A beautician has recreated some out of this world scenes from the movies – on a human nail.
Katy March, 20, from Glan Conwy, is an extreme nail artist in her spare time and wowed competition judges with her interpretation of the 2004 blockbuster film Alien vs Predator.
Katy, who works as a beauty therapist the Spire North Wales Cosmetic Suite in Abergele, made the tiny characters, some of which have moving parts, from acrylic material.
Her remarkable extraterrestrial creations earned Katy a silver award at the World Skills UK advanced nail art competition in Wakefield, in Yorkshire.
The Alien creature first appeared in the 1979 film, Alien, starring Sigourney Weaver and the Predator character come from the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger hit of the same name.
The two scary sci-fi creatures were then brought together in the same film just over 10 years ago.
Katy, who lives with her parents, took her brother, Phil, 31, along to act as her model for the day.
She explained: “Advanced nail art is all about creating miniature works of art out of acrylics that are then fixed to a model’s nails.
“The theme of the competition was ancient civilisations and I decided to try something off the wall by choosing an Alien vs Predator theme.
“I dressed Phil in a costume I made myself from papier maché, cardboard and cloth. One hand could be pre-done so I fixed that on the coach on the way to Wakefield.
“The other hand had to be done at Wakefield. It was nerve wracking having the four judges watching me work. It took me around the full two-and-a-half hours available to complete the hand.
“Some nails had moving parts and the alien eggs actually lit-up and glowed. It’s a lot of hard work but was really enjoyable.
“It’s about thinking outside the box and coming up with innovative designs and then having the ability to work with acrylics to turn the designs into the finished art work.”
Katy added: “I’m not sure any of our clients at the Spire North Wales Cosmetic Suite would want extreme nail art, it’s more about showing that you can create something different from acrylics.
“I studied at Rhyl College and passed my examinations in waxing level two, manicure, pedicure, nail art, acrylics and gels and I’m doing make-up level two and massage at Coleg Llandrillo from September.
“I really enjoy working at the Spire North Wales Cosmetic Suite. It’s bright and the facilities are second to none.
“We are getting busier the more people know we are here and what we can offer when it comes to beauty treatments. I have a lot of regular clients.”
Andrea Carri, manager of Spire Health Care’s Abergele Consulting Rooms, where the North Wales Cosmetic Suite is based, says she is delighted with Katy’s success.
She said: “The level of skill Katy showed during the competition was remarkable. I’m sure clients of our North Wales Cosmetic Suite won’t want alien eggs and predator monsters on their nails but it isn’t about that.
“It more about Katy’s skill at working with acrylics and the fact she has the imagination and ability to come up with such stunning designs.
“The World Skills UK advanced nail art competition is a national contest and the standard of work on show was exceptionally high. Katy did superbly well to finish second and she only narrowly missed out on the gold medal.”
She added: “I’m thrilled for Katy who has worked hard to gain her qualifications and I’m pleased she is going back to college in September to gain further qualifications which will add to what she can offer in her role at our North Wales Cosmetic Suite.”
