Russia
3rd – Sabrina Bouhri – Italy
Division 3
1st – Melinda Tamás – Hungary
2nd – Éva Guczuly – Romania
3rd – Annamaria Wieszt – Germany
POSTER – PEDICURE
Division 1
1st – Mariya Doronina – Russia
2nd – Viktória Motuz – Hungary
3rd – Adrienn Barta – Hungary
Division 2
1st – Danielle Currie – UK
2nd – Jenny Miller – UK
3rd – Aleksandra Drozdz – Ireland
Division 3
1st – Melinda Tamás – Hungary
2nd – Christina Sorsby – UK
3rd – Julia Makarova – Russia
STYLE FOR A5 MARKETING CARD
Division 1
1st – Dániel Rónyai – Hungary
2nd – Mariya Doronina – Russia
3rd – Anzhela Barinova – Russia
Division 2
1st – Paulina Mucha – UK
2nd – Danielle Currie – UK
3rd – Nóra Kovács – Hungary
Division 3
1st – Edina Kósa-Mezei – Hungary
2nd – Katarzyna Warmuz – Poland
3rd – Julia Makarov – Russia
GEL POLISH MANICURE
Division 1
1st – Adrienn Musa-Kiss – Hungary
2nd – Jiak Hing – UK
3rd – Mariya Doronina – Russia
Division 2
1st – Paulina Mucha – UK
2nd – Aleksandra Drozdz – Ireland
3rd – Giusy Napoli – Italy
Division 3
1st – Laura Családi – Hungary
2nd – Izabela Goluńska – Poland
3rd – Katarzyna Warmuz – Poland
DESIGN NAILS FOR AN ALBUM COVER: Soul Train
Division 1
1st – Ildikó Köntös – Hungary
2nd – Petra Szabo – Hungary
3rd – Michelle van Blommestein – Australia
Division 2
1st – Paulina Mucha – UK
2nd – Kotome Jeffries – UK
3rd – Kimberly Reid – UK
Division 3
1st – Erika Nortier – Italy
2nd – Lucie Kovarïkova – Czech Republic
3rd – Laura Családi – Hungary
NIGHTLIFE: Black & Gold with Matte & Gloss
Division 1
1st – Petra Szabo – Hungary
2nd – Mariya Doronina – Russia
3rd – Sabina Zsemlyeova – Slovakia
Division 2
1st – Danielle Currie – UK
2nd – Giusy Napoli – Italy
3rd – Paulina Mucha – UK
Division 3
1st – Ania Kesiak – UK
2nd – Erika Nortier – Italy
3rd – Jade Barber – UK
FLAT ART: Pop Art
Division 1
1st – Nita Avalos – Finland
2nd – Anna Lorna – USA
3rd – Kirsty Manvell – UK
Division 2
1st – Gemma Dawson – UK
2nd – Viktória Kiss – Hungary
3rd – Charisse Cassie – UK
Division 3
1st – Tan Adams – UK
2nd – Hong Luu – UK
3rd – Yuki Uzelac – Japan
MIXED MEDIA DESIGN: Open
Division 1
1st – Danielle Price – UK & Kim Jones – UK
2nd – Nancy Okon – USA
3rd – Candida de Lange – South Africa
Division 2
1st – Donna Jones – UK
2nd – Paulina Mucha – UK
3rd – Kotome Jeffries – UK
Division 3
1st – Serena Scarano – Italy
2nd – Claire Wheeler – UK
3rd – Monika Grenda – Poland
ART ON NAILS more than 1 inch – Futuristic/Sci-fi
Division 1
1st – Jacqueline McClement – Canada
2nd – Emese Balog – Hungary
3rd – Marika Dimitrovska – UK
Division 2
1st – Gosha Walczak – UK
2nd – Paulina Mucha – UK
Division 3
1st – Mino Vo – UK
2nd – Andrea Lippné Kreisz – Hungary
3rd – Alicia Cespedes – Paraguay
ART ON NAILS more than 2 inches – Geodes
Division 1
1st – Jacqueline McClement – Canada
2nd – Anzhela Barinova – Russia
3rd – Orsolya Sipos – Hungary
Division 2
1st – Mel Sheri – France
2nd – Veronika Golitsyna – Russia
3rd – Gosha Walczak – UK
Division 3
1st – Genki Itou – Japan
2nd – Scarlett Senter – UK
3rd – Katarzyna Warmuz – Poland
INVENT a NAIL SHAPE: In peacock colour palette
Division 1
1st – Giulia Candido – Italy
2nd – Duy Le – Canada
3rd – Thanh Ha – UK
Division 2
1st – Georgina Takacs – UK
2nd – Aurelija Illingworth – UK
3rd – Gosha Walczak – UK
Division 3
1st – Lucie Kovarikova – Cech Republic
2nd – Andrea Lippné Kreisz – Hungary
3rd – Robert Klonowski – Poland
The Joy of Nails with Bling!
Division 1
1st – Giulia Candido – Italy
2nd – Brigitta Fajt – Hungary
3rd – Marika Dimitrovska – UK
Division 2
1st – Giusy Napoli – Italy
2nd – Gosha Walczak – UK
3rd – Agata Galati – Italy
Division 3
1st – Mino Vo – UK
2nd – Kayley Cairns – UK
3rd – Loi Nguyen – UK

