{"id":28780,"date":"2026-01-22T16:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T15:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toxicvanity.com\/?p=28780"},"modified":"2026-01-23T11:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:13:26","slug":"competiciones-el-regreso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toxicvanity.com\/en\/competiciones-el-regreso\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2b50 My journey in competitions (II): the comeback that changed everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I published the first part of this story<\/a><\/strong>, 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\u2019ve experienced since discovering the world of nail competitions. Writing about it was almost therapeutic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2014not only as a nail artist, but also as a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This second part begins in 2023<\/strong>, a year that marked my official return to the world of competitions after a necessary pause.
\nI didn\u2019t know it at the time, but that comeback was about to change everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc99 2023 \u2013 The year of the comeback<\/strong>

\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf9 April 2023 \u2013 Nailympion Portugal: feeling the thrill again<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Competing again after two years was\u2026 wonderful. I hadn\u2019t 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).\n\nAfter 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.\n\nSo 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\u2019t set specific themes, so each artist is free to paint and create whatever theme they feel drawn to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I created a Flat Art piece with the theme \u201cMermaid Tale\u201d<\/strong>, 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<\/strong>. The work received very strong scores and honestly motivated me to want to compete again in Madrid in October.<\/p>\n\n\n

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I also presented a Salon Trend Manicure<\/strong> (you\u2019ll see later that these categories are my favorites, as I almost always compete in them\u2014I 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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Salon Trend Div. 2, 1r puesto Nailympion Portugal 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Along the way of creating these pieces, I felt that I grew and improved in my work\u2026 and above all, I remembered why I love this world so much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portugal was my reunion with myself. That moment when you sit in front of the tips, take a deep breath, and think: \u201cI\u2019m here again. Let\u2019s give it everything.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 October 2023 \u2013 Nailympia London: where I stepped out of my comfort zone and took risks\u2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This competition in London has something special about it. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That October of 2023 marked a reconnection with my ambition and my own quality standards. In that moment, I understood that I hadn\u2019t just returned to competitions\u2014I 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\u2014Division 3\u2014since at Nailympia, any competitor who has won a 1st prize in a recognized competition must start in that division.\n\nThat\u2019s how I decided to sign up for **Art On Nails (more than 2 inches)**\u2014in other words, more than 2 inches, which is 6 cm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t 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\u2026 I jumped in headfirst, without fear\u2014well, with a lot of fear of making a fool of myself, I\u2019ll admit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that the theme of this category was \u201cSwan Lake\u201d<\/em> also played a role in my decision to compete in it, as it is my favorite ballet (I love ballet).
\nAfter 6 days of intense work, I managed to complete my piece and take the photos, and during the awards ceremony I couldn\u2019t believe it when I heard my name and achieved a 1st place in Division 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Art On Nails, Div. 3, 3r puesto Nailympia London<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I also competed in two other categories: Runway Nails<\/strong> with the theme The Wizard of Oz<\/em>, and Design Nails for an Album Cover<\/strong> with a Rock \u2019n\u2019 Roll theme, achieving third and second place respectively in Division 3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Runway Nails, The Wizard of Oz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Nails for an Album Cover, Rock ‘n’ Roll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8 October 2023 \u2013 Nailympion Spain: returning to Madrid, where it all began, four years later<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve managed to remain constantly demanding and uncompromising with my work\u2014something that, although sometimes exhausting, has helped me grow tremendously and create pieces I never believed I\u2019d be capable of making with my own hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I entered three categories, as time simply didn\u2019t 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.
\nI 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\u2014I will never forget that moment, standing there together with our medals \ud83d\udc99<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that time, I was still working a lot with acrylic paint\u2014it\u2019s truly a top-tier technique\u2014and 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**.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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 \ud83e\udd23. I achieved 1st place in Division 2.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Finally, for the Salon Trend Manicure category<\/strong>, I presented this set inspired by the Harajuku Punk<\/strong> 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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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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<\/strong>. There, I ended up visiting Salon Look Santiago<\/strong> (believe it or not, it\u2019s the same fair there!) and also the competition taking place at that time. It felt like a real competition board game \ud83d\ude02\u2014I left the one in Madrid and suddenly appeared at the one in Chile!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next chapter, I\u2019ll tell you how 2024 was the year I broke down on a competitive level\u2026 and was reborn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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