'It's like the Grammys': Tauranga hairdresser snips and styles way to Europe competition

Tauranga hairdresser Nicky Crombie is heading to Vienna, Austria to compete in an international hairdressing competition. Photo / Supplied

A Tauranga hairdresser will get a taste of the luxe life after when she competes in an international styling competition in Europe this weekend.

Nicky Crombie, 27, is in Vienna, Austria for the Goldwell Color Zoom 2019 international competition taking place on Sunday.

"The competition is like the Grammys of the hairdressing world. If you win in Vienna you are like top of the world," she said.

"You get so much exposure from it."

This follows the stylist beating over 1000 competitors to be flown to Australia this year to compete in the national round of the competition.

Nicky Crombie's bold colour and cut won her the New Zealand Goldwell Color Zoom 2019 title. Photo / Supplied

Since she was 12, Crombie has wanted to be a hairdresser. When she was 17, she moved to Tauranga to pursue that dream.

Crombie began entering competitions last year and the recent win was one of many placings she has enjoyed - and she has collected so many trophies she is running out of space to keep them.

"I need a bigger desk," she laughed.

The competition involved hairdressers being given a brief and creating a hairstyle inspired by the reference.

Her winning entry - a neon pink mullet with a dash of other vibrant colours - was whipped up in three hours.

"I don't like to plan. I'm a spontaneous thinker. I really enjoy the excitement of being able to do what I want."

Her eight-night trip to Vienna included accommodation at the Hilton Hotel and a stopover in Dubai.

Her hairdressing model would also be joining her on the glitzy trip.