TECHS & SALONS

Lilly web newsfeature lead 1200x800px 120

Becoming a nail tech at 16: I was the youngest student Bryony Howell had ever trained

By Lilly Delmage | 9 March 2025

17-year-old self-employed nail tech, Ruby Galluzzo, opens up about the journey that led her to pursue a nail career at such a young age. “I first became interested in nails when I was only eight-years-old, but my passion grew massively in 2020 during lockdown. That’s when I really started dreaming…

Read More
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 118

Yorkshire salon: The beauty therapists dedicated to making women feel their best

By Lilly Delmage | 8 March 2025

Lisa-Marie Hoggard, owner of Lisa-Marie’s Hair & Beauty Lounge, shares how her all-female team empowers clients to feel their best. “My salon team consists of amazing women who make other women feel amazing,” shares Lisa-Marie. “It comprise five women: Sheree Kim Harrison, Elle Burrow, Kath Scaife, Jill Ralph and Patricia…

Read More
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 117

Meet Corrine Jackson: the nail tech behind Molly-Mae Hague’s manicures

By Lilly Delmage | 5 March 2025

Nail tech & educator, Corrine Jackson, who has tended to the nails of influencer, Molly-Mae Hague, for over five years, shares her experiences of and advice for working with high-profile clients. Working with celebrity clients “I started doing Molly-Mae’s nails after the first lockdown, when my husband, who’s a builder,…

Read More
Mar25 Low Res Cover For Web 600

Read the latest issue

Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 62

Why nail technicians should enter the Scratch Stars Awards: tips from a nail competition maestro

By Lilly Delmage | 3 January 2025

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
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 60

Introverted nail techs: how to grow your skills & clientele comfortably

By Lilly Delmage | 22 December 2024

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
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 53

From DIY nails to owning a home salon: how one tech turned her passion into a business

By Lilly Delmage | 9 December 2024

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
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 48

Award-winning home salon owner: the 5 essential tips for success

By Lilly Delmage | 2 December 2024

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
Lilly Web Newsfeature Lead 1200x800px 46

South Devon tech: At 30 I decided to train as a nail technician – and I’ve never looked back

By Lilly Delmage | 29 November 2024

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
Stella Angelova Ssas24

I was visited by a Scratch Stars Award-winning mobile nailist. Here’s my experience

By Rebecca Hitchon | 25 November 2024

Here’s what happened when Stella Angelova, Scratch Stars Mobile Nailist of the Year 2024, paid Scratch’s deputy editor, Rebecca Hitchon, a visit… Stella of Stella A. – Nail Artist is based in Swanley, Kent, and travelled six miles to my home in Orpington. It was a gloomy and wet day,…

Read More