Fitness, Figure And Bikini Contest Tips
Make-Up
- The color of your face should be just a tad lighter than your chest, but blended on your neck.
- Powder should be applied to reduce shine, but not be "caked-on".
- Shadow should be applied light colored on lid, and under brow, darker color in crease.
- Eyeliner should be bold, dark and thicker than normal.
- Mascara and an eyelash curler are mandatory. For show: put fake lashes on first before mascara and then curl natural lash & faux lash together. (Hint: put liner on first, then glue onto fake lash, let the glue dry to "tacky" consistency, then place on lash line).
- Bronzer should be applied under cheek bones, and as a blending color from jaw line/neck area, and other "sun-kissed" areas.
- Blush should be applied to apples of cheeks.
- Lip color should be bold, but lip liner should be darker than the lipstick, choose accordingly. You can get a frost or a gloss to go over lipstick to make an extra pop!
Hair
- Only wash your hair the day of your show if your hair does better styling when a day old or so. (I have to wash mine to make it look good). Protect arms and body from splashing water from sink or tub.
- Flat iron with a silicone shine gel applied for extra shine. Or obtain a spray on gloss for after it is set. (Beware: the sprays are heavy and will weigh hair down, so don't overuse).
- Small clips can be used, but see if you look better without the bling. If you have longer hair, play around with one side up, or some bangs pulled back, or just all down straight and flirty.
- Don't over-curl your hair into giant ringlets. Think long, soft and shiny. Prom hair is a big NO-NO, and tends to "age" you. Think straight and fresh.
Nails
- If you want to spend the money to have a French manicure, that's fine. You can put fake nails on, just get them put on, and then schedule a fill on Wednesday before the show (usually it's a week or so before they need filling). This will give you time to adjust to your new claws.
- If not, then just grab a shiny frosty light color like white/nude/sparkly/cotton candy pink type colors like a French manicure. Make sure to have a strong clear top coat to make them last.
- Toes have the same rules. Keep 'em short and pretty!
- Always bring a nail file with you just in case!
Suits
- Have suits in a Ziploc bag ready to go. Have your stencil spray, baby oil & cotton balls in a separate little baggie in a different bag. You wouldn't want to have an oil spill on your suit!
- Practice getting in and out of them, placing the "V" at your top of your butt-crack, and "getting the girls" all stuffed in there. You should be self-sufficient, even if there is help backstage!
- Take a stitch or two and tack down the pocket with your "suit enhancements" inside. If not, have them in the same bag as your suit ready to go. Practice how they should be put in place.
- Put your jewelry in a sandwich bag and put into same bag as suit.
- Did you grab your heels?
Color
- If you've done a great job getting dark enough, you can jump in the shower for a quick rinse. If not, guess what... another coat!
- Put on your Neutrogena Sesame oil on in the morning before you leave for the show, you will put another coat on before you pump up to go out onstage. Bring painting supplies with you.
Contest Luggage
- Packing light is the key. You should have one "backstage" carry on sized bag, and one travel suitcase size with everything else in there (and another for food).
- Ziploc is your friend. Use it often. Do not use fancy make-up bags, especially for your stuff backstage. I would recommend putting your name on all of the Ziploc's!
- Look again, and make decisions on what you need in each bag. What should you really leave at home, and what has to come with you. Don't shove things in on an impulse! Packing up almost everything prior to leaving is a good idea. What are you missing?
- Keep all liquids in their own bags (don't go overboard), but be safe. You never know how things travel! No breakables.
- Food and supplements should be kept in a cooler, not your luggage. Fish smells and can leak! Call ahead to request a mini fridge and a microwave. If they do not offer it, then stock a medium sized cooler for the road. You can get fresh ice at the hotel. Keep a cooler in bathroom to drain. What do you need to bring to eat with? Do you have wet naps and napkins?
What You Wear To The Show
- I would not recommend wearing your fitness or figure two-piece suits under your clothes to the show. Your paint will not only need touching up, but rub off on the suit (makes discoloration).
- If you have a check-in outfit (loose pretty sweats), wear a very loose tank top as your shirt. Bras or sports bras can leave marks in your tan.
- Socks can remove paint, I recommend wearing flip flops. If it's pouring down rain, you will need to wear double layers to protect your paint. Water will destroy your tan! No drip lines!
