#ManiMonday: Striking crystal nails by Claire Wheeler

Claire wheeler nail tech

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…

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Gems Pretty in Spring gel polish collection unveiled

Gems pretty in spring gel polish collection

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…

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Jessica introduces new nail colours for the festival season

Jessica Indie Fest nail collection

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…

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What the new £20 bank note means for your business

Polymer £20 note

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…

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Tech Talk: Carly Reilly of Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire

nail tech Carly Reilly

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…

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London Fashion Week AW20: Natural hues @ Victoria Beckham

Peacci victoria beckham aw20

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’…

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#ManiMonday: Sparkling silver stilettos by Kristina Thompson

nail tech 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…

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Jessica adds 3 spring-friendly nail shades to Phenom range

Jessica Phenom Sweet Talk

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…

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Extend nails with INK London’s SOBIAB handy brush-on gel

Ink Nails Sobiab builder 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…

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Mobile wellness company recruits for beauty pros seeking flexi-work

Freedom Wellness Therapy

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…

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Tech Talk: Natacha Botting

nail tech 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…

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UK 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…

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University develops biodegradable packaging for beauty products

Biobeauty packaging

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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