Top nail designers to showcase their art at Beautyworld Middle East

An exclusive nail competition at the exhibition will challenge professional manicurists in a specially designed contest; determining who can create the most decorative nail styles using only small strips of acrylic as their canvas.

Beautyworld Exhibition Manager, Heather Nix, believes that the contest will demonstrate both the increasing popularity of nail artists across the region and the fine skills needed to produce exquisite designs. "Beautyworld Middle East National Nail Competition will show just how far this particular area of beauty treatment has advanced over the years and will enable visitors to appreciate the complexity of this art form," she says. "Those technicians taking part are among the leading nail artists in the region and they will be using dextrous hand painting techniques or fine airbrush skills to create the most detailed and imaginative designs; all done on the smallest of surfaces."

Each participant in the competition can enter in three different categories; 'Tip Overlay', 'Sculptured Hand' and 'Nail Art.' They will be given two and a half hours to complete their nail makeovers and once their time is up, they have five minutes to pose their model before the judging begins. The no-doubt difficult task of deciding on winners will be conducted by a panel of experts presided over by Sonette van Rensburg, a well-known educator, judge and nail competition director. "Two and a half hours may seem like quite a long time for a beauty procedure, but these artists will be using several different paints, lacquers and other materials like glitter and adhesive to create their signature work," says Ms. Nix. "It really is a painstaking craft to create a top nail design and each perfect example has to be replicated another nine times, so the allocated time is only really fifteen minutes per nail," she adds.

Nail art is an increasingly popular choice of beauty treatment for ladies across the region. Dedicated nail bars are springing up throughout the UAE and the Middle East, with beauty salons experiencing a greater demand for this type of treatment. "Women in this region have always had an affinity with hand art through their traditional use of henna," says Ms. Nix. "Beautyworld nail competition will be celebrating that heritage by showing just how far nail art has come over the years, with artificial nails allowing for a greater range of possibilities than ever before. The use of modern materials means you can individualise your nails; with UV acrylic being the latest type. This substance doesn't discolour; it is strong yet light, it is extremely natural looking and it won't damage your own nails. It is the ideal surface to paint and style and an almost perfect shape can be achieved before the nail is cured into place. It can also be finished quickly and naturally with just a hand file, just as you would care for your own nails," she adds.

The nail competition is just one of the features at this year's Beautyworld trade show. The Walk of Beauty by Kadus, organised by MADI International, is another such event; one that will showcase the skills of hair stylists. It culminates in a fashion catwalk, complete with a sound and light extravaganza. "Both the Nail Competition and the Walk of Beauty show are two of the main highlights at Beautyworld," says Ms. Nix. "Each of the contests is unique and different; the Nail Competition uses models in a tableau demonstration to showcase the technician's artistry, whilst Walk of Beauty uses a fashion runway and music to parade the skills of the hairdressers," she adds.

Beautyworld 2007 is expected to be the largest and best attended show to date, featuring over 950 exhibitors representing 1500 brands from 55 countries. Over 10,000 visitors are anticipated over the three day period.