Posing after placing second for hair. From Left: Nail Technician Raquel Toledo, 2nd-placed Hairstylist Irma Ramirez, Model Allison Naff, Makeup Artist Magdalena Molina. Photo Courtesy of Magdalena Molina. Posing after placing second for hair. From Left: Nail Technician Raquel Toledo, 2nd-placed Hairstylist Irma Ramirez, Model Allison Naff, Makeup Artist Magdalena Molina. Photo Courtesy of Magdalena Molina.
Sharon Ho
Issue date: 10/26/09
Just a day after celebrating her 21st birthday, Irma Ramirez won second place as hairstylist out of 32 teams in the 15th annual Nino Faggiano Student Team Competition.
"I'm tired but excited," said Ramirez a day after the meet.
"We were so happy we almost cried when Irma was announced second-placed winner for hair," said Raquel Toledo, 38, the team's nail technician.
The statewide competition on Oct. 11 was part of The Hair Design and Beauty Expo Trade Show, "Beauty at the Beach."
The competition is sponsored by the California Cosmetology Association and held each year at the Cocoanut Grove ballroom at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
Ramirez and teammate Magdalena Molina had to juggle work, school and preparations for the competition.
"Having Irma place second made us feel that all our hard work paid off," said Molina, the team's makeup artist.
With a $250 budget, they bought recyclable material from Dollar Tree and Goodwill to create a buttefly look for model Allison Naff, in line with the Mardi Gras fantasy theme.
All three agreed that while the competition was tiring, they had a lot of fun.
"I was kneeling for 90 minutes working on Allison's nails and I was like, 'Oh, my back!,' " said Toledo. "But I guess if you love what you do, you don't really mind all that much."
Ramirez decided on the final updo after two weeks of practice and showed it to cosmetology instructor Suzanne Russell on Oct. 9, just two days before the competition.
Ramirez often brought her mannequin home and continued to experiment on hairdos after a practice session, Molina said.
Ramirez's final updo was inspired by a hairdo that Molina showed her online.
Making the outfit was a team effort, with Toledo making the necklace entirely out of recycled soda can tabs.
The week of the competition, Naff received facials to exfoliate her skin and hair treatments to minimize the damage to her hair.
Naff's hair was lengthened with hair extensions, dyed dark brown and parts of it were bleached in a three-day process designed to protect her hair.
"Hair is like fabric," said Molina. "You could bleach it only so much."
Ramirez used a whole can of hairspray, pipe cleaners, hair rollers, feathers and about 100 pins to create the hairdo the day of the competition, topping it off with a yellow cloth flower.
Naff, a freshman, spent two weeks learning how to walk, pose and smile in the high heels that she crafted herself.
"The judges take the models' postures into account when they judge," said Molina.
Toledo graduated from the cosmetology program five weeks ago. Ramirez graduates this Friday when she clocks her 1,600th hour of course work.
Toledo has applied for her cosmetology license and wants to work at a salon where she "can do a bit of everything."
Ramirez plans to apply for her cosmetology license and wants to work as a hairdresser. She hopes to open her own salon one day.
"I got interested in professional makeup artistry after participating in the competition, so most likely after getting an associate degree I'll work to save up money to study at a professional makeup artistry school," said Molina.
Molina hopes to one day work as a makeup artist for actors and actresses.
Russell and cosmetology instructor Becky Boosalis-Oler coached the two CSM teams and accompanied them to the competition.
"We are so proud of our students," said Boosalis-Oler.
"Both teams turned out great models," said Russell, who has been coaching students for this competition for the last 10 years.
"Winning second place for hair out of 32 teams was an honor," she said. "We faced the best and stiffest competition this year."
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