EXPERT ADVICE
A beauty business coach’s guide to goal setting for 2025
Beauty business and mindset coach, Zaara King, offers up advice for the new year… It’s time to consider how you wish to make your mark on the industry over the next 12 months. You get to choose how you show up, what you offer clients and how you make a…
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Why nail technicians should enter the Scratch Stars Awards: tips from a nail competition maestro
Bespoke nail artist, Jiak Hing, who has won the Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year accolade for three consecutive years, shares insight into the competition, what to expect on the day and the benefits of entering. Why did you decide to enter the Scratch Stars Awards? To…
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New year, new you: How nail businesses can plan for the year ahead
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her tips for reviewing the last year and preparing for the next, in order to achieve success… Here we are again, another year gone and a new one in front of us full of opportunity, possibility and hope. It is…
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4 updates to make to your beauty business in 2025
Kim Ford, global business & beauty education expert, shares ways to make the most of quiet spells to improve your business long-term… The beginning of a new year is a great time to focus on business administration, such as updating operational and legal documents, and to consider if your marketing…
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Introverted nail techs: how to grow your skills & clientele comfortably
Do you love the creative aspect of being a nail professional: perfecting enhancements and getting arty, but find it challenging to converse with clients and colleagues? You’re not alone. A need to recharge after client interactions or feeling most comfortable in quiet environments are signs of introversion. The word ‘introvert’…
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I’ve been a beauty pro for 30+ years: here’s how I set boundaries with clients
Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, shares her experiences with boundary-pushing clients… I imagine most of you went into the nail/beauty industry to make people happy. I also imagine that you expected clients to be grateful and courteous at all times. I don’t suppose you imagined that sometimes…
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2025 nail business planning: expert tips for new year success
Belinda Price, OPI UK&I education and capability manager & owner of Nailspa, Scratch Stars Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year 2024, shares advice… During the busiest season of the year for most nail and beauty professionals, it can be hard to see past 31 December. But as the dust…
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Spread Christmas cheer sustainably: 3 ways to recycle festive items
Decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, and sending out greeting cards are some of the most cherished Christmas traditions, but after the festivities, how do you dispose of the excess? Gabriella Peace, marketing communications manager of UK Greetings, offers her take on how you can give your Christmas items a…
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Rebecca Judic, HD Brows business development manager, explores why retailing is crucial to a salon mechanism… Life as a busy salon owner is never straight forward. Every day you are spinning plates, managing and motivating your team, exceeding your customers’ expectations, keeping on top of bills and generally making sure…
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Looking to make the jump into session styling? Robbie Tomkins shares his top tips… Work hard and try to grab every opportunity that comes your way. You never know whom you might meet and where it could lead. It’s unfortunate that a lot of session work is unpaid, but that one…
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Metta Francis, Scratch Stars award-winning mobile nailist, puts a focus on GDPR… Are you GDPR ready? On 25 May 2018, EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect. It sounds scary and can be overwhelming but the purpose of GDPR is to ensure there’s greater transparency on how businesses…
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Wedding season is here and there’s never been a better time to create bridal designs to impress. A client’s wedding day is a life-long memory so it’s important to make sure that your part goes as smoothly as possible in the run up to, on and after the big day.…
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Time spent interviewing and assessing candidate is well spent in the long run, advises Stefania Rossi, owner of Utopia Beauty & Spa and Stefania Rossi Recruitment. Here, Stefania shares her current process… “I always start with a telephone conversation with a candidate. Just having that conversation, gives me more of an…
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There is no ‘one tan fits all’ and the days of simply choosing between light, medium and dark shades have now passed. Inclusivity is key – and you may soon, if you haven’t already, start seeing clients seeking bespoke tanning services. After all, it’s unlikely you’d use the same treatment…
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