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…
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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…
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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.…
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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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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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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…
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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…
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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…
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Kara Kotsonis, founder of the award-winning NailSquad Nail Bar in Deal, Kent, reveals why she has added perspex screens to the salon’s nail desks… The official government guidelines for the re-opening of nail salons are due to be released shortly. Most of the proposed guidelines seem straightforward but there has been…
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We want to see what you’re wearing on your nails! Karolina Nowak, of Magnifique Nails Lab, wears a chic 3D French nail look. “I have seen a couple of posts across social media of 3D French nails and I really wanted to take a training course in technique, but unfortunately this…
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Scratch chats to Victoria Adams, owner of Lemonade Beauty, about her love for the nail industry, being a glitter make-up artist and relocating her salon just before the UK lockdown… “I trained in nails in 2018 at a salon school in Kent,” explains Victoria. “I then went on to further my…
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Beauty therapist, Beverley Braisdell, shares the story of fellow beauty pro, Emma Harvey – who has created a hand cream and serum for NHS frontline staff & key workers… When I saw what my amazing friend and former colleague Emma Harvey, of Spa Butterfly, Wigan, had created during her time…
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Get to know Scott Featherstone of Dapper & Dolly, as he shares some eye-catching nail creations and inspirations… “I began my nail journey back in 2015. It was an accident really and was never in my plans,” Scott reveals. “I’d been working for my local council for 14 years and…
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We want to see what you’re wearing on your nails! Diana Pajeva, of Diana’s Nail Art, wears a brown and gold geode-inspired nail look. “In order to create this design I used Gelish shades, Areopuffing Matte Top Coat, Apres art inks, transfer gel with gold foil and gold leaf for…
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