#NowTrending: Fishnets, flames & marbles by Sophie Pritchard

Scratch chats to Sophie Pritchard of Creative Claws about her love for hand painted nail art and how she created this jaw-dropping design.

I’ve been doing nails since 2011. I found starting out in the beauty industry difficult, as it was so hard to get employment with such little experience. I decided to create my own opportunities by setting up a desk in my mum’s living room, whilst working part time for EE. Since then, my business has blossomed! I have my own salon now and have an amazing member of staff by my side!

I love hand painting designs, whether it be graffiti, characters, flowers and flames. I’ve always used Crystal Nails One Move acrylic paints to create them. It’s great for crisp lines and stops designs becoming bulky, which can happen when using gel. I’ve also been using The Gel Bottle products. Their gels are so pigmented, and they have a great colour range. One of my favourite products from them is their blooming gel, because it’s so versatile. It’s great for doing a snake print, smoke effect…the list goes on!

How To

This design came very naturally to me. It always really helps when you have a client who lets you just do your thing! I always take into consideration my clients style and personality when thinking up designs for them. For this design, I used the NSI acrylic products – the Crystal Clear acrylic, Non Acid Primer, and forms. I also used The Gel Bottle colours to create the look.

I used Glass Black and Jet Black for the fishnet nail. I applied two coats of Glass Black to create the sheer background. Using a striping brush with the shade Jet Black, I created the fishnet stripes. To complete the look, I finished with a matte topcoat.

I used the shades Jet Black, White and Blooming Gel to create to the Smokey nail. I applied two coats of Jet Black and cured, one coat of Blooming Gel, and whilst wet, I applied the white shade with a small, dry brush and moved in a diagonal motion up the nail, applying less pressure as I got to the tip. I then waited a few moments for the product to disperse slightly and cured.

Finally, to create the flames, I used the shade Jet Black and Kingcup. The technique I used is to do 3 ‘U’ shapes, one in the middle and two lower, either side as my base. I then created my flicks from the tips of the ‘U’, and eventually connect them.

I love how creative you can be in this industry. I feel like nails can be such a fun way of expressing your style, or a vibe you’re feeling. You can go from having dark, gothic nails one month, to neon pinks the next – it all just goes on how you feel at the time! It’s never permanent, so you can have as much fun with it as you like. And that’s what I love! Nails is just never boring to me. It absolutely makes my day making people feel good and being proud of my work.

I love that nail art doesn’t discriminate, regardless of your age or gender! It’s something that everyone can have.

The highlight of my career would definitely be winning Nail Technician of the Year in the Welsh Beauty Awards back in 2017. It was my first awards ceremony I had ever been, to and my first year of having my own salon. I just was not expecting to win at all! Coming from a little town called Holyhead on Anglesey, I was made up that someone like me could win for the area. You just always expect the winners to come from the big cities. I’ll never forget that moment, especially because my family were by my side.

I’m in the process to moving premises, so I’m throwing myself into changing my logo and getting even more creative with my theme which is really exciting. I’m going for a darker, floral, Alice in Wonderland inspired space. I want to keep on growing and learning. There’s so many great nail techs out there that inspire me and push me to grow also!

Follow Sophie’s nail journey on Instagram, here.