THE LATEST NEWS & FEATURES

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Self-employment help for nail techs: registration & tax essentials

By Lilly Delmage | 11 January 2025

Are you keen to take the leap into self-employment? Here’s a guide to the registration and tax essentials you need to know… For nail technicians working in salons who seek greater control over their careers, self-employment often feels like a natural next step. It offers professional and creative freedom, aiding…

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Ai Richard Mccabe Piece

AI is changing the beauty salon game: here’s how it can help you stay ahead

By Guest Writer | 10 January 2025

Richard McCabe, aka the Lifestyle Salon Coach, shares how artificial intelligence can benefit your beauty business… Love it or hate it, AI is changing how businesses work – and that includes salons. Just like past tech revolutions, if you jump on board early, you’re more likely to come out on…

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Revealed: the 10 UK cities offering the best value for money manicures

By Lilly Delmage | 9 January 2025

Research by Capital on Tap has revealed the UK’s hotspots for ‘high-quality yet low cost’ nail services. Credit card and spend management platform for small businesses, Capital on Tap, has compiled The UK Beauty Report, analysing the cities that offer the best value for money in terms of self-care services.…

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vegan cosmetics

Veganuary: How to tell if your nail & beauty products are vegan-friendly

By Scratch Staff | 9 January 2025

Are your clients calling for vegan and cruelty-free products? Scratch explores how to tell if your nail and beauty products fit the bill… The global vegan cosmetics market is anticipated to reach $24.79 billion in 2028, according to research by Fortune Business Insights, and a whopping 82% of all new vegan items…

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Sammy Macdonald Victoria Beckham Nails

Get to know the Scottish nail stylist who led nail looks for Victoria Beckham

By Helena Biggs | 8 January 2025

In Sammy Mac’s two decades in the nail industry, she’s won numerous awards, opened a thriving nail salon chain and led multiple teams backstage at Fashion Week events. So what’s left on the career tick list for this Scottish nail pro? “Leading the nail team for the 2024 Victoria Beckham…

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Green Nails

50+ green nail designs that are trending right now

By Scratch Staff | 8 January 2025

Green nails have been dominating our Instagram feeds, and show no signs of going anywhere anytime soon! Check out our roundup of trending designs below…

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Goal List

A beauty business coach’s guide to goal setting for 2025

By Guest Writer | 7 January 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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Unique salon décor: The Birmingham nail salon featuring a piano as its reception desk

By Lilly Delmage | 6 January 2025

Founder of Birmingham-based nail studio, Icey’s Beauty Lounge, Aysana Druga, shares the story behind the salon’s impressive entrance… In 2015, Aysana and her husband spotted a piano in the window of a charity shop. She recalls: “We had no idea where it was going to go at the time, so…

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6 hand poses for picture-perfect nail photos

By Guest Writer | 18 August 2024

Scratch Stars Gel Polish Stylist of the Year 2022, 2023 & 2024, Jiak Hing, explains how to master her six go-to hand poses for nail photos… 1. Relaxed claw Place the back of one hand against a flat surface and position the camera facing the nails, 45 degrees above and…

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Sumup Small Beauty Business Optimistic

Revealed: 76% of small beauty businesses report feeling optimistic about future growth

By Lilly Delmage | 18 August 2024

Research by SumUp has found that almost 80% of small beauty businesses feel confident about their future performance, with 48% expecting to perform well, and an additional 28% expecting significant growth. The global fintech company investigated the current confidence levels of UK small business owners and decision makers, as the…

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Cocktail Nails

Crazy for cocktails? Get nails summer holiday ready with these sweet beverage-inspired manicures

By Lilly Delmage | 17 August 2024

Piña Coladas, Mojitos, Spicy Margaritas… must we go on? Summer holidays bode the perfect opportunity to relax on the beach with a sweet beverage in hand, but why stop there? Here’s a roundup of nail enthusiasts who have taken their love for cocktails to another level, flaunting their favourite drink…

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Calculating Money

Revealed: hair & beauty pros’ average income isn’t enough to cover cost of living

By Rebecca Hitchon | 17 August 2024

Many UK hair and beauty pros are not earning enough to cover personal and business costs. These are the results of the first annual pricing survey by Boss Your Salon, which offers pricing, marketing and mindset support to industry professionals. With insight gathered from over 1,200 respondents using Boss Your…

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Light Elegance Moody

Embrace emotions through nail colour with 12 gel-based options from Light Elegance

By Lilly Delmage | 16 August 2024

Nail brand, Light Elegance, has unveiled its autumn/winter 2024 Moody nail colour collection, inspired by seasonal colours that evoke feelings of ‘anger, sadness, attitude, love and deep passion’. The collection offers six shades in P+ Gel Polish and ButterCream formulas, as well as six shades in P+ Glitter Gel Polish…

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Time Management

5 time management tips for beauty pros

By Marie-Louise Coster | 16 August 2024

Session nail stylist, salon owner & educator, Marie-Louise Coster, reveals her advice to healthily manage your time and achieve all your tasks… How good are you at managing your time? If you add up all the time you spent scrolling on social media, googling what you have seen an actress in…

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