Feast your eyes on 15 nail designs inspired by food
Check out entries to the 24 September 2025 nail art challenge from Scratch, in which techs were tasked with creating a design to fit the theme: Your favourite meal. Each nail style was submitted via Instagram or Facebook using #ShowScratch #CreativeChallenge. Follow Scratch on Instagram and Facebook for future Creative Challenges – launching every other Wednesday. Take a look at these…
London Fashion Week spring/summer 2026 predicted these 5 nail trends
Lead image by Instagram.com/nailsbysammymac The biggest event in the UK fashion calendar, London Fashion Week, burst onto runways across the city this September. The variety of shows, featuring spring/summer 2026 collections, heralded a new age: not just for fashion, but for nails. The designs and colours showcased during Fashion Week…
London Fashion Week: Backstage with the nail team at Paul Costelloe’s Palm Springs-inspired show
Scratch was invited to watch Paul Costelloe’s SS26 London Fashion Week show, featuring nails by Mii Cosmetics. Here’s what happened… Paul Costelloe’s spring/summer 2026 collection, ‘Boulevard of Dreams’, is an ode to the heyday of Palm Springs, with nods to Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. In a note…
How to remove hard gel from nails without an E-file
Justyna Pryke, Scratch Stars Gel Tech of the Year 2015 & 2025, serves up a step-by-step guide to removing hard gel enhancements safely and effectively. Removing hard gel manually (without an E-file) can be done safely, but it requires patience and care to avoid damaging the natural nails. Here’s a…
Sustainable beauty: Here’s how to recycle your nail salon waste
With a number of day-to-day considerations to navigate, how you manage your salon waste can often be pushed to the back of your mind. But it’s easier than you think to respect the environment through your work, as we highlight via our roundup of recycling schemes and tips. Green Salon…
How to remove gel polish safely without damaging nails
Gel polish overlays should not cause any damage to nails. As award-winning nail artist, Katie Clark (née Barnes), has previously written for Scratch, natural nail damage can occur as a result of ‘improper application or removal, overly aggressive filing or client abuse such as picking or biting’. If done without…
Weak, brittle or ridged natural nails? An expert shares treatment tips
Nail industry veteran, Marian Newman BEM, shares top tips for caring for weak, brittle and ridged natural nails… Weak nails A client may have thin and weak nails as a natural characteristic or result of a systemic condition. Weak nails can also be due to external impacts, such as damage…
Step inside the purple paradise nail salon in Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester
Nikki Holliday has had quite the year: just six months ago, she was an engineer, and now she owns a nail salon. She shares her journey to creating the purple paradise that is Nikki Nailed it… Nail tech, Nikki Holliday, has been passionate about nails for a long time. Though…
Nail brand, B’Zillion, enters the UK market
Cornwall-based entrepreneurs, Christopher Hallett, Ashley Hayward and Victoria Hayward, have unveiled B’Zillion, a fashion-led nail brand that boasts HEMA-free gel nail products, accessories, over 30 gel polish shades and four neutral builder gels. The brand aims to make ‘high-performance, salon-quality nail products accessible to everyone – without compromising style or…
The online nail membership for pros who ‘want to know everything’
Rebecca Orme is an award-winning nail tech, educator & competition judge, with 24 years’ experience in the industry. She talks Scratch through her most recent venture: a 12-month membership course ‘for qualified nail techs with a thirst to know everything’. Rebecca recently noticed a pattern in the nail industry. “I…
Nail ridges: an expert shares causes & how to treat
Scratch Stars Natural Nail Specialist of the Year 2019 & CND™ education ambassador, Helen Burton-Ward, explores ridges on natural nails… There are many types of nail ridges, which can occur naturally or be inflicted by mechanical or environmental factors. Understanding how to correctly manage and treat them will help to maintain…
32 mouth-watering chocolate nail designs
Though 13 September is marked as International Chocolate Day, we believe that every day should celebrate the delicious, rich treat. Check out entries to the 10 September 2025 nail art challenge from Scratch, in which techs were tasked with creating a design to fit the theme: Chocolate. Each nail style…
The Wales nail salon displaying determination, decadence & dazzling cat eye designs
Rachel Lewis has been bringing her creativity to the nail industry since 2007, when she trained with CND™. After working from her home salon for years, she ended up taking on a new premises in 2023 and spent three months ‘completely transforming the space’. Thus, Pure Nails by Rachel in…
Townhouse nail salon & Pepsi MAX to launch cherry-themed manicure experience
Award-winning, luxury nail salon group, Townhouse, is partnering with global drinks brand, Pepsi MAX, to launch ‘The Cherry Glow Bar’. The Scratch Stars award-winning salon brand’s flagship space in Covent Garden, London, will host the cherry-themed activation this September. The Cherry Glow Bar will offer limited-edition Pepsi MAX nail art,…
Micro nail art is trending: here are 20 inspo pics for the perfect mini mani
Are you trying to find a way to jazz up ‘clean girl’ nails without compromising the simple aesthetic? Enter micro nail art: because sometimes, less is more. Here are 20 nail art designs that embrace the subtle style…
