Bikini Competitor Must Haves
After competing more times than I can count, and helping hundreds of ladies step on stage through Amanda Louise, I can tell you that there are definitely a few things I recommend EVERY competitor takes with them to show day.
Glute Tape
Have you heard of products like Bikini Bite? Lots of competitors will use adhesives to secure their suit to their glutes to make sure it stays perfectly in place while posing on stage. The issue with the roll on and spray adhesives is that they can be really messy, sometimes don’t even work, and they can RUIN your suit. Some of the products claim that they don’t, but I can tell you, I’ve had more suits ruined by these products than I’d care to admit. At Amanda Louise we’ve even had a client file a claim against a local tanning company because after she asked them to NOT use any adhesive (because she knew the risks), they did anyways and it completely TRASHED her suit the week before she was heading to Nationals. So, what do we recommend instead? GLUTE TAPE.
GLUTE TAPE is a medical-grade double-sided tape that is safe for your skin, won’t ruin your suit, and provides pro-level suit security while you’re doing your thing on stage.
Comfy Clothes
A lot of competitors will wear really cute robes over their suits before going on stage, which is just that… really cute. In fact, at Amanda Louise we offer customized robes because let’s face it that makes for a great instagram post backstage ;) BUT what you really NEED is a set of comfy clothes to wear once you have your tan.
The tan is GNARLY… if you're brand new to competing and want to learn more about the tan, what to expect and how to prep your skin for it, check out THIS BLOG POST. And most importantly, you need to PROTECT that tan. You can do this by wearing loose, black clothing (so it doesn’t get stained). Here’s my favorite pair of pants and top on Amazon for show day.
Cell Phone Charger / External Battery
Seems like a no-brainer to bring a charger, but the external battery is CLUTCH. Often times the backstage area is PACKED with competitors and finding a place to chill is hard enough, but a place next to a plug? GOOD LUCK! Since show day is always something you want a million pictures of, I recommend THIS EXTERNAL CHARGER from Amazon to help keep you juiced up (pun intended) throughout your competition day.
BANDS
Most competitions will have “pump up” equipment back stage available for you, but sometimes they only have a small selection that is overwhelmed by too many competitors. I like to throw at least one band of my own into my bag that will get the job done come line up time. Here’s the one I’ve used.
An OH SH*T KIT
These are the smaller items I always bring “just in case.” Even if I don’t need them, another competitor might and it’s always awesome to be able to help someone backstage!
Makeup (to touch up if needed)
Towel / Blanket (for that bottle of water that spills or to sit on backstage)
Safety Pins (in case of a suit emergancy)
Press On Nails and Polish to Match (speaking from experience)
I hope you find this list useful, and as always, if you have ANY questions about what to expect on show day just shoot me an email!! hello@amandalouise.life
