Safari themed nail comp inspires techs in lockdown

It’s exciting and delighting to come across Facebook groups where support, unity and inspiration are the names of the game. Invited to judge a weekly nail competition for a nail group on Facebook, I, Alex Fox, was charmed by what I found when I got there.

The FB group, Nails, Makeup and Beauty Tips and Tricks with Leona, which is run by Leona Ko-Nkengmo (Leo) of Leoko Crea8tive, is an upbeat and joyful nail space, where uplifting, supporting and growing together is the vibe.

I was invited to judge a weekly nail competition, which is delivered to the group on a Thursday morning. The winner is then announced at 4pm the following day, delivered via a mini video from the guest judge. The theme for the 18 February was Safari – and the entries were tough to choose between.

Intrigued by what I found, I asked Leo how the group had come to life. “During lockdown I could see many techs getting low and experiencing depression since not being able to earn money or be around their customers. This made me sad,” Leo confesses. “I was feeling the same since I couldn’t work in my studio and when I heard techs saying they were going to give up nails and look for other work, I felt compelled to act and and do something to uplift the nail community. As I’m known as a tech and educator, I wasn’t sure how creating a group would work out, but I knew I wanted to create a safe environment where all could be involved by sharing work, laughs and generally being together in a positive spirit.

“In the group I provide a weekly schedule, which comprises activities from Monday to Friday including a FREE nail art workshop, a few step by step nail art tutorials, supportive blogs, live art casts, a podcast and weekly cover competitions.”

And the fun doesn’t stop there, since Leo has come up with innovative ways for techs to communicate, she reveals, “This week myself and Carly Dorman collaborated and invited techs to work together on a nail piece that was themed – Friendship. This meant they had to team up with another tech. Then one tech started designing the piece and then sent it through the post to a second tech to complete it. We hash-tagged that one #collaboratetoinnvate. We wanted to really make a stand against the negativity that is floating around and celebrate each other’s work, style, focus and friendship.

“I love running this group, which is growing in numbers every week. The participants are all positive and , with support from my friend Carly Dorman who helps me run the group, we all have a great time sharing.”