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Struggling to juggle all your roles in the salon? Here’s some advice…

By Guest Writer | 19 January 2022

Maddie Regan of 81 Rose Garden shares advice on how to effectively manage a busy salon… Working in a busy salon can be challenging at times. There are many roles to juggle and many things that need your attention but you must keep on top of customer service. Without clients, there…

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Students shape up 3D nail art skills in college competition

By Guest Writer | 25 November 2021

Sarah Brenton-Sara, lecturer in Level 2 & 3 Nail Services, Make-up & Beauty Therapy at Truro & Penwith College, reveals what her students achieved at their annual 3D nail art competition… The level 3 advanced nail art students have excelled once again. It is great that the students are back in the swing…

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katie barnes ombre nails

How to create an ombré nail style

By Katie Barnes | 7 September 2021

The ombré look is a popular nail style choice, particularly when created using with pink and white shades to replace a traditional French finish. Perfecting it can be a bit challenging however, especially when you’re under the watchful eyes of your clients and time restraints of the appointment. There are…

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Nailympia London competition postponed for 2021

By Helena Biggs | 5 August 2021

The annual Nailympia London event for 2021 is postponed for a second year running due to the ongoing global pandemic. The competition invites nail technicians from all over the world to compete across three divisions in categories such as L&P Tip & Overlay, Salon Nails and Stiletto Nails in a…

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French Manicure: How to match the perfect cover shade for your client

By Chloe Randall | 25 May 2021

Not one shade of nude suits all skin tones, therefore, to achieve a clean and polished French manicure, it is essential to make sure your cover shade matches your client. Here are some tips on how to achieve the perfect match… “Make sure you have at least three pink shades…

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Japanese spring/summer nail trends for 2021

By Alex Fox | 5 February 2021

The Japan Nailist Association (JNA) has released its spring/summer 2021 nail design trend. Named COSMOS – the trend’s theme is, Order & Harmony; Planet Earth of the Universe. The colours are blue and green. This latest nail design trend, which incorporates global fashion trends, is announced twice a year by…

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Mumbai nail tech scoops 1st place at OMC Online Championships

By Helena Biggs | 3 February 2021

Nail technician, Pooja Panvanda from Mumbai, India, has scooped first place in New York’s OMC Hair World Championships 2020. She beat 2000 participants from five continents in the Nail Fantasy category with her dazzling and decadent bird design. Here, Scratch finds out more about the talented tech… What attracted you…

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Candy crush: Japan’s kawaii-styling on nails

By Alex Fox | 1 February 2021

A passion for Japanese fashion since childhood led Nana Sharp from Texas, USA, to explore the idea of taking this fashion onto fingertips. When no obvious outlet for obtaining a stylised individual set of gyaru-style nails became apparent, Nana posted a request on Facebook. Unsurprisingly, this led to a flurry…

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#NowTrending: Monochrome diamond nails by Laura Katy Chester

By Callie Iley | 26 January 2021

Scratch chats to Laura Katy Chester of LK Beauty about how she created this striking monochrome nail design. She also shares the small moments that make her proud of her career…. I qualified as a nail technician back in 2016 with Young Nails. After a couple of years in a…

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Want to create the perfect smile line?

By Alex Fox | 16 January 2021

Tracey Lee of Beauty2trs highlights her own course, which focus’ on the creation of the perfect smileline. If you’re looking to learn more about the tips & tricks to make beautiful sharp smilelines in gel, acrylic, acrygel or all three, check out the lessons ‘Create Your Perfect Smileline’. https://beauty2trs.com/classes/?product_cat=&author_id=&class-category=&lang=English&q=smileline How…

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Does the nail industry recognise the needs of the deaf?

By Alex Fox | 12 January 2021

Deaf nail technician, Rachel Spry speaks of a punishing personal nail journey & offers solutions to an industry that’s unaware of its short comings when it comes to the deaf community. Age: 24 years Location: Whitstable, Kent Business name: Rachel’s Beauty Years in nails: 8 years The nail industry is…

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Katie barnes practice nail designs

Struggling to master a nail design? Here’s some advice…

By Katie Barnes | 15 September 2020

Unfortunately we are in an age where we want to master something the instant we try it and tend to blame the education or object for not instantly picking it up. This doesn’t just apply to learning a new skill. It is also applicable to a new product, brand technique…

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How to choose smile lines to suit your client’s nails

By Katie Barnes | 19 August 2020

Different smile lines will suit different shapes and lengths of nails. Smile line execution requires different techniques to create each ‘type’ of smile line; competition, extreme, and salon viable. The general rule is that the longer and more pointed the nail, the deeper and longer the smile line should be.…

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TECH TALK: Catherine Marshall of Nail Tunes

By Callie Iley | 8 August 2020

Scratch catches up with nail tech, Catherine Marshall of Nail Tunes, about her experiences and journey in the nail industry… “If I had to pick a nail colour to characterise my personality, I’d probably choose a light holographic green – one like The Gel Bottle Inc’s Amur. Subtle and sweet…

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Yours elements

Enhance nail designs with :Yours colour pigments

By Sophie Nutt | 29 July 2020

:Yours has revealed the Elements range, comprising 16 cosmetic grade pigments. Ideal for creating an array of nail styles, :Yours Elements pigments are versatile and are available in a selection of show-stopping shades. Seeing a palette of crème colours and pearl finishes, nail artists can mix up the pigments to…

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