Meet – Gemma Lambert-Lewis – UK
Get to Know a Nailympia Expert…
NAME: Gemma Lambert-Lewis
Business name: Nail Team Ltd
Location: Doncaster, Tamworth & Preston
Nationality: British
Who Trained You: So many: Antony Buckley, Trang Nguyen, Catharine Wong, Viv Clement-Simmonds, Barbara Ujvari, Kristina Ujavri, Agnes Sebestyen, Krisztina Kalmar, Gabriella Kovacs and more.
Years in Nails: 24 years
Years Judging: 15 years
Nail Brand You Represent/Use: Nail Team, Gems Nail Systems, Perfect Nails.
Role in Industry: Product owner, international educator & judge, product distributer & nail artist

Favourite Trade Exhibition: Olympia Beauty UK
Favourite Nail Tool: Gems airbrush
Favourite Book: Sorry – 50 shades of Grey – lol
Favourite Movie: Pursuit of Happiness
Favourite Food: Salad
Favourite Vacation Destination: Canada

Your Hobbies: I don’t really get time for hobies, so I guess it’s spending time with my family
What Inspires Your Work: Everything from clothes, nature, packaging and fashion
Who You Admire In Industry: Barbara Ujvari and Krisztina Kalmar, as their art is just amazing
Top Technique You’ve Mastered: One stroke nail art
Advice to Competitors: Speak to the judges after the comp, their feedback is priceless
Hot Tip or Trick for Competitors: Structure is more important than art, so concentrate on getting that perfected, as it gains more points.
What Lockdown Has Taught You: To be ready to change with the times
A Funny Memory From Your Nail Desk: The two that really stick in my mind are, my husband, who worked in the taxi rank behind my shop, walked into a full busy salon and asked me out on a date, bless him. And my son who is now 21, making aeroplanes out of manicure brushes.
An Affirmation You Love: Practice will never make perfect, but it will improve and give you better results. I also love, ‘never try to run before you walk’.
Why Nailympia: It’s the most widely recognised, international competition, with the highest standards of judges and the most organised scoring system. Plus, I love Alex to bits and love working with her.

Any Workshops/Classes you Offer Online: I offer over 75 courses online at www.thenailteam.com
Instagram: @the.nail.team
Facebook: the nail team
TikTok: the.nail.team

Meet – Rebecca Manz – Australia
Get to Know a Nailympia Expert in 25 Steps…
NAME: Beck Manz – Bex to my overseas nail family
Business name: Beckz Nailz
Location: Brisbane Australia – just had my 24th move!
Nationality: Australian
Who Trained You: After a 6-week course, my mentor was Tanya Sherlock – we lived in a small country town of about 10,000 people where I ended up being the only nail tech after Tanya retired.
Years in Nails: 21 years in salon, trainer/educator, running competitions
Years Judging: Around 10 years in some form or another as administration, on the microphone then comp manager Brisbane & Perth all while assisting Nailympia in Australia
Nail Brand You Represent/Use: Nail Harmony
Role in Industry: Home salon & assisting with administration of Nailympia London
Favourite Trade Exhibition: Olympia Beauty – nothing has come close yet
Favourite Nail Tool: Cuticle Pusher
Favourite Book: Getting Your Sh*t Together!
Favourite Movie: Anything with Leonardo Di Caprio
Favourite Food: Thai
Favourite Vacation Destination: Canada
Your Hobbies: Swimming, renovating and it feels like moving house should be in here too…
What Inspires Your Work: Helping others create to the best of their own abilities and watching the penny drop with a newly learned technique
Who You Admire In Industry: Anyone who supports others to be the best version of themselves and pushes them to go beyond their own boundaries
Top Technique You’ve Mastered: Too many to remember!

