The Olympia Beauty Show is held in London annually and is similar to shows in the U.S. in that there are nail competitions and different manufacturer booths to visit and shop at. There seemed to be more booths involving lashes than I’ve normally seen in the U.S. and there were the usual tchotchke booths of bags and similar retail items. As my first visit to an international show, I was in love with all the various accents and enjoying the nail trends I saw passing the booth as I worked.
The main trends I seemed to catch over and over at the show and adorning the general population when out and about were accent nails (when two nails are done differently than the rest of the set), rockstar nails and toes (full glitter coverage), and Swarovski pedicures. Some salons there are charging upwards of £100 for a Swarovski pedicure which is about $160. When using actual Swarovski crystals the stones stay sparkly even with top coat and catch the sun like diamonds. I’m considering offering the service next summer. Are any of you doing them yet? If so what are you charging?
If you ever have the chance to attend a large beauty show in the U.S. or the U.K., or any country for that matter, I suggest trying it at least once for the atmosphere, the inspiration, and the experience!
Heading to work in the morning just before the show floor opens.
The queue (line) at the Sweet Squared booth I was working in got up to two hours long at times with nail professionals waiting to buy product!
An “aerial” view of part of the show floor.
Me with Debbie Davies of Sweet Squared doing my first gig with a headset mic!
— Holly
Print | posted on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:16 PM