Revealed: Scratch magazine’s most-loved cover of 2023

Scratch is renowned for its striking, nail-focused front covers that have grabbed attention since the magazine’s launch in May 2003. But which was the most-loved cover of 2023?

Readers were invited to vote for their favourite image from 1-31 December, and the results showed the varied and eclectic tastes of nail enthusiasts across the globe.

The year’s front covers were a mix of contributions from esteemed nail brands and talented nail stylists, who put forward their images for consideration. There were 13 covers to choose from – as May features two cover images to commemorate Scratch‘s anniversary.

In third place with 15% of the vote is the January 2023 cover:

Photographer: Barbara Flyte

Nail stylist: Agnieszka Landoch

Make-up artist & model: Mariola Mamak-Rowinska

In second place with 17.5% of the vote is the February 2023 cover:

Photographer: Cvetan Petrov of Cvetan Petrov Photography

Make-up artist, model & nail stylist: Denitsa Nedelcheva

In first place with 21% of the vote is the November 2023 front cover:

Model, nail artist, MUA & hair stylist: Anita Chahal

Photographer: Russ Tierney

The photo shoot for this cover was carried out in July 2023, with the inspiration being nail stylist, Anita Chahal’s favourite era: the 1950s/’60s, when contrasting British subcultures, the Mods and Rockers, existed.

She comments: “My main inspiration came from the clothes and patterns worn, and the Lambretta scooters driven during this time. I tried to capture the era through its fashion, incorporating buttons, studs, floral and checkerboard designs, and colour blocking.”

The nail artist used NSI’s Attraction liquid & powder system to craft the extreme shapes, and painted them with Nailchemy’s Artisan Gel Paints and Nail & Beauty Excellence’s Gel Excellence Gel Polishes, before adding embellishments.

“Nails is not just a job for me; it’s a passion that allows me to be creative, meet new people and share my journey and skills,” she continues. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with photographer, Russ Tierney, as he has an eye for a great photo and I appreciate his ideas and input. I chose to lead everything else myself and be the model, so that I had control throughout.

“Having my work on the cover of Scratch, a prestigious nail magazine recognised worldwide, has been a dream of mine for a long time, so I’m still pinching myself! I feel so honoured to be given this opportunity and proud of myself for achieving my dreams.”

Do you have an image you’d like to put forward for a Scratch front cover? Email the editor, here.