In a battle against students in Jersey, 12 hairdressers competed in the regional heats. Nine placed and qualified for the national competition, and seven will be going in May.
First year student Phoebe Palmeri, 21, from Allbeauty, placed first in the blowdry category.
‘I wasn’t sure what to expect but it feels amazing to win after such a short amount of time, I’ve only been here seven months,’ she said.
‘Blowdrys were one of the things I really struggled with in the beginning, especially on a doll’s head, but we had a few minutes left and I was piecing out a few bits and making sure it was perfect. The judge even said he didn’t know how I got it to sit like that.
‘I’ve never really been a person to put my all into something, but I did and I’m really proud of myself.’
She also entered the fantasy style category, and while she did not win, she was pleased with her creation.
22-year-old level three student Jess Roberts from Beau & Lacquer took second place in the fantasy style. But unfortunately she is unable to attend the nationals.
‘I designed the hair to go alongside a costume that I’d made based on 18th century fashion, so it had all of the layers on and a corset with pearls and then I put pearls in the hair too,’ she said.
Level three student Shannel Da Silva, 26, of Macie’s, placed first in the creative cut and blowdry category.
‘We only had 45 minutes to do it which is quite a tight time frame for a creative cut,’ she said.
‘I’m excited to be going and it’s something different. I’m deciding whether to do the same cut or try something a bit more wacky.’
Lecturer Enya Bessin said that it was a first to take part in such a competition, and everyone had learned a lot for next year.
‘I’m incredibly proud, they couldn’t have done better,’ she said.
‘They all worked so hard and were extremely professional. It was nice to showcase what we do at the college and the amazing skills our apprentices have at all levels.
The Association of Hairdressers and Therapists final takes place on Monday 12 May.
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