TECH TALK
Get to know the Scottish nail stylist who led nail looks for Victoria Beckham
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…
Read More
Unique salon décor: The Birmingham nail salon featuring a piano as its reception desk
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…
Read More
I’m a Scottish nail artist working in London. Here’s what I miss most…
“If anyone from outside Scotland asks me, I say I’m from Glasgow, but as Scottish folk will read this, I’m actually from Livingston,” smiles Becki Menzies. The nail pro lived in Scotland for 28 years before moving to East London in 2023, where she works within tattoo space, Soteria Studios.…
Read More
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…
Read More
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’…
Read More
From DIY nails to owning a home salon: how one tech turned her passion into a business
Bedfordshire-based nail tech, Jodie Day of @talonsbyjodie, started her nail journey simply wanting to learn how to do her own nails, however she enjoyed the training so much that she decided to turn it into her career. Jodie began her training in 2021 while pregnant, seeking a creative outlet. She…
Read More
Award-winning home salon owner: the 5 essential tips for success
Scratch Stars Home Nail Salon of the Year 2024 winner, Kirsty Brown of @paintbrushnails, shares her top tips for building a successful home salon… Having won the prestigious Scratch Stars accolade for her Stirling-based home salon, we asked Kirsty to share her top tips to inform and inspire nail techs…
Read More
South Devon tech: At 30 I decided to train as a nail technician – and I’ve never looked back
Having undergone a career swap at the age of 30, Devon-based nail tech Bonni Higson, the owner of Bonni File’n’Style in Dawlish, shares her story… After having children, Bonni decided to train as a nail technician. She says: “I enrolled at South Devon College and qualified at NVQ level 2…
Read More
Scratch chats to Charlie Bishop of By Charlie B about her favourite nail designs and future goals… What is it about nails that has you hooked? I love how trends change all the time and how supportive people in the industry can be, even when you haven’t met. I adore…
Read More
Kayley Cairns is a Scratch Stars Awards finalist in the Mixed Media Artist of the Year (sponsored by Magpie Beauty) and Nail Stylist of the Year (sponsored by OPI UK) categories 20/21. Here, shares her experience in the nail industry thus far, her lockdown endeavours and why she entered the…
Read More
‘Be a flamingo in a flock of pigeons’. That sounds great doesn’t it! Yet how does, ‘be a pigeon in a flock of flamingos‘, sound? From my perspective, when being a pigeon one can create great inner strength. In each and every one of us there is some weakness, which…
Read More
Lead image L-R: Mike & Jazz Christodoulou, Jason & Georgie Smedley, Eliza Smedley Many of you may be familiar with Jazz Christodoulou; general manager of GS Group Ltd, award-winning nail tech and protegé of Georgie Smedley. Georgie just so happens to be her mother – a hugely successfully tech, educator…
Read More
Scratch chats to Jen Phillips of Nails by Jennifer Marie about her love for nails and how she created this funky French design… I am a fully qualified nail technician offering acrylic, builder gel and gel polish enhancements. I qualified in January 2020 in L&P acrylic and gel polish and…
Read More
Scratch chats to Kirsty Williams about her tips for aspiring techs and her passion for nail art… What is it about nails that has you hooked? I only realised how much I loved nails when I found myself away from my salon, La Belle Dame, during the first lockdown. I…
Read More