Exploring New Gel Technology...Yipee!!

ごめんなさい... Sorry for not posting ... -(*.*)-
Been so busy lately with our overseas guests & advance nailart lessons...

However, did managed to find time to explore some latest-technology of nail products.An*Gel Embossed Gel that can create 3D embossed art like acrylic can... but without the foul smell.
Also, there is more time to "play" around with the gel before "hardening" it in a UV lamp, perfect for those who do not know how to use acrylic nail system.

















I'll uploaded some more An*Gel embossed nail art onto photobucket site soon...
Click to check them out.

PinkRoom Certificate Examination: March 2009 (S'pore)

Here's the exam photos for Singapore's March2009 Certificate Examination.

Would add more later....

PinkRoom Certificate Examination:March2009 (KL)

Juz finished marking our March Certificate Examination for Kuala Lumpur. Well done gals!The photos here are not complete... there's so many, I only put some here.
I've uploaded all the photos onto Photobucket, please feel free to grab your own photos. You should be able to see yourself in the batch of photos. I'll try to post up our past examinations photos asap too.
All your results & certificates would be sent to the KL office by next week, you should be able to collect them soon.
For those that made it... Your hard work & practice can be seen.
For those that didn't make it... Please prepare yourself more with more self-practical sessions & practice.
If there's any questions on how to grab your photos, please leave a message on the ChatBoard, I'll answer you asap.

Competition Winnings - Singapore 2009

Nail Competition Winnings!
Our latest Competition Winnings in Singapore.
It was held in Suntec City. Unfortunately, I am not in Singapore... I was freezing in Korea.. Haha!

It is our school's tradition to take part in Nail Competitions every year, it ensures our trainers would not become slack & create exposure for all our students. It is also our tradition to try to win as many trophies as possible \(^.^)/ a goal for trainers & students to achieve together!!
Check out our past winning photos...

1st Prize - Professional French Sculpture(Gel)
2nd Prize - Professional French Sculpture(Gel)
4th Prize - Professional French Sculpture(Gel)
3rd Prize - Professional Mix Media (Team of Students)
5th Prize - Professional Manicure




Disappointments & Achievements
French Sculpture (Gel or Acrylic) Category.
This category is 1 hand(5 Fingers) French Sculpture in Gel or Acrylic.
Our Academy had always concentrated & won for our Acrylics Extensions, so this time round we would like to challenge ourselves with Gel Sculptures. Gel Sculptures are usually thought to be harder to control as Gels are more "liquid & flowing" as compared to Acrylics.



The challenging part of this particular Nail Competition "topic" is that the organizers required the nails to be completed in 1 hour. This is deemed as quite impossible, I mean the usually international time allocated for French Sculpture is 90 minutes for 2 hands(10 nails), if divided equally is about 45 minutes each hand...

Although we won 1st, 2nd & 3rd Prize for last year's Gel Category... it was very hard to achieve the type of standards we would like in such a short time. So last year, we suggested to the organizer, if they would like to follow international standard...request was rejected.





Even international competitors frens were commenting that there is not enough time & advice me that we should not participate as the standards might not be what we're looking at.
But I believe that there's no reason to blame the circumstances & complain about what's fair or what's supposed to be.. It is precisely that people think that it is impossible, that we need try to break the "normal thinking".
Like in Olympics, we need to break the perceived "world record"... it is a personal challenge for our academy. At least we must try... I can say our Chief Educator, Mr Joe Chua, is sure that we can excel our own limits.. He spend many many hours & time to come up with a technique that allows us to achieve our international standards within that 1 hour requirement.
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We did it! Our team is able to complete everything in 1 hour....He had already stopped competing in Singapore now, our role is to train our trainers & team to compete & win.
The satisfaction to see others excel is greater this way.
Then comes the disappointment part... nearly all of participants were unable to complete their nails although the time is up... Except our team and the person who won 3rd place.
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Guess what happened?! Sigh...
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.When time is supposed to be up, the organizers announced that everyone is given an extra 10-15 minutes to finish, as some people cannot complete...