Bex Manz & Alex Fox getting ready for the Nailympia London awards
Advice to Competitors: Leave your ego at the door because everyone is vulnerable when competing. Shit Happens to everyone no matter your experience – good shit and bad shit, so be proud of your good shit and learn from your bad shit.
Hot Tip or Trick for Competitors: Read the rules thoroughly – numerous times…
What Lockdown Has Taught You: That I need to keep very busy.
A Funny Day/Memory At The Nail Desk: Never ever even when learning did I ever give a cuticle cut to anyone – except my mother.
An Affirmation You Love: Life is all about the journey…
Why Nailympia: It’s my biggest nail family where I can use everything from hand signals to Google translate or a hug to a competitor – they all speak volumes to the right people.
Instagram: beck_manz
Facebook: Rebecca Manz
Meet – Jeanette Ulriksen – Denmark
Get to Know a Nailympia Expert in 23 Steps…

NAME: Jeanette Ulriksen
Business name: Nails Beauty and Wellness
Location: Denmark
Nationality: Danish
Who Trained You: Catherine Wong, Steffi Fowler, David Fowler, Trang Nguyen
Years in Nails: 17 years
Years Judging: 7 years
Nail Brand You Represent/Use: Urban Nails, Astonishing
Role in Industry: Distributor, Master Educator

Favourite Trade Exhibition: Olympia Beauty, London, UK
Favourite Nail Tool: My acrylic brush
Favourite Book: The Da Vinci Code
Favourite Movie: Pretty Woman, Outlander (the series)
Favourite Food: Chocolate 😀 / Italian pasta
Favourite Vacation Destination: Spain

Your Hobbies: Painting, singing, being in nature, skiing, playing games with my family.
What Inspires Your Work: Colours, music, pictures on the internet, out in nature.
Who You Admire In Industry: Catherine Wong, Steffi Fowler, David Fowler, Pham Hung Tony
Top Techniques You’ve Mastered: Fantasy 3D nail art, Extreme Shapes

Jeanette Ulriksen with Alex Fox
Hot Tip or Trick for Competitors: Bring baby wipes to remove dust.
What Lockdown Has Taught You: To see the positive in things even though everything looks bad.
A Funny Day/Memory At The Nail Desk: Gluing myself to the customer while adding Swarovski crystals

Always positive
Why Nailympia: I love the competitions and the mood. We are serious judges, but we can still have a laugh. The variety of the competitors. All the brands that attend the show.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nails_beauty_and_wellness/
Twitter:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nailsbeautywellness/

Meet – Krasimira Petrova – Bulgaria/Austria
Get to Know a Nailympia Expert in 25 Steps…

NAME: Krasmira Petrova
Business name: Krasi Mira Enterprise
Location: Vienna, Austria
Nationality: Bulgarian
Who Trained You: Antony Buckley, Danny Haile, Tom Holcomb & Elena Maltseva
Years in Nails: 18 years
Years Judging: 12 years
Nail Brand You Represent: Gelish, Hand & Nail Harmony & Morgan Taylor
Role in Industry: Educator, distributor & salon owner

Favourite Trade Exhibition: Intercharm Moscow, Russia
Favourite Nail Tool: The Spoon Pusher & Go File by Gelish
Favourite Book: Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukov
Favourite Movie: No Reservations
Favourite Food: A mish mash
Favourite Vacation Destination: Santorini, Greece
Your Hobbies: Latin Dancing, cooking and art
What Inspires Your Work: Creative people and all the beauty around
Who You Admire In Industry: Danny Haile, David Daniel, Gari-Dawn Tingler, Antony Buckley, Elena Maltseva, Alisha Rimando, Georgie Smedley, Alex Fox, Tom Holcomb (even though he’s now passed away I will always admire him)
Top Technique You’ve Mastered: Pink & White and nail art – any type

Advice to Competitors: Work on your emotional intelligence just as much as on your nail skills, because this is your #1 enemy!
Hot Tip or Trick for Competitors: Choose your model wisely!
What Lockdown Has Taught You: A very close friend of mine told me during this difficult time, ‘Krasi, relax and Osim Chaim – check this on the internet’. After checking I found a story regarding the meaning of these words, which I found so incredible, that I’m sharing a small part with you.
‘’…Do not solve problems, not to make money, not looking for answers to questions, not to set goals and reach them without losing weight, after all, no! Just enjoy the life!’’ V. Hugo
My interpretation is drink your favourite coffee, eat your favourite food, dress well, do things that bring joy into your day, be good to yourself and others, laugh and enjoy life!
An Affirmation You Love: I can BE, I can DO and HAVE everything I wish anytime, anywhere

Why Nailympia: Simply because this is the most upright competition in the world. The judging process is like a symphony; smooth, fair, easy and thanks to the ingeniously structured judging system, we can really relax and enjoy the time without stress. Last, but not least, Alex Fox and team with their vibrant and contagious energy make everybody addicted to this special life event and memorable experience.
Krasimira Nail Academy
https://nailharmony.at/de/
Instagram: krasimirap
Twitter: Krasimira Petrova
Facebook: Krasimira Petrova
Meet – Catherine Wong- Singapore
Get to Know a Nailympia Expert in 25 Steps…

