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 one is able to develop and build. I am a very creative person and there’s no end to the progression of creative skills offered to a nail technician. I specialise in gel nail art and I love to create my mini ‘pieces of art’ on nails.

I want nails to be more than just a colour – I want them to be an expression of my skills and creativity, letting my client bring their ideas to life with me.

There’s no end to the development of new skills; on a daily basis I am finding brand new ideas, inspiration and techniques. I am constantly learning and improving, and I genuinely do not believe I will ever achieve a ‘maximum level’ of skill sets, because I do not think there is one, and that is why I love the industry so much.

Dreams & hopes

I aspire to have my very own KIKI academy, teaching nail newbies everything I can, and giving them the helping hand and support they need when starting out, because I know it’s hard. I want to develop my own products and incorporate this all together. My biggest ambition with my brand is to create support groups that aren’t nail related. Not only do I want my brand to be recognised for its art and creativity, but its ability to bring people together.

A dream life outside of Covid-19 would be bringing people together with coffee mornings, walks and days out. I have a peace sign symbol within my brand to show recognition that someone else is a part of the KIKI gang. My first support group I wanted to get up and running was for those affected by living with someone who suffers from substance abuse. I want to offer that platform of support for people who feel like they have nowhere to turn to.

Who do you admire in the industry?

There are some absolutely phenomenal technicians out there. It was so hard to initially answer this question! I admire a lot of Elvira Safina’s work. Her nail art really blows my mind; it’s classic, intricate, perfectly prepped, polished and executed. When I look at her Instagram photos I just instantly wonder, how? I aspire to be at Elvira’s level, her nail art is truly flawless and is so inspiring.

A nail tech on home ground that I admire is Amy Rickaby. As a fellow Northerner, although she’s a little bit more Northern than me, Amy is a true inspiration. With over 73k followers, a brand ambassador for The Gel Bottle and Navy Pro Tools, she’s killing it in the industry! I am always in awe of Amy’s nail art, it’s exquisite, and I would love to develop my skills with her. There’s nothing she does not take her hand to and when she creates it, it’s utter perfection.

What designs do you love to create?

I would say my most requested designs are anything animal print. When I started in the industry, the most adventurous design my clients would let me create was a little bit of leopard print.

One of my good friends and clients, Laura, is always down for more wild designs. Two years ago, she requested full cow print nails. At the time, this was very out there! She requested, and I delivered, and from there the creativity came flooding in. From then on, ‘I didn’t know you could do that on nails’ was my most heard phrase at that time, followed up by ‘Can you do this?’, and it developed from there. I will always love doing cow print (Moo Moo as I call it), because that one set of nails set me apart from technicians in my area, and gave me the niche I wanted, so for that I thank you Laura.

If you had to pick one, what nail colour would characterise your personality?

Without a doubt it would have to be black! Boring to some, I know, but anyone that knows me knows how much I love black, and I’m always dressed head to toe in black. In fact, when I wear colour, people ask me if I’m ill. I love a classic set of black gel nails and toes; clean, polished and always on trend. With regard to characterising my personality, I associate black with depth, and I am a very deep person. I see multiple layers to each situation and each person that I meet. Admittedly it’s not always a positive trait because it results in massive overthinking!

Tell us about an average day in your nail life…

I’m very fortunate that I work in the best salon setting possible. My mum has her own tanning salon, Tan ‘N’ Go. I’ve set up shop with her and it’s just the best! I love working with my mum, we bounce off each other so well, especially in terms of business. We trust each other and always have each other’s best interests at heart, which is fundamental in a partnership.

My mum has the experience and knowledge to guide me, and I have the youth on side to direct her (no offence mam!).

An average day at the salon always starts with a cup of coffee and a talk through who we both have booked in on that day! I prefer not to give myself scheduled breaks, I like to work straight through, so in order to do this I like to get everything prepped and ready beforehand. This includes an idea of what each client wants that day, so I am mentally prepared as I am very methodical when it comes to my work.

I see each one of my clients as a book, and every time they come for a fresh set, it’s a new chapter in their book.

Each chapter is symbolised by the design that we have created, and within that chapter is a catch up on both our lives since they last came. For me personally it’s important to be more than a service, and I’ve been blessed with this mindset from my mum. Her customers have watched my brother and I grow up from being children to adults. They’ve consoled us and supported us in many ways, and we are all a big family.

My days are filled with fun, laughter, sadness and heartbreak… No two days are the same, but every day is filled with love and creativity, and for that I’m thankful.

If you could change one thing about the UK nail industry, what would it be?

I would love to see more unity amongst nail techs. When I first started in the industry, experienced techs would try and bring me down, but we all have to start somewhere. We are all at different levels, and we all also have different strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to understand this.

I don’t do L&P acrylics anymore, but they were never my strong point when I did! I constantly recommend amazing technicians in my area that can fulfil what the client wants if I’m unable to. I don’t see this as losing business anymore because I’ve found that it is reciprocated, as I am recommended for my nail art.

I want to see us work together and collaborate more, appreciate each other’s work and build each other up.

Tag the nail tech you’ve taken inspiration from – your client won’t leave you for them. Build up the confidence of newly qualified nail technicians, recommend them and support them.

If you weren’t doing nails, what would you be doing?

I honestly cannot imagine doing anything else. During lockdown I had to get another job to keep me going financially. The job is working within the Civil Service, which could lead to an amazing career with many opportunities, along with a great pension and a constant wage. However, despite all of these pros, I’ve been longing to go back to the salon full time.

The fact I would give up all of the above and go without again tells me that I could never give this up. I want to create a brand, grow and succeed and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Follow Khristie Marie Lawton’s nail journey on Instagram and Facebook.