TECHNIQUE

Nail manicure filing

Nail expert: the importance of parallel sidewalls for a beautiful nail finish

By Katie Barnes | 21 July 2025

Award-winning nail technician & Katie Barnes Tool Range & Education founder, Katie Clark, offers insight… Parallel sidewalls start at the cuticle zone and end at the free edge. They mirror each other and help to give a nail enhancement a slim and slender appearance. The term, ‘parallel sidewalls’, is frequently…

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What are brush-on builder gel & BIAB™ nails?

By Lilly Delmage | 3 July 2025

Brush-on builder gel is an ever-popular request at the nail desk – but what is it, and when should it be used? Brush-on builder gel is a more convenient variation of traditional builder gels, which are housed in pots. Packaged in a bottle with an integrated brush, the product allows…

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Nail Biting Picking

How to stop nail biting & picking: experts share treatment plans to break the habit

By Rebecca Hitchon | 2 July 2025

Natural nail specialists share tips for nail biting and picking clients… Why do people bite and pick at their nails and skin? “Nail biting, also known as onychophagia, and skin picking and biting, named perionychophagia, are habits associated with stress, anxiety and compulsive disorders,” explains Lucy Price-Marshall, Scratch Stars Natural…

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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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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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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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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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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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Kissed by mii tanning kit

How to work the transitional tan

By Guest Writer | 1 April 2018

Kissed by Mii tanning expert, Shelley Henderson, reveals how to take your clients from winter to spring with a transitional tan. Don’t let potential tanning clients hibernate away until summer – here’s how to entice them to tan RIGHT NOW. Not just for balmy days, tanning offers an instant pick-me-up,…

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