When I published the first part of this story, I felt something awaken that had been dormant for a long time: that mix of nostalgia, vertigo, and pride that appears when you look back and become aware of everything you’ve experienced since discovering the world of nail competitions. Writing about it was almost therapeutic.

So here I am, ready to continue this logbook that is as much for you as it is for me: a record of my evolution, my falls and my victories, my moments of self-sabotage (because I know a thing or two about that as well), and every small moment that has helped me grow—not only as a nail artist, but also as a person.

This second part begins in 2023, a year that marked my official return to the world of competitions after a necessary pause.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that comeback was about to change everything.

💙 2023 – The year of the comeback

🇵🇹 April 2023 – Nailympion Portugal: feeling the thrill again

Competing again after two years was… wonderful. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to return to competitions. There were doubts, yes, but also an excitement that burned inside me. At Nailympion Madrid 2019 I won a bronze medal in Division 1, which meant I remained in Division 1 (you need to achieve a 1st place to move up to the next division). After the mandatory break from competitions due to the pandemic, as you know, I took part in an online competition in 2022. It was mentally very tough for me: I had to prepare one piece every week, with only a week for each, recording how I created every work and explaining the process. It was exhausting, and finishing just short of the final (the finalists went to Miami to compete there) was honestly heartbreaking at the time. All the stress of several months of work came crashing down on me. So I needed a few months without thinking about competing to really process everything. Then I prepared three pieces with a lot of love and dedication, pushing myself and, above all, staying true to my style. Nailympion doesn’t set specific themes, so each artist is free to paint and create whatever theme they feel drawn to.

I created a Flat Art piece with the theme “Mermaid Tale”, which I truly enjoyed. Being able to bring something like that into my own style felt amazing, and with this piece I achieved a 1st place, which allowed me to move up to Division 2. The work received very strong scores and honestly motivated me to want to compete again in Madrid in October.

I also presented a Salon Trend Manicure (you’ll see later that these categories are my favorites, as I almost always compete in them—I absolutely love them), in which I created several very colorful animal portraits with playful, expressive faces, and I also achieved 1st place with this piece.

Along the way of creating these pieces, I felt that I grew and improved in my work… and above all, I remembered why I love this world so much.

Portugal was my reunion with myself. That moment when you sit in front of the tips, take a deep breath, and think: “I’m here again. Let’s give it everything.”

🇬🇧 October 2023 – Nailympia London: where I stepped out of my comfort zone and took risks…

This competition in London has something special about it. I don’t know if it’s the level (champions from all over the world compete there, so you can imagine how incredible the other works are), the pressure, or the excitement, but every time I compete at Nailympia, I feel like I climb one more step in my career.

That October of 2023 marked a reconnection with my ambition and my own quality standards. In that moment, I understood that I hadn’t just returned to competitions—I had come back as a more mature, more technical, and more capable artist. Something in me was changing: I was no longer satisfied with doing things the same way as before. I wanted to take risks, to do things differently, to step out of my comfort zone and explore other types of categories I had never competed in before, despite the fear of entering the highest division for the first time—Division 3—since at Nailympia, any competitor who has won a 1st prize in a recognized competition must start in that division. That’s how I decided to sign up for **Art On Nails (more than 2 inches)**—in other words, more than 2 inches, which is 6 cm.

I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the moment my love for extreme structure was born. I had only completed one certification many years earlier, which included an extreme stiletto, a pipe, and a gothic almond… I jumped in headfirst, without fear—well, with a lot of fear of making a fool of myself, I’ll admit it.

The fact that the theme of this category was “Swan Lake” also played a role in my decision to compete in it, as it is my favorite ballet (I love ballet).
After 6 days of intense work, I managed to complete my piece and take the photos, and during the awards ceremony I couldn’t believe it when I heard my name and achieved a 1st place in Division 3.

I also competed in two other categories: Runway Nails with the theme The Wizard of Oz, and Design Nails for an Album Cover with a Rock ’n’ Roll theme, achieving third and second place respectively in Division 3.

Without a doubt, it was a year that gave me so much on a competitive level, and every bit of work I put into each piece was absolutely worth it.

🇪🇸 October 2023 – Nailympion Spain: returning to Madrid, where it all began, four years later

As the grand finale of the year came the third competition, and the most special one for me at that moment, as it was the place where this entire competitive journey began. Thanks to it, I’ve managed to remain constantly demanding and uncompromising with my work—something that, although sometimes exhausting, has helped me grow tremendously and create pieces I never believed I’d be capable of making with my own hands.

In April, in Portugal, I moved up a division after winning the gold medal. For that reason, in Madrid I competed in Division 2, where the level rises and the demands increase significantly as you progress.

I entered three categories, as time simply didn’t allow for more, considering it was my third competition of the year and it coincided with a year full of travel and intense work. So I did the most I could and chose my favorite categories: Flat Art, Mixed Media, and Salon Trend Manicure.
I truly enjoyed creating the pieces, and it was especially emotional because two of my close friends, Orsi and Mavi, were also competing in that category. The three of us ended up sharing the podium together, and that was absolutely wonderful—I will never forget that moment, standing there together with our medals 💙

At that time, I was still working a lot with acrylic paint—it’s truly a top-tier technique—and these are the pieces I presented. For Flat Art, I created a piece inspired by Ancient Egypt, which I really enjoyed. I achieved **1st place in Division 2**.

My Mixed Media piece told a vampire story set in the Victorian era. I really enjoyed creating the entire scene, although I realized I was still quite inexperienced with 3D work, and I promised myself I would really focus on improving that for the next competition 🤣. I achieved 1st place in Division 2.

Finally, for the Salon Trend Manicure category, I presented this set inspired by the Harajuku Punk aesthetic from Japan. I worked with acrylic paint, semi-permanent polishes, and gel paint, and with this concept I achieved a second place in Division 2.

As soon as I left the competition, with my medals still in my bag, I headed straight to the airport because I had a flight to Santiago de Chile. There, I ended up visiting Salon Look Santiago (believe it or not, it’s the same fair there!) and also the competition taking place at that time. It felt like a real competition board game 😂—I left the one in Madrid and suddenly appeared at the one in Chile!

In the next chapter, I’ll tell you how 2024 was the year I broke down on a competitive level… and was reborn.