Darts star Fallon Sherrock on beauty in sport, her go-to nail look & oche style rules

There’s one word that is repeatedly used to describe English professional darts player, Fallon Sherrock MBE, and that is ‘trailblazer’. The ‘Queen of the Palace’ has had many firsts as a woman in the darts sphere, from becoming the first woman to beat a man at the PDC World Championship in 2019, to hitting the first nine-darter by a woman in a PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) event.

But the Milton Keynes-born player, who was awarded an MBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours list, also wants to be a trailblazer for beauty enthusiasts in sport. “I always make sure to stand out by having my hair, nails and eyelashes done, so I can bring the worlds of sport and beauty together,” she told Scratch at this year’s PDC World Darts Championship Media Day. “Growing up, I had the impression that sport and beauty couldn’t mix, as sport was seen as something that would ruin beauty looks. But beauty can help everyone gain confidence. It makes me feel that I can step up to the oche feeling good about myself, and my darts will be better because of this.

“I feel that by sporting beauty looks at events, I’m helping to take away the stereotype of what a darts player looks like. It makes people who have hair and beauty treatments think ‘I can play sport and I don’t need to change who I am’, and helps bring more women into sports.”

Fallon has caught attention with her glamorous nail styles, and reveals that her signature nail colour is pink to match her shirt.

“My favourite nail looks are those with sparkle,” she smiled. “My friend tends to do my nails, and must know in advance which products she will need. It’s very thought-out; we always try to include a little bit of glitter on one of my nails to match the sparkle on the back of my shirt. I used to opt for different colours on each nail, but found this design to be off-putting when throwing a dart.”

Scratch‘s Rebecca with Fallon Sherrock MBE.

So, what are the rules surrounding beauty looks worn by darts players? “The only rules for players concern how we dress and the length of our darts, so I can style my make-up, nails and hair how I like,” Fallon revealed. “On nails, you can have whichever colours you choose and if you want nail extensions, you can have these as long as you want – assuming you can still throw a dart.”

While she notes that some darts players are known to wear long nails and not be limited by this, Fallon assures that she won’t be seen with this style at a dart event anytime soon.

“I used to have my nails longer, but I ended up asking for them to be shortened. Because I flick my darts, my nails and especially my thumb affected my throw, so I keep my nails short.

“If I had them too long, there’s no way the darts would go where I wanted them to. I would be aiming for a triple twenty and get a double three!” she laughed.

Fallon Sherrock’s love for showcasing beauty looks is also influenced by her previous career as a mobile hairdresser & barber: a profession she practices when time allows. “Having experience in the hair industry, I know the importance of looking presentable. Especially when on TV, people notice hair, make-up and especially hands and nails during close-up shots,” she said.

“I enjoy styling clients’ hair, especially via colouring, as I find it so satisfying to achieve the end results. It gives me a break; the world of darts can be stressful, so I like taking time to do something different. I have a busy schedule, but I want to continue hairdressing and barbering on the side. It’s also nice to get pampered and chill when I can with a beauty or nail treatment, and talk to the technician during this.”

Fallon Sherrock takes on Jermaine Wattimena in the first round of the PDC World Darts Championship today (17 December).