Posts by Zoe Wickens
Staffordshire educator scoops accolade at The English Nails Brows Lashes Awards
Staffordshire Nail Academy Ltd has won the Nail Educator of the Year award at The English Nails Brows Lashes (NBL) Awards 2020. Run by husband and wife Andrew and Hannah Garbett, Staffordshire Nail Academy is the UK’s distributor of Astonishing Nails products as well as Jacky M lash products. Hannah has worked in the beauty…
Read MoreNamed & shamed: Beauty businesses not paying correct wages to be listed
Businesses who fail to pay their workers the correct National Living Wage or National Minimum Wage will have their names published to the public from April 2020, warns the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF). Publication will be restricted to businesses who owe £500 or more, however, businesses that owe less than £500 will not…
Read More#ManiMonday: Striking crystal nails by Claire Wheeler
Scratch puts the spotlight on a funky crystal-studded nail design and the talented tech behind it… Nail tech Claire Wheeler, owner of home nail business Beauty and the Wish in Essex, has been working in the nail industry for two and a half years. “I have always had an artistic side and wanted to find…
Read MoreGems Pretty in Spring gel polish collection unveiled
A new gel polish collection by nail educator Gemma Lambert’s The Nail Team has been released. The Pretty in Spring gel polish collection is composed of a mixture of pastel and bright colours and is inspired by the spring season. Colours include April, a beautiful soft coral; Blossom, a pale pink that can be used…
Read MoreJessica introduces new nail colours for the festival season
A new collection of nail colours ideal for the festival season has been released by Jessica. Named Indie Fest, the new collection features a medley of shades that reflect fun and escapism, with the performance of each polish delivering feel-good vibes. Colours include Headliner, a duck egg pastel blue crème; Center Stage, a sunset pink…
Read MoreWhat the new £20 bank note means for your business
The National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF) has issued a notice to beauty salons stating that the Bank of England will be introducing a new polymer £20 bank note from 20 February. The design features British painter, JMW Turner, as well as two windows and a two-colour foil for the first time, making them difficult…
Read MoreTech Talk: Carly Reilly of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire
Scratch catches up with nail tech, Carly Reilly, to learn more about her industry journey… Carly Reilly has been working in the nail industry since the age of 17. “It’s been nearly 20 years since I became self-employed and I still have just as much passion, if not more, for the industry,” she says. “The last…
Read MoreLondon Fashion Week AW20: Natural hues @ Victoria Beckham
Nail artist Marian Newman led the team for the Victoria Beckham AW20 show at London Fashion Week. Marian and her team applied a coat of Peacći polish in the shade Bonjour, a nudey-pink hue, to the models’ nails to reflect the natural and individuality theme of the show. Nude nail shades were paired with ‘undetectable’…
Read More#ManiMonday: Sparkling silver stilettos by Kristina Thompson
Scratch puts the spotlight on a silvery nail design of varying textures and the talented tech behind it… Nail tech Kristina Thompson, owner of The White Rooms salon in Bedfordshire, has worked in the beauty industry for 30 years and currently teaches students using CJP Nail Systems. “I found these metal sheets on Veronique’s Shop…
Read MoreJessica adds 3 spring-friendly nail shades to Phenom range
A trio of new shades in the Jessica Phenom Sweet Talk collection has been launched for the spring season. The new Vivid Colour hues are the candy pink crème U Had Me at Hello, the baby blue crème Smooth Talker and the sparkling grape opalescent Tell Me More. These new shades have been designed to…
Read MoreExtend nails with INK London’s SOBIAB handy brush-on gel
INK London has released SOBIAB UV/LED curable base and builder gel, designed to add length to natural nails via sculpting or via the tip & overlay method. The brush-on gel product is available in nine shades; Clear, Clear Pink, Clear Glitter, Cover it, Signature, Signature Glitter, Milky Pink, Milky White and Super White. The team…
Read MoreMobile wellness company recruits for beauty pros seeking flexi-work
Freedom Wellness Therapy, a service providing professional, accessible and holistic mobile beauty and wellness treatments, has launched in London. The concept offers a wide range of services including manicures & pedicures, massages, yoga, Pilates, personal training and beauty treatments designed to improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of its clients. Specialist and accredited practitioners…
Read MoreTech Talk: Natacha Botting
Scratch catches up with nail tech, Natacha Botting, to learn more about her industry journey… Natacha Botting used to work as a receptionist in a local beauty salon, where she would admire all of the client’s nails as they were paying for their treatments. “I decided to train as a nail tech and qualified in the…
Read MoreUK prestige beauty generates £2.6 billion in sales throughout 2019
The UK prestige beauty industry has generated £2.6 billion in sales throughout 2019 as reported by The NPD Group. This was largely driven by a 2% increase in sales of prestige women’s face skincare products, with the overall skincare sales reaching £605 million. The prestige make-up market is valued at £721 million, a decline of…
Read MoreUniversity develops biodegradable packaging for beauty products
A biodegradable packaging has been developed so cosmetics companies can meet the demand for an environmentally friendly alternative. Toxicologists from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh worked with partners across Europe on the BioBeauty project to create the biopackaging, which is made from polylactic acid. This is obtained from corn starch or sugar cane and is both…
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