Upgrade your E-File routine with the KB Mini E-File Mandrel & KB Mini Sanding Bands
Katie Barnes Tool Range has expanded its offering with the KB Mini E-File Mandrel & KB Mini Sanding Bands. Give your nail prep and shaping services an upgrade with the KB Mini E-File Mandrel and KB Mini Sanding Bands, featuring a compact size to support techs in navigating the nail…
Insight: Understanding scoresheets from nail & beauty competitions
To not be a finalist or winner in a nail competition or awards can leave you wondering what you did wrong and make you question your skills. As a competitor and judge, I would like to share my experiences… Recognition aside, simply applying for a nail award or being shortlisted…
Are your gloves protecting you against nail ingredients?
In a previous blog for Scratch, we explored what gloves are needed for nail technicians and covered thickness and how often these need to be changed. In this blog, we delve deeper into chemical permeability and how to know if your gloves protect you against the chemicals which you use…
How to successfully edit your nail photos
In a previous blog, I shared 5 top tips on improving your nail photos. In this post, I am going to share more about editing your nail photos. Editing images these days, including nail images is a controversial topic. Your nail images should show the quality and truth of your…
4 items you should be sanitising alongside your nail tools
You clean, disinfect and sterilise your nail tools, but on what else should you carry out these processes? Any reusable items that come into contact with clients’ skin or nails must be sanitised, disinfected and sterilised, depending on your country’s regulations. Protocols referred to in this blog are applicable to…
What is the cuticle & how much can be safely removed in a manicure?
Possibly one of the most debated and controversial topics in the industry, following allergies right now, is the cuticle. What is it, what is living and non-living, and what and how much can safely be removed? It can be confusing to know the difference between the terminology you hear including…
4 ways to help prevent allergic reactions in the nail space
An allergy in the nail industry is caused by repetitive skin contact of a nail ingredient that has been advised against skin contact. The contact of this allergen may not always be known or as simple as displaying on the hands from accidentally flooding the cuticle. If you or a…
OPI collaborates with Katie Barnes to launch an E-file
OPI has collaborated with Katie Clark, Scratch Stars Services to the Nail Industry finalist & founder of Katie Barnes Tool Range, to launch an E-file. The OPI X Katie Barnes E-file collaboration follows the launch of OPI’s Diamond Gel, a hard gel system that can be used to build, overlay…
How to attract men into the salon for manicures
The nail industry is dominated by female clients, but do you do enough to attract and welcome the growing male market? From mechanics, hairdressers and grooms to fathers of the bride and office workers, the male nail salon clientele is expanding. This seems to have been made more publicly accepted…
How to maintain your nail enhancements
There are so many terms regarding nail enhancement maintenance appointments, such as back-fills, fill, fill-in, touch-up and maintenance – and it can often seem quite complex to both nail techs to understand what the difference is. Most clients seem to be familiar with the term ‘infills’ but this isn’t always…
Here’s why nails may look dull after applying cuticle oil
You’ve created a beautiful set of nails; you apply cuticle oil then go to capture a photo and notice that the glossy sheen has suddenly gone dull. So, what causes this? Firstly, ensure that your gel polish is fully cured. If it has not completely cured, then the shine will…
What is meant by a ‘medium’ in the nail industry?
What is meant by a ‘medium’ in the nail industry? A ‘medium’ refers to the materials or decorative techniques used to create the nail service, such as liquid & powder acrylic, acrygel, gel, gel polish, nail polish or even nail art products that you are using, such as gel paint…
Confused by Chuck? Puzzled by RPM? Here’s e-file lingo explained…
Confused by Chuck? Puzzled by RPM? Here’s e-file lingo explained… There are a lot of words associated with e-filing, and they can be confusing. Learning the lingo and terminology can give you more confidence in your e-file practice and, in turn, give your clients more confidence and reassurance that you…
Katie Barnes Portable E-file: Everything nail techs need to know
Award-winning nail tech, Katie Barnes, has added the KB Portable E-file to the Katie Barnes Tool Range. Designed with mobile nailists in mind and suitable for both left and right-handed techs, the E-file is USB-powered, meaning it can be plugged into USB mains plugs, power banks, laptops and car chargers…
How to manage quiet spells in the salon
Every beauty business will come across quiet periods of footfall and a common time for this can be right before the busy festive season. As savvy business owners, you must think of ideas that boost profits and productivity in such times, whenever your business may experience this. Boosting profits During…
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