Hmm... the thing about any competition or exam or anything like this in nature, if you cannot finish your work, you are considered disqualified... Basically, that's the cruel truth when we participate overseas or anywhere that matters; at least that's how it's supposed to be..Anyway, I was later told that the people who had already completed just looked at each other in disbelieve... I received a phone call in Korea & was told this is happening.. I was with a group of Koreans Nailist at that time, they saw my face & asked. When they heard what happened...they also stared at each other in disbelieve.
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.These are ppl who are Nail Judges & International Competitors & Champions; they've participate in numerous London, Japan, Sweden, USA, etc. competitions.
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At that point, I was a bit sad as a Singaporean Nailist...
I just commented that we are still a growing industry in Singapore, we need to give it time to grow,etc...If you thought that an extra 10 minutes would be useful, mean that everyone can have more time to do a nicer nails.. But unfortunately with Gel nails, once itz completely, there's really nothing much you can do...
Unless you'll wanna file the surface off again & redo your shape, which might take much more time.
So, it was not useful for people who had already completed.
On a bright note.. hopefully because of this "incident", the organizers would factor in the internationally allocated time for their competitions. Perhaps, it'll lead to an improvement of future nail competitions held in Singapore..I mean, organizing an event like this is not easy work too, it takes hard work & commitment. If there is no one in Singapore that is willing to do it, there's no platform for nailist to showcase their talents.
Whenever we comment or give our suggestions, we do so with the intention to help each other improve.
Whatever the case, we'll always participate to show our support for our local nail industry to grow & become of international standards. It is no use if just a few nailist is famous or successful, I hope the whole industry can rise up to be recognized & respected internationally. Well, that's our academy's goal.. we are still moving in that direction, I hope everyone would join us too! ... sounds like a quit-smoking advertisement..Haha!
Hmm.. I should seriously spend some time to do our own school's compeition soon...
That'll be fun!! I was told by many students that if I have a "Worst Nail Art Prize", coz everyone can do... Then many would sure sign-up to get the prize... Haha!!













View more photos here - http://www.the-pinkroom.com/main/news/newsBAS09.htm

Bongsoonga Nail Art Book Volume 6

The nails on the top of the banner is from our Bongsoonga-Sontop Nouvelle Vague
[Nail Art Book Volume 6]


This is an annual Nail Art Book that we do every year for the International Market. It is a once a year thing where we come together to research new techniques & come up with new designs to create.
Most of the photos are bought by companies to be used for their product posters or advertisements. In case you are wondering... The book is for sale!
The whole process is a very challenging one... From the designing on paper to the final photo shoot, I can say it is very memorable & interesting!
Especially, I did my design during the coldest time in Korea... I remember it was about -10° to -17° at that time, I was especially miserable coz I am so so cold... Korean's winter is different from Japan's. It is very cruel type of cold that goes into the bones.

I did it using the latest AnGel Pro System[Organic Soak-off Gel] from Korea... That is the first time I got in touch with this organic gel that can soak-off! Anyway, the manufacturer sponsored the products for my entire creation... so of course I am alright to research & design something using their products... hehe.. \^.^/...
So, here's a special mention & big thanks for my sponsor... Kam-Sa-Mi-Da!!

My initial idea was using our Chinese Culture's Paper Cutting techniques. As I was the only non-Korean person in the entire book, I wanted to introduce Chinese Culture to the world. As usual, what started out as your idea would surely evolved into something more interesting.. So it is with my designs. I need to incorporate the design to be "make-able" using the new gel system, also it must be something that would also suit the international market that we usually sell the book to...

Thus, the final design... The entire 5 nails are created totally using the AnGel Pro System.

I am quite very happy with the final results.. Hope you all are too!






Here's the behind the scene photo shoot session with my dear model.

America's Next Top Model Winner

Was woken up by a call to do up a model's nails for a photo shoot...

yawn.. normal normal request..
Guess who walked into our academy..Nicole Linkletter
Winner of America's Next Top Model 5

She was supposed to be the model on a photo shoot for a jewelry advertisement and needed instant natural-looking long nails. Many close-up shots required, so nails must look like "real-nails"!!

Hmmm... Let me see your nails... Yikes!! They are making an understatement when they mentioned that her nails are ok...
As 99% of models tend to have "not-so perfect nails", it is just that type of nails that our Master Educator Joe Chua loves... (o.o)"... all PinkRoom students are nodding their heads in agreement now.. haha.. He likes to excel himself...

Mr Joe Chua, as usual loves the challenge & instead of pasting full nail

tips to extend her nails, did a set of acrylic sculpture nail extensions on her.

All her nail bed are extremely short and bitten into her fingers, plus the fact that some nails are "growing upwards", they are quite a challenge to extend using the nail forms.

before & after pixs..

You'll never be able to tell she had really really short nail-bed...
Heard that the photo shoot turned out great, would post the final photograph when I get them.

