TECHNIQUE

French pedicure

How to nail the French tip pedicure

By Katie Barnes | 20 April 2025

Katie Clark, award-winning nail tech & founder of Katie Barnes Tool Range & Education, answers questions about perfecting the French pedi… How big should the French tips be? A French tip should mimic the natural free edge of the nail. Estimate how long the client will wait between appointments, plus…

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Katie barnes chrome guide

Chrome pigments: a nail expert shares a troubleshooting guide

By Katie Barnes | 6 April 2025

Educator & award-winning nail pro, Katie Clark, offers advice for dealing with issues that can arise when using chrome pigments… The chrome nail trend is ever-popular, but are you applying chrome products correctly? Each brand may have slightly different instructions, so always follow these and get in touch with the…

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L&p acrylic vs dip powder

L&P acrylic vs dip powder nails: what’s the difference?

By Lilly Delmage | 22 March 2025

The L&P acrylic and dip powder systems are both artificial nail offerings, and popular choices for a long-lasting, durable nail finish. However, they have distinct differences. Understanding the terminology and chemistry behind the products is essential for meeting your clients’ needs. Here’s what you need to know about each system……

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Checking lengths

How to achieve consistent lengths with your nail enhancements

By Katie Barnes | 27 July 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, serves u advice on achieving consistent nail lengths… Did you know that each nail is naturally a different length and grows at different rates, meaning it is unlikely that they will be exactly the same length at any time? Have you ever experienced…

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Katie barnes bojana

Here’s why you shouldn’t neglect the one colour manicure

By Katie Barnes | 12 June 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, reveals why its important to realise your one colour polishing skills – as well as extravagant nail artistry… Seeing outrageous and eccentric nail creations posted across social media can have positive effects on the industry. It showcases the skill and imagination of techs…

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Katie barnes brushes

How to choose the right brush for your L&P nail needs

By Katie Barnes | 29 May 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, offers advice on choosing the right brush for L&P acrylic needs… Alongside your technical skills, your brush is an important element for achieving good results with L&P. Sometimes, the only way to tell the quality of a brush is in its performance and…

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Katie barnes blog usual filing view

Nail enhancements: How to check angles to ensure perfect results

By Katie Barnes | 16 May 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, offers tips on looking at angles to ensure a great nail enhancement result Do you ever spend a long time creating a beautiful set of nails, only to realise that they don’t look quite right once you’ve finished, but you can’t work out…

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2 katie barnes thickness

How to decide the right thickness for your nail enhancements

By Katie Barnes | 1 May 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, serves up tips on deciding on the appropriate thickness for nail enhancements… While nail enhancements are an enhancement of the natural nail and often extensions, the aim is still to create these to be as thin and natural-looking as possible while still ensuring…

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Katie barnes hairline crack 2

How to identify the cause of a nail break

By Katie Barnes | 17 April 2018

Educator and award-winning nail technician, Katie Barnes, offers reasons why enhancements can break – and how to identify them The most common reason for the breaking of nail enhancements is due to wear and tear or trauma by the wearer, but a break can also be caused by unsuitable lengths…

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