Online crystal nail art content launches

Award-winning UK tech, Scarlett Senter has teamed up with Charlotte Pennington (AKA Poppy), owner of Crystal Parade, to present an exciting new nail contest – The Creative Mixed Media Competition.

Offering prizes for first, second and third places as well as a first-place trophy, the competition will also award a Voter’s Choice accolade, too.

What is it?

The competition requires nailists to create a stunning crystal placement piece over 10 long nail tips. The theme is open, however, crystal placement is necessary and needs to be well thought out. Judges comprise Poppy, owner of Crystal Parade, nail artist Scarlett Senter and special guest judge, Alex Fox, Scratch magazine, editor-in-chief.

Scarlett Senter

“It’s truly been a tough time since the end of March for the nail industry. However, we have seen nail artists thinking outside the box and offering online workshops and passing on their knowledge while inspiring both beginners and seasoned techs to push their boundaries and try new products and techniques,” relays Poppy. “With big events being cancelled this year and fewer competitions to enter, online competitions are a great new creative avenue to keep minds, skills and imagination busy. We have seen some amazing nail art created during lockdown and so myself and Scarlett wanted to offer a competition that would appeal to many, especially those that love sparkle.

“Scarlett has been a Crystal Parade brand ambassador for four years now, and I’ve watched her achieve many awards and get a published cover image, so it was a great idea for us to collaborate and run a crystal placement competition together since Scarlett has the skill and experience. This competition is offering a first-place prize worth over £200 alongside the trophy.”

The rules

• Use 10 long nail tips. These can either be together to create one whole piece or individually to create 10 separate nails. (No hand model or synthetic hands).
• The theme must read across all 10 nails.
• At least 30% of the nails need to incorporate crystal placement. The design can include other media such as gel painting, acrylic painting, 3D etc.
• Only nail products to be used.
• The nail art design can be built above the surface of the tips, no higher/wider than 3cm.
• Be original, showcase something brand new and innovative.
• Don’t use work previously entered into other competitions.
• Each competition piece to be sent as a high-resolution photograph. This is a blind judging competition, so do not include your logo in the image/video. Photos (maximum of 3) to be in a JPEG format along with a short video, no longer than 15 seconds.
• Photos and videos to be sent to sales@crystalparade.co.uk – with subject title – CREATIVE COMPETITION.
• Closing date for entries Wednesday 30 September 2020.
• Judging will take place during the week commencing 5 October. All competition entries will be showcased on Crystal Parade’s Facebook page on Monday 12 October for Voters Choice participation. This allows entrants to share their entry and gain ‘likes’. The entry piece that receives the most ‘likes’ will be the Voters Choice winner. On Monday 19 October the winners, 2nd, 3rd and Voters Choice will be announced.
• By submitting an entry, competitors give permission to Crystal Parade to use all photos/videos for future promotional purposes.

The prizes

First place will receive a trophy, certificate, Crystal Parade storage tray (30 pots of crystal nail art mixes including the Scarlett Senter Wonderland Collection, Mad Cheshire, Red Roses and Tea Party), the Crystal Katana pick up tool, Crystal Parade work mat, 3x Vintage Bumper Nail art mixes and the Scarlett Senter Level 1 Crystal Placement course – worth £50.

Second place will be given a trophy, certificate, Crystal Parade storage tray (12 pots filled with a selection of nail art mixes.

Third place will afford a medal, certificate and brand new crystal mixes.

The Voters Choice award will see a certificate and selection of new crystal mixes and the Crystal Katana pick up tool.

This competition is an all-inclusive, international, free to enter, creative nail art competition. Whether you’re experienced in nail art or not, this competition is for you. Just have fun, be creative and enjoy creating your piece.

Any questions? Reach out to Scarlett via Facebook @scarlettsenter

For more information about Crystal Parade, visit www.crystalparade.co.uk

Scarlett’s top 10 tips for crystal nail design success

1 – When creating a theme, think about what elements you want to have crystallised and their placement.

2 – Always use high quality crystals. I use Swarovski and Preciosa.

3 – When applying crystals, always use colour theory. This helps to create shadows and highlights to add further interest.

4 – Small crystals are great gap fillers. Don’t overdo the caviar beads, as this can make the design look flat.

5 – When creating a design, work from the centre and pay attention to symmetry.

6 – Don’t be afraid to use Swarovski shapes, these really help draw the eye in, making the design look aesthetically pleasing.

7 – When using large pointed back crystals, always use a thicker consistency glue to secure them. Nailchemy Crystal Totalis works well for this.

8 – Don’t put any glue or top coat over the crystals, as this will result in losing all the beautiful facets in the crystals.

9 – I love searching for crystal ideas and inspiration on Pinterest and Google.

10 – Don’t over complicate the design, you don’t want your artwork to look messy, it needs to be readable across all 10 tips. Imagine removing one tip; can you see an individual design? Does the theme flow across all 10 nails?