8 nail art books to inspire your designs

Here at Scratch, we love a beautiful coffee table book, especially with the pandemic providing ample amounts of time to relax at home..

We’ve swotted up on the best beauty books that will not only look stunning on your coffee table or in your reception area, but will provide you with the latest tips, tricks and advice any nail & beauty fanatic shouldn’t be without.

1. Scratch’s managing editor, Helena Biggs has published not one, not two, but three nail art books, kicking off with Nail Art: Inspiring Designs by the World’s Leading Technicians, which explores the history of nail art and profiles leaders and innovators in the world of nail styling alongside featuring design tutorials and fascinating facts. did you know that car paint inspired new colours for commercial nail art in the early 1900s?
2. Next up is Nail Style, a continuation of Nail Art, which showcases high fashion nails, step-by-steps and top tips as well as stories from across the industry.
3. With a focus solely on tutorials, Helena’s third and final tome is Nail Art Projects: Eye-Catching and Stylish Designs by Salon Professionals which features over 20 beautifully photographed nail projects and step-by-step instructions to recreate them. Ideal for both beginners and pros, the book features nail art tips and tricks from prominent nail art technicians to help perfect your designs.
4. Two words: Marian Newman. Renowned as the ‘queen’ in the nail world, Marian Newman BEM has published numerous editions of The Complete Nail Technician – packed with nail knowledge, chemistry info, anatomy and more. What she doesn’t cover isn’t worth knowing. One thing’s for sure: you’re in safe hands.
5. If your life is all nails, nails, nails, then you need Madeline Poole’s Nails, Nails, Nails! coffee table book. The celebrity nail tech covers 25 nail art techniques suitable for amateurs looking to step into the wonderful world of nails, or just the beauty obsessed teen or tween in your life who loves doing nail art.
6. Coveted celebrity manicurist Julie Kandalec (former creative director at Paintboxand founder of Masterclass Nail Academy) created a beautiful gold inked book called Nail Art Design Book that features her own unique designs from years of international beauty campaigns, plus 27 pages of blank nails to draw or paint your own designs in almond, oval, and square nail shapes.
7. Catherine Rodgers, creator of the popular nail art YouTube channel Totally Cool Nails, shares her secrets in her book DIY Nail Art, which is packed full of on trend designs with easy DIY instructions and colourful step by step photographs.
8. Sophie Harris-Greenslade, known as The Illustrated Nail, explains how to create a whopping 100 unique nail art designs in technical detail in her Nail It! 100 step-by-step DIY designs for fashion-forward nails book.  No stone is left uncovered, with hand-painting, glitter, bejewelled looks and 3D work all included, plus top tips and advice for hand and nail care.