- Remember, deodorant will cause you to have weird green pit stains! Watch it. Use spray deodorant if you must use something. Do your best not to overheat.
- After prejudging, clean your butt off with the baby oil to remove the stencil spray before you get dressed. Get in your sweats, maybe stop by some booths to see what you want to visit after finals, and get yourself back to the hotel for some shut eye! Keep off your feet, and catch some ZZZzzz's. Same thing applies to evening show; don't create any lines in your paint.
- After the evening show is done, throw on a hottie tottie outfit and get your picture taken with everyone! Yeah! You're gorgeous, take advantage of it!
Food & Supplements
- You need to eat to keep your muscles full! Don't think that you get to wake up the morning of the show and skip breakfast. Wrong. Your muscles won't look half as good as they could.
- Follow your meal plan that Mike Davies (or your nutritionist) has set out for you. Do not waiver from this. You may need to alter the amount based on what your body looks like. There is no perfect one way. Everyone is different.
- You should keep one eye on your body while you're eating to see how it reacts. If your definition starts to go away, then talk to your on-site go-to person if something is going wrong, so adjustments can be made.
- The first thing you do when you wake up on the morning of the show is eat and take your supplements. You'll most likely have at least 2 meals or more before you leave the hotel room for the contest. Be prepared.
- Pay attention to how much water you are supposed to be drinking as well! Not enough affects you as much as too much! Measure it out.
After The Show
- Special note. If you are doing a show 1 or 2 weeks later, then don't go out and eat some crazy random food! Your body is in a retaining mode, and everything you eat will not only stick to your glutes, it will create pains, cramps and indigestion.
- Choose your post-show meal wisely! I like steak and potato type meals. Plain enough, but not too crazy! Just think about how your body will hate you in the morning if you swallowed a full salt shaker! Be aware of what's going in your mouth. Stay away from the desserts too; dairy might not agree with you and might wake you up in the middle of the night!
- There will be plenty of time to incorporate "regular" foods. Now is the time to be kind to your "wittle tum tum"! I understand it seems like a right of passage to go hork-out on junk food when you're done with your show, but will you respect yourself in the morning? I urge you to practice restraint, and take care of yourself.
- Get up Sunday after the show and hit the treadmill to sweat a bit! Even after eating a "little off" from what you're used to, keeping on a good training regimen immediately following your show will help keep you focused for the next show or help you integrate normal training again after such intensity.
- If you started painting on Wednesday before the show, you probably haven't done some sweaty cardio since that morning anyways. Get up, get on the treadmill or do a nice walk up the stairs at the hotel, then travel back home. You'll feel better after a good sweat. Just don't over do it... 30 minutes is a great start.
- After the show, some folks like to go straight to the hotel room and grab a shower before heading out. If you do this, remember that most post-show party places close around 10:00 PM on a Saturday night. If you take too long, you might get stuck with fast food being the only option in the town you're competing at... Ew!
- If you want to go out and eat, then don't dilly-dally. You might want to plan on bringing an extra meal for yourself in the hotel room. If you have a photo shoot the next day, shower, but don't exfoliate. You want to keep the deep color you have to help showcase your physique. Don't be afraid of giving yourself a full wash and shave though!
- I'm thirsty! Okay, drink your water now! If you took an natural herbal diuretic like Dandelion root, your body sloughed off some excess water, but guess what?! Now it wants it back. Please don't hold back!
- Drinking at least a minimum a gallon of water on Sunday is mandatory. So what if you have to stop a bunch of times on the way back, you'll feel better quicker. Most of you will have to go to work on Monday morning, so do your best to get your internal body feeling fantastic quicker!
- Oh, wow, look at me! Get a photo shoot booked! 99% of girls (and boys) look absolutely perfect on Sunday after the show! Don't let this opportunity pass you by! Bring 2 or 3 outfits: Your competition suit, your sport top/short, and a sexy or fun outfit.
- Think smaller is better, you are trying to show off your body, not the clothes!
- Bring colors. Black and white are fine, but think about some color or patterns for your outfits.
- Plan on taking an hour to shoot, so be 15 minutes early so you can change and touch up your makeup. Be ready to go though! You're booked for the hour, not an hour. People are in line.
- Relax! Have fun with it, and get some great shots for your future website, business cards, or to print off for autographed images!