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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Lizi Cornwell shares how creating press-on nails has kept both her business and passion for nails alive in lockdown… “I started making press-on nails last year at home as an extra to the salon I own, Queen’s Salon in Essex. “The idea was to retail them as a lot of…
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We want to see what you’re wearing on your nails! Talented tech, Terri Eaton, wears hand painted sunflowers on her nails. “I absolutely love sunflowers – they’re just such a happy flower. They take my mind to the huge fields of them in Tuscany when I visited last year, such…
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Multi award-winning nail technician, Karen Brown, reveals how she has been adapting to the UK lockdown as a result of Covid-19… Hello to all of my nail kings and queens! I hope you are all doing OK in these confusing times. Today I am talking about adapting to our surroundings.…
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Scratch catches up with Christina Fitzgerald, manicurist and brand owner, to discover her career story so far and more about the Australia-based Christina Fitzgerald brand… You began in the beauty industry as a manicurist, why did you decide to launch the Christina Fitzgerald brand? When I started my career 36 years ago, manicuring…
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Scratch learns more about the career story of talented nail artist, Jessica Hinds of Polished by Jess Leeds… How did you get into the nail industry? Stepping into the nail industry for me was, believe it or not, a huge weight off my shoulders. In 2016 I had just had my second child…
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We want to see the designs trending on your social media pages! Kelly Scothorn, of As Pretty As. Nails by Kelly, reveals mix and match looks have been popular with her clients. “I think this design has been popular as a lot of us, whether we are nail techs or…
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