TECHS & SALONS
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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Since its opening in 2004, salon owner Chantal Chambers has grown and developed Scratch Nail and Beauty Salon to a team of seven, with four nail techs, including Chantal, Cassie, Elise and Eve; two beauty therapists, Jen and Lucy; and nurse practitioner, Natalie. “All of the team get on so…
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Scratch chats to Nikki Boulton, a nail pro who’s busy juggling her nail career alongside a very different role… Session manicurist, Nikki Boulton, started a second business; creating beautifully shaped wax crayons for children, while the nail industry was under lockdown restrictions. Initially keeping her venture under wraps, ColourMe Lincoln…
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Initially working from the conservatory at her mums house and enjoying the convenience of working from home, Mollie Mae Hiles had to rethink her set up after only four months in business. “My mum was diagnosed with Dementia and sadly had to move to a care home. This meant I…
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Olga Armengol Palomino of Holy Nails chats with Scratch about her introduction to the nail industry and pushing out of your comfort zone as a tech… “Marble nails are on the top of my list when it comes to nail art,” Olga shares. “I find it super fun to mix…
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Chantelle Baldwin decided to take the leap and set up her own salon space, affectionately named The Beauty Room, in an established beauty salon. “The Beauty Room is located in a salon in Blackburn called Libra. It was one of the first salons in Blackburn and is still open and…
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Scratch chats to Nadine Slater of The Little Nail Shed about what she wants to achieve within the nail industry longterm, and taking things at her own pace… “My signature nail style is a French or animal prints,” Nadine reveals. “My favourite products to use for nail art are Jade…
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