#NOWTRENDING Tortie hearts by Vanessa Armitage
Scratch chats with Vanessa Armitage of Nailicious by Vanessa about her love for all things nails and her hopes for the future – and she reveals how to create a tortoiseshell design… I work from home in my tiny little salon. I decided to take the leap into working and…
How to reduce energy bills in the nail salon
New small business research has revealed five simple actions that owners in the hospitality sector can take to get control of their energy bills during this difficult time. A study of UK businesses employing less than 10 people showed that less than half of small business premises have…
TECH TALK: Khristie Marie Lawton of KIKI Nail Bar
Scratch chats with Khristie Marie Lawton of KIKI Nail Bar about her future aspirations and her love for all things nails… What is it about nails that has you hooked? I love the untapped potential that the nail industry offers – the creativity, career progression, and of course the skills…
NAIL NOTES & QUOTES by nail artist, Hemi Park
As I write this blog for Scratch, I’m in the air somewhere above the Pacific Ocean flying back home to California from South Korea. I’ve just spent over two months in its capital Seoul, working with Andrea Park of Nailholic magazine and Nailpro Competitions ASIA-Korea. There’s about 40 passengers on…
Salon in the Spotlight: Nails by Lucy, Tilehurst, Reading
“I qualified as a nail technician just before lockdown in March which could be seen as bad timing, however, I ensured I made the most of my time by creating my home salon,” states Lucy White. “I wanted to create something unique and to make my clients feel they were still…
Industry Brands Addressing Planet Pollution
Plastic Pollution with a Solution By the year 2050 there will be more plastic than fish by weight in the sea. Production of recycled resin uses 85% less energy and emits 75% fewer greenhouse gasses than the production of virgin resin. The Kevin Murphy haircare range uses Ocean Waste Plastic…
#NOWTRENDING Pastel geometric nail art by Stephanie Yianni
Scratch chats to Stephanie Yianni of SY Nails about her love for creativity and passion for nail art…. Coming from a creative background, I have adjusted to my new career in the nail industry pretty well. I was previously in roles related to fashion and art, so luckily, nail styling…
Think Refillable Packaging to Protect Planet
How can the beauty industry reduce its environmental impact? Did you know 50% of Brits don’t recycle bathroom waste such as shampoo and shower gel bottles. This equates to over 2.7 billion plastic bottles in landfill every year. With the recent pandemic highlighting the importance of safeguarding the planet and…
TECH TALK: Katie Baulk of Katie’s Beauty Room
Scratch chats to Katie Baulk of Katie’s Beauty Room about the next steps in her career and her advice for aspiring techs… What is your all-time favourite nail product? This would have to be CND Shellac. I have used it religiously since 2011 and have never fallen out of love…
Overspending? Here’s how to budget for success
Beauty industry accounts expert & qualified nail tech, Ria-Jaine Lincoln, shares a lesson on budgeting and control to ensure you don’t overspend… The key to budgeting and control is good cash flow and I’m revealing a guide to help you get started. I am going to focus on the Excel template although…
Sustainable Packaging Solution for Cosmetics
An exciting breakthrough in the fight to become more sustainable in order to heal and protect the planet, Arjowiggins, paper manufacturer, has launched Sylvicta – a ground-breaking new sustainable alternative to plastics in cosmetics packaging as part of its mission to help create a circular economy society, Sylvicta is a translucent,…
Re:New Beauty’s director on why the brand supports Nail Breast Cancer so strongly
October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for the past few years, Scratch has been supporting the Let’s Nail Breast Cancer campaign to help raise funds for the Future Dreams charity. The campaign was launched by Lisa Crook, founder of nail and beauty distributor, Louella Belle, who set out to…
Local lockdowns: How to prepare your business
Having come through so much in the past year, salons are still having to face the possibility of local lockdowns as winter approaches and the coronavirus pandemic continues. Here NHBF director, Tina Beaumont-Goddard, shares her advice… What to expect Local lockdowns can be confusing because they vary across the country.…
Comp Crazy & Courageous the Life of Loi
The story & nail path of the UK’s nail artist Loi van Nguyen in 2020…as told to Alex Fox A prolific, passionate and highly talented nail artist from Vietnam, meet Loi van Nguyen. Living now for 14 years in Sheffield, Loi prides himself on his relationship with nail craft and design.…