So... Never believe every single thing on TV or Magazines..haha.. all the beauty & glamour is a result of many many dedicated artist and effects behind the scene..

Thatz what I see in my years behind the scenes of photo-shoots & TV commercials. You'll be amazed by their before makeup & after makeup looks..

So if you think you are not pretty, you just had not met the correct make-up,hair & nails artist..
Hmm.. you'll also need a good professional photographer, director,etc.. haha..

Any gal would look good with a good team of artist behind her... I mean many many models nails turned to beautiful hand after we worked on them.. Yeah! \(^.^)/ it is the accomplishment after the challenge.

I mean Nicole returned the next day to get her extensions removed. As she came straight to us after the photo shoot, she looked totally different from the previous day without make-up. She is really so pretty and sweet looking... like wat you see on tv.

Kiddos to her winning the America's Next Top Model Title!

I mean going through all those stuff on national TV must had boosted her life experiences. She's so tired from the shoot yet still look so fresh, the title had indeed brought her many many jobs & during her short stay here, she did like up-to 20+ jobs.
And now, she'll be moving on to another country for other jobs..

Envy? .. yar! ... for being so skinny.. haha..

Finally.. First Blog

Finally got down to starting our blog…

Happened over ex-student & trainer's midnight tom-yam steamboat supper at 1am..
Our dearest cute Clara was narrating on the story of "IP Man" and how itz very much like us.. doing nothing to inform people around us of our school & of myself…that there is no way people would know watz up with us on the hilltops or our qualifications if we dun "tell our story".. Going on & on... like the cute energizer bunny…

… well this is not the first time & I figure it’ll not be the last time if I dun finally get down to climbing out of our mountain cave & coming to civilization & “telling our story”...

So will be sharing the happenings of our PinkRoom Nail Academy and oso my own personal thots & feelings too.
If I have the time, would so some informative stuff on nails.. hope this little space would benefit someone somewhere.. \(^.^)/

So finally...

Iskandar Blue

This set of Design Sculpture was done by Joe Chua..

What's most important for a Design Sculptured Nails is the shape, despite it's embedded 3D embossed art inside. If there is no control or skill, the entire nail would look like a swollen piece of "ice-kacang" on the fingers... I chose the Blue Gradient Color as the base as it allows the Pure White Roses to stand-out yet retaining its 3D effect.

During dinner... I realized that the blue on my nails matches the blue glaze on my Japanese Tea-Cup. So love this special shade of blue… Despite the popular belief that I am crazy about Pink color… bcoz everything around me happens to be pink or hello kitty (Handphone case, pens, diaries, calculators, etc.)

My favorite colors happen to be Turquoise & Deep Coral Blue… or to be exact the Greenish-Blue Glaze on pottery. It is the signature color glaze often associated with Mr Iskandar Jalil, he got his famous 'Iskandar Blue’ from the Blue Mountains in NSW.

He's a mentor and received the National Cultural Medallion for Visual Arts in 1988. His works are owned by the Sultan of Brunei and former US president George Bush Senior. His larger wall installations can be seen in Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Changi Airport.Anybody who is a collector of pottery and sculptural pieces would be familiar with the works of Iskandar Jalil.

He was my mentor & fine-art lecturer during my days at Temasek Polytechnic School of Design. Those days, we need to be good in fine arts on the first year of school... although we are to become commercial art designers.

Everyone's groans & fear, of attending Mr Iskandar's lessons. He’ll go around class with a hammer & smash to pieces our works he feels is not up to his standards. He calls all of us “monkeys” and would not be shy to give you a piece of his mind about you.
It is with him that I learnt the true meaning of uncompromising perfection. Later on in my life, it helped me understand my tough days in living in Japan…

But, he is also very gentle & kind person… you can tell from his way of life and his compassion to pass on his knowledge to whoever is willing to find out your own individual strength & purpose in life.

I remember the days when I would go to his workshop after school. He just let me do whatever I wanted at his workshop; I started making numerous clay sculptures figures… glazed them & fired them in his kiln. Strange to think back, I never tried pottery. I still remembered him telling me that the most difficult item to master is the quiet beauty of a simple tea bowl…

Thinking back… I would love to have back that luxury of getting my hands dirty with clay and do nothing but just sit at the pottery work-stand & make art pieces to express my inner feelings… ahhh… the inner peace working at the back of his terrace house swamped by lush greeneries, numerous pots by the fish pond and the sunrays on my clay pieces as I sculpt them into my art creations.