You’ve made the decision. You want to compete. And now you’re looking around at everything that seems to come with it — heels, jewellery, tanning products, suits, accessories — and wondering where on earth to start.
Here’s the honest answer: you don’t need all of it yet. Not even close.
When you’re brand new to competing, buying too much too soon is one of the most common — and most expensive — mistakes you can make. This guide is about cutting through all of that and telling you exactly what to buy from day one, and what to leave until you actually need it.
What to buy from day one
Your posing heels
This is the one purchase that matters most at the very beginning — and the one that's most worth getting right.
Start with a plain heel. Not diamanté, not RSI, not the most expensive style in the range. A plain heel is all you need to learn to pose, to practise, and to build your confidence in heels. You can always upgrade later. What you can't get back is the time you spend struggling in the wrong shoe.
Before you buy, reach out to us. Seriously. A five minute conversation — a DM, an email, a message — can save you from making a costly mistake. The wrong size, the wrong width, the wrong style for your foot — these are all things we can help you avoid before you spend a penny. We've helped thousands of competitors find the right heel and we're always happy to give you a straight answer.
One smart hack worth knowing: check our clearance section before you buy at full price. Clearance heels are often styles that have been worn once or twice at posing seminars — in perfect condition, at a fraction of the price. If the style we recommend happens to be in your size in clearance, that's a genuinely good saving worth taking.
Posing socks
Not the most glamorous purchase, but one of the most useful habits you can build from the very start. Wearing posing socks when you practise keeps your heels in much better condition for longer — they stay fresher, cleaner, and last significantly longer than if you wear them barefoot every session.
Buy a pair alongside your heels. Wear them every time you practise. It's a small thing that makes a real difference over time.
Get Buffed exfoliator
If you're going to compete, your skin prep matters. And the earlier you get into good habits around exfoliation, the better your tan will take when show day comes.
Get Buffed is the exfoliator we recommend to every competitor — it removes dead skin cells, smooths the skin surface, and helps your competition tan develop more evenly and last longer. Start using it now, well before you have a show date, and you'll already be ahead of the game when prep begins.
A posing coach
This isn't a product — but it belongs on this list just as much as anything else.
Booking a posing coach from the very beginning is one of the best investments you can make as a first timer. Learning to pose properly, in your heels, for your federation and category, takes time. The competitors who start working with a coach early are almost always the ones who progress fastest on stage.
Not sure how to find the right one? We've written a full guide on exactly what to look for. Read it here.
What to leave for now
Competition jewellery
We know it's tempting. The jewellery is beautiful and it's easy to want to pull your whole look together from day one. But here's the honest advice: don't buy your jewellery yet.
Your jewellery needs to work with your bikini — the colour, the connectors, the crystal type. And until you know exactly what your suit looks like, you genuinely can't make the right jewellery decision. Buying too early almost always means buying twice.
Wait until your suit is confirmed, then come back to us and we'll help you choose. We'll need to know a few things — what your bikini looks like, your earlobe to shoulder measurement, your shoes, and how you plan to wear your hair — and from there we can give you a specific recommendation rather than a guess.
One final thought
Competing doesn't have to be as expensive or overwhelming as it can feel at the start. Buy what you need, when you need it, and do it properly. The competitors who get the most out of this sport are rarely the ones who spent the most at the beginning — they're the ones who made smart decisions and built from there.
And if you want to get a full picture of what competing costs from start to finish, our Competing Budget Planner breaks it all down for you.
And if you're ever unsure — about anything — just ask. That's what we're here for.