What makes a great business headshot?
Nail stylist, Erica Turley, reveals why she’s shying away from corporate-style headshots and expressing her creativity with a new style of portrait to help build her brand… New Year, new photo! I needed a new headshot/business portrait as I no longer have long, grey hair and I don’t wear a…
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Top tips for the perfect bridal tan
Kissed by Mii tanning expert Shelley Henderson reveals how to entice the entire bridal party to tan. Now that bridal season is officially here (thanks Pippa Middleton!), salons, spas and mobile therapists should now turn their attention to bridal specific-tanning. After all, tanning is the perfect addition to beauty treatment…
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#SCRATCHSTARS18 – Top tips from a two-time winner
Tammy Koslowski, owner of NAF! Salon, Glasgow – which scooped both the Nail Salon of the Year and Best Use of Social Media titles at the Scratch Stars 2017, reveals her top tips to take it to the top… Start early I think it took us around four weeks to write…
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How the local press can boost your beauty career
Tom Ferris, owner of Blackwell Ferris Marketing, reveals why you should be using your local newspapers and social media groups to spread the word about your services… The local press was a key way to getting exposure. Local press will be on board with many salon stories and events as it…
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PINTREST highlights growing interest in lash treatments and nail art
Pinterest has revealed its annual Pinterest 100 report, which sees a variety of trend predictions for 2018 identified by the social media platform. Including beauty and lifestyle forecasts, the report reveals an insight into consumer browsing habits on the social media platform. “Beauty is booming on Pinterest with a 75%…
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NHF warns pension change set to triple costs for employees
The National Hairdressers Federation, which supports the hair, beauty and barbering industries, is warning pension changes will triple costs for employers. Pensions auto-enrolment was introduced in April 2012 and has led to nine million workers saving into a pension for the first time. Since auto-enrolment was introduced, the contributions for both…
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How to correctly remove nail enhancements that are lifting
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, reveals how to correctly remove enhancements that have lifted What is lifting? Enhancements that lift away from the natural nail show a sign of service breakdown. This can occur with any nail coating but is often more common with L&P and…
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What is dark social & how can I get involved?
Tom Ferris, owner of Blackwell Ferris Marketing, reveals what ‘dark social’ is – and why you need to know about it… “It was so funny I just HAD to share it with you guys”. “Yeah but Marc never replies in the WhatsApp group, he always lurks in the background just watching”. This…
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Katie Barnes on why you don’t say ‘Chinese salons’
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, addresses the issue of non-standard salons and incorrect terminology – with a helping hand from CND educator, Anna Lee Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Many technicians and clients are guilty of referring to non-standard salons as ‘Chinese salons’, ‘Viet…
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TOP TIPS: Embracing video content for your business marketing
Bring a little movie magic to your marketing with video content to catch the eyes of clients and fellow pros. After all, with social media at the touch of a button – it’s vital to grab attention and see how it can benefit your business through moving content. “I think…
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An insight into the nail apex
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, serves up advice on apex placement for different nail shapes What is the apex? The apex should be the highest part of an enhancement, located at the weakest point and created to give the nail balance and strength. It should be visible from every angle but is most noticeable from the side view. The…
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Why you shouldn’t use craft glitter in your nail services
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, reveals why you shouldn’t use craft shop glitter in your nail services. There are many techs using craft glitters in their nail services because they may have seen someone else do it, it is low cost and easy. You may think it’s…
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How to deal with damaged nails
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, reveals how to tackle common characteristics of damaged nails… One of the most challenging roles we play as nail technicians is the role of repair man or woman. We all have clients who come to us with weak, thin and damaged…
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How to prevent nail product overexposure
Salon owner, educator, former Scratch columnist and award-winning nail stylist, Katie Barnes, reveals why the misuse of monomer can have nasty consequences… We are all responsible for bad work habits but some are more dangerous than others. It has become alarmingly more apparent through the likes of YouTube videos and live feeds on social media that too many techs are flooding…
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Read the latest issue
How to get in front of your nail audience without paying for ads
Tom Ferris, owner of Blackwell Ferris Marketing, reveals how to reach your social media audience at a limited cost. I’ve been asked by a few of my friends why I seem to have so much beauty and nail content on my personal Facebook and Instagram pages. Being around friends who typically are…
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