Nail Tech Talk: Nikki Boulton of Nikki Boulton Nail Technician

Session stylist, Nikki Boulton of Nikki Boulton Nail Technician, chats to Scratch about session tekking and her business she runs on the side…

“I’ve been in the industry since around 2008,” Nikki shares. “I love how no matter how long you’ve been in the industry, you can never stop learning.

“Education is key, and the nail world is forever growing.”

“My signature nail style is natural nails, with nude and minimal nail art,” she reveals. “I love doing designs such as soft white swirls and daisies.

“My favourite products to use are The GelBottle’s Builder in a Bottle, and Navy Professional’s cuticle balm.”

“ColourMe is my little lockdown business, which is intricate wax crayons for all ages,” Nikki says. “I started ColourMe when lockdown hit.

“Like everyone else, I needed to find a source of income while being at home and having no childcare for my little boy.”

“I’m so glad that I found something where I could put my skills as a nail tech to use.”

“Tekking and ColourMe have a lot of similarities,” she notes. “Creativity is the biggest similarity between the two.

“Finding colours and designs that compliment one other is important both as a nail tech and with ColourMe. And just like my nail business, ColourMe relies on social media for all exposure.”

Despite the similarities, her two ventures maintain some difference. “ColourMe is longer hours,” Nikki reveals. “I find myself packing orders into the night.

“I also have to make time to get back to emails and messages on social media.”

“Instagram is a major source of inspiration for me and my nail designs. There are so many inspirational accounts out there.

“My inspiration for crayons comes from nature,” she smiles. “I try to theme the majority of my crayon sets around things like woodlands, flowers and shells. Children getting outside is so important these days.”

“The support for ColourMe has been amazing,” Nikki beams. “I’m lucky to have some good friends within the nail tech world.

“I’ve even had contacts from session work place orders!”

“The most exciting thing about the nail industry is it’s constantly innovating and changing.

“It’s extremely different to when I first trained,” she reflects. “I love how you can have your own style now.”

“The highlight of my nail career was being the lead manicurist on my favourite shoe brands campaign, Sophia Webster,” Nikki recalls. “A very close second favourite was being able to go to Paris Hauté couture fashion week, twice.”

“The highlight of ColourMe is that we have recently partnered with Scandiborn – a multi winning nursery and childrens online website. Being featured in The Green Parent magazine last fall was also really exciting.”

“I’m hoping now that Covid restrictions have been eased, I will start getting back into session work in London.

“It will be a juggle to fit around ColourMe,” she states. “I will have to really organise my time well!”

“My advice for any techs wanting to branch out into another industry would be to do your research before hand,” Nikki says. “Find your style within that industry, and go for it.

“Don’t go off anyone else’s ideas, and be true to yourself.”

Follow Nikki on Instagram, here.

Follow ColourMe on Instagram, here.