Money

Chancellor announces £9,000 grants for businesses

By Kat Hill | 5 January 2021

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced one-off grants worth up to £9,000 will be available to beauty businesses, as part of a new package for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in England. The funds will be available to nail & beauty businesses, confirmed by Department for Business, Energy & Industrial…

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Polibuild halo tips

How-to: Halo PoliBuild overlay on tips

By Guest Writer | 5 January 2021

The team at Pure Nails reveal more about Halo’s PoliBuild and how to apply over tips to add strength and length… Many of you loved our Halo Polibuild overlay on natural nails how-to and wanted to know the application process for for Polibuild on tips, so here it is! Step 1: Prep…

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Money

Hair & beauty businesses weekly income loss totals over £124 million

By Kat Hill | 4 January 2021

The new Tier 4 restrictions are set to cost hair & beauty businesses across the UK over £124 million per week in lost income, The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF)  has warned. New findings from the industry body have revealed the total of lost revenue per week, per region,…

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#NowTrending: Opulent opals by Ashlie Sellers

By Callie Iley | 3 January 2021

Scratch chats to Ashlie Sellers of Lacquer Love about her future plans and how she created this dreamy opal design.   I am a very new nail tech, having only been qualified since December 2019. I had previously attended art school and have a passion for the structure created with…

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TECH TALK: Michaela Phillips of Gelalicious

By Callie Iley | 1 January 2021

Scratch chats with Michaela Phillips of Gelalicious about the most exciting parts of the nail industry and how she sources her inspiration for her nail work… I’ve always had a passion for nails since a young age. I would buy the Boots 17 range nail art pens and practise designs.…

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Covid-19: More beauty businesses forced to close as areas move to Tier 4

By Helena Biggs | 23 December 2020

Health secretary, Matt Hancock, has today (23 December) announced that more areas of England will move into Tier 4 on Boxing Day, forcing the closure of nail and beauty businesses. The move comes as the reproduction rate  of coronavirus (‘R’) has risen to between 1.1 and 1.3, and new variants,…

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Sophie dale

Why you should stop comparing your nail skills to others

By Guest Writer | 22 December 2020

Scratch magazine 2020 columnist, Sophie Dale of Nancy Loves Nails & Nancy Girl Apparel, shares why it’s time to stop comparing yourself to others… ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’. I constantly compare myself to others and it has really affected me. It’s poisonous, and no matter how experienced or whatever…

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TECH TALK: Nadia Rouch of Nadia’s Beauty Box

By Callie Iley | 19 December 2020

Scratch chats with Nadia Rouch of Nadia’s Beauty Box about her average day as a nail tech and her love for creativity.       My all time favourite nail product has to be The Gel Bottle’s Builder in a Bottle. 90% of all my manicures now have Builder in…

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Sophie akerman web feature

Covid career changes: Why I decided to train as a nail tech during lockdown

By Guest Writer | 16 December 2020

Sophie Akerman decided to train as a nail technician during the Covid-19 pandemic after being forced to work from home gave her time to reflect on her career path. She shares with Scratch the highlights and the challenges of her nail journey so far. “I was fortunate enough to keep…

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#NowTrending: Green & gold cog nails by Charlotte Vizor

By Callie Iley | 15 December 2020

Scratch chats to Charlotte Vizor of Nailed it by Chaz about her love for being a nail tech, as she describes how to create this gorgeous green and gold design. Please detail your background in nails… “My nail career blossomed from a hobby. When I first started falling in love…

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TECH TALK: Rachel Willis of Rachel Willis Nails & Education

By Callie Iley | 12 December 2020

Scratch catches up with Rachel Willis of Rachel Willis Nails & Education about her journey through the nail world and her passion for teaching & learning… I have over 30 nail training certificates; including beginners’ manicure, to extreme nail shapes and nail art. My first course was an online L&P…

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How to deal with client complaints

By Kat Hill | 11 December 2020

Award-winning business owner & deputy chair & director of information at The Federation of Nail Professionals (The FNP), Sue Davies, shares her advice for dealing with client complaints… As professionals, we have a duty of care to our clients and they deserve the best service we can provide. When we have a service…

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Katie Barnes adds three nail files to popular tool range

By Chloe Randall | 8 December 2020

Award-winning nail tech, Katie Barnes has added three nail files to the Katie Barnes Tool Range. The range offers three unique nail files each suitable for different techniques. The KB 2-Way nail files provide a multi-function file offering two different grits on each side. The design also includes a precision…

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TECH TALK: Isadora Borges Sá of Caliente Nails

By Callie Iley | 5 December 2020

Scratch chats with Isadora Borges Sá of Caliente Nails, based in Porto District, Portugal, about her passion for her nail business and her inspiration sources when creating gorgeous nail art creations. What is it about nails that has you hooked? I really can’t believe how much nails have changed my life.…

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#NowTrending: Stunning snakeskin nails by Shannon Rae Smyth

By Callie Iley | 1 December 2020

Scratch chats with Shannon Rae Smyth of Shannon Rae Nail Artist about her love for nails, as she explains how she created this striking snakeskin nail design…   I started doing nails as a hobby; having always had both an interest in, and a passion for nail design. I spent…

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