TECH TALK: Danny Manchip of Beau’s Beauty Box

Scratch chats with Danny Manchip of Beau’s Beauty Box about his life as a nail tech and his incredible fundraising efforts.

What is your all time favourite nail product?

I’ve got to say Magpie Beauty’s gel paints. I love doing free hand nail art, and their paints are just perfect! I get excited every time I get to do free hand, especially when using them.

Who do you admire the most in the industry?

I just adore Sophie Hudd. She trained me in manicure, gel polish and Bronze Masterclass nail art. She is super talented, and I hope I can be half as talented as she is one day! Her creations blow my mind every time. The best part is, she is the most genuine, lovely and kind (I could go on), person I know in the industry. I had the pleasure of knowing Sophie before she even started nails, many years ago! We reconnected when I started.

If you had to pick one, what nail colour would characterise your personality?

Oh gosh, this is hard! I love anything and everything with a rich, gorgeous tone, whether it be summer or winter. But I like to have fun and I’m very sarcastic. So, I’d say Magpie Beauty’s Pop Star Pink. It’s fun, energetic (not necessarily me much these days, old now) and flamboyant!

Tell us about an average day in your nail life..

I do actually have a full-time job in retail, as well as my nail business. Some days I come home from a nine hour shift and hop straight into my chair to do some nails. It can be tough, but it’s so rewarding. On a ‘day off’ from my retail job, I would hope to have a later start than 9am. I double check my room, which is at my home, to make sure I’m set for the clients for that day. After a good ol’ chin wag, I take my pictures (my mum compares me to David Bailey, a photographer for those who don’t know) and after seeing the client off, I clean my station and products used. I see to my dog and let him in the garden for a fun 10 minutes while I edit and add my logo to my pictures. Then I repeat the process, until my last client. After my last, I usually look at my sets for the day and find fault with all of them, until my fiancé comes home and tells me how amazing they are, which makes me feel better. Then I post them on my social media pages.

What is the most exciting thing about the nail industry?

For me, it’s the constant new trends and beautiful new products that come out all year round. It’s like Christmas! I love it.

Do you have any funny or eventful career stories?

This is a tough question. Eventful, no. Funny? Depends who was in the room! During lockdown I started doing livestreams on my Instagram, where I would use my, very supportive fiancé, as a hand model while I’d paint a design on his nails. The best part is, we are like a couple of little kids giggling away while I paint, and he would read the comments. The embarrassing thing is, he would say ‘Oh, so and so has joined, who’s that?’ And I’m ashamed to admit, I wouldn’t always know! So, I’d give him ‘the look’… Basically telling him to shut up. The thing is, you get so confused with people’s business names and actual names that you forget who is who! Sorry ladies and gents, memory like a sieve here.

Tell us about your fundraising efforts for the Nail Breast Cancer campaign…

After seeing Calum Best sporting his pink nails on Scratch’s front cover, I decided to paint my nails pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. Unfortunately, I didn’t raise any money as I had just thrown a socially distanced coffee morning for Macmillan. I felt bad to ask for more money so soon after! I had donated 10% of my earnings through September, and all that was raised on the day was also donated, with the total equating to £232.32. I would love to do a mash up next year, so both would benefit. The next thing was that I started lots of conversations wherever I went with complete strangers in regard to breast cancer. I had so many compliments and gratitude from members of the public. It was a truly inspiring and a humbling experience, especially as cancer has affected my life in the past and unfortunately continues to in the present. The only C word I want to hear these days is CURED! We’ve got this, we will beat cancer.

Follow Danny’s nail journey on Instagram and Facebook.