Grand Forks home to top Canadian nail enhancement artist
By Erin Perkins
Grand Forks is home to many talented people, but who knew you could have your nails done by the top nail enhancement artist in the country?
Our own Robyn Schwartz, owner of Polished and Pampered Hair and Esthetics on Market Avenue in Grand Forks, took home the prestigious Contessa Hairstylist Award for top Canadian nail enhancement artist at this year’s Contessas award gala in Toronto, on Sunday, November 11.
Schwartz, who has been a licensed esthetician since 1996 and has lived in Grand Forks since 2000, was thrilled to get the recognition for her work an industry she is passionate about.
The Contessas are considered the gold standard of Canadian beauty awards. The contest is opened only to licensed beauty professionals and is judged by a panel of independent professional experts. The awards are sponsored by Salon Communications Inc. which publishes Salon Magazine, where Schwartz will be featured in their January edition.
This was the third year Schwartz had entered the national competition. Last year she was part of the top five and was flown to Toronto for the awards ceremony. The same happened this year, but little did she know it was her name that would be called out in front of more than 1,000 Canadian beauty professionals.
“You just sit there and wait for your award to be announced,” said Schwartz. “It was so nerve wracking, especially because I didn’t know if I’d win or not. Even to get into the top five is pretty amazing.”
As part of the competition, Schwartz entered three photographed hands, one with French manicure, one polished in gold and the final was a more creative and whimsical opportunity for Schwartz to strut her stuff under the artistic category.
Her winning nails – in the stiletto style — took four hours to create. They were made of gel, hand built and sculpted by Schwartz before being painted.
As for most artists, the nail design came to her during an inspirational moment just the night before the photo shoot was to be done.
“I knew I wanted to do a stiletto nail in blue, but I didn’t know exactly what it would look like until the night before – I like to play around,” she said.
Last year she’d done the long thinly tampered stiletto styled nail in pink for the competition but felt it didn’t win because “it wasn’t edgy enough”. This year she let down her inhibitions and came up with the stunning “over the top” award winner.
While the nails, pictured below, may seem a bit extreme for the average person, Schwartz said the desires of her clients to be more edging and creative is happening more often than it did 10 years ago.
“Nails are growing so much and there is so much more room for creativity,” she said. “In the last five years we’ve gone from rhinestones to being able to play around a bit (with colour and design). There’s so much we can do for people.”
Like any artist, she can draw her inspiration from the client she is helping, the clothes they want to match the nails to and from other esthetician.
She said the Contessa awards also inspire her to continue learning and stretching her imagination.
“(The Contessas) are important because it makes us, in the beauty industry, stay on top of our game. It makes us want to do better and strive.”