NAME: Catherine Wong
Business name: NailQueen
Location: Singapore
Nationality: Malaysian, living as a permanent resident in Singapore for the last 30 years
Who Trained You: When I first started using the acrylic system in the 90’s, I trained with EZFlow products, hence I had the opportunity to learn from Danny Haile, Alisha Rimando and Antony Buckley.
I then went on to train with Tom Holcomb and Tom Bachik specifically in French sculptured nails when they launched the Entity.
Enfu Oh, founder of NFU coloured acrylic systems was my educator when I fell in love with coloured powders and 3D nail art.
Trang Nguyen mentored me for competition, helped me understand the nail business and with building a great competition and education team in South East Asia.
Anna Lajourdie, who was training for Akzentz when I first started distributing at the time, was a huge inspiration to me in perfecting my salon style French gel application. In my journey as a nail professional, I’ve attended countless classes with various educators internationally. There weren’t any online classes back then and so I invested a lot in travel or to fly them out to me!

Years in Nails: 24 years (2021 inclusive, however I stopped nail as a full-time career in 2015)
Years Judging: 11 years
Nail Brand You Use: EzFlow, Entity, Akzentz, NfuOh, ONS, EMI
Role in Industry: Freelance educator now. I was previously a distributor up until 2015
Favourite Trade Exhibitions: Beauty World Japan, SINAIL Korea, CIBE Guangzhou, Beauty Dusseldorf , just to name a few
Favourite Nail Tool: Nail Art Brushes

Favourite Book: The Art of Living by Epictetus
Some of my favourite quotes from the book:
- ‘The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best’
- ‘First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do’
- ‘There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things, which are beyond the power or our will’

Favourite Movie: The Godfather
Favourite Food: Korean BBQ
Favourite Vacation Destination: Bali
Your Hobbies: Nail art, cake decorating, flower arrangement, fine dining, travelling
What Inspires Your Work: Art & fashion
Who You Admire In Industry: Alisha Rimando, Viv Simmonds, Gina Silvestro, Lilija
Michalikova, Marina Shyvtsova, David & Stephanie Fowler
Top Technique You’ve Mastered: Design sculptured nails, mixed media & fantasy, hand painted nail art
Advice to Competitors: Read and understand the rules. When practising, use the judging criteria as a checklist to go through your work and ask yourself how you would score your own work, so you know what to look out for when attempting to make improvements. If you’re competing for the first time, then you may want to find a mentor or attend a specific class where you can get the right guidance. Nothing valuable in this world is free of charge, so don’t expect good training to come free. Your career is an investment, so invest wisely. Research and find a suitable mentor for your specific needs.

Hot Tip or Trick for Competitors: Find a great hand model! Beautiful hands and nail beds are halfway to a set of winning nails. Make sure that your model understands what is required of her (discuss the do’s and don’ts), feed her well before the competition and keep her warm and comfortable so you can work peacefully.
Always bring a table lamp (if it’s not provided at the venue ) and check the voltage so you carry a converter suitable for the country you are competing in. (100-120V for USA, 220-240V for Europe and Asia)
Arrive at the venue early and choose a table that’s not directly where the wind is blowing, otherwise you will be in the receiving end of all the filing dust when everyone starts filing
What Lockdown Has Taught You: Be the change. Don’t wait for things to change, but change yourself to adapt so you don’t get left behind.
A Funny Day/Memory At The Nail Desk: Working on a fellow nail educator’s nails while they’re sleeping is a norm before a beauty or training event. I used to fly to the USA & Mexico for beauty shows and training events. A few of us from different countries would end up sharing an apartment. We would fix each other’s nails late into the night, so the one getting the nails done would always be sleeping to the point of snoring.
Another funny incident: It’s quite typical for nail artists to hold another nail artist’s hands to admire her latest nail designs. I remember picking up Gina Silvestro’s hands to do just that in a posh steak restaurant at the Treasure Island in Las Vegas and the waiter gave us both a dirty look!
An Affirmation You Love: Carpe Diem
Why Nailympia: Nailympia is a global competition that draws a lot of good quality competitors, which are not only highly skilled but also very driven to excel. The judging team of multi-talented and highly experienced judges makes judging such a breeze and fun to work with. Personally, whenever I’m judging at Nailympia London in particular, I learn a lot even as a judge and get inspired to pick up my nail brushes to play when I get home.
Instagram: @catherinewongnailqnailart
Facebook: Catherine Wong
