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…
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
Previously working in other salons since 2015, Wendy Jayne Buttery took the plunge to open her own home salon in July 2021. “I always wanted my own little space to do up, matching it to my nail art style. “My home salon is perfect for me and my clients. I…
Read More
Scratch chats to Maja Bakic of Rose Nail Art about the creative process behind her nail designs and the importance of advancing skills as a tech… “I studied sociology and have been working in fields of art and culture, but over time, my interest faded,” Maja recalls. “I felt the…
Read More
While pregnant with her third son and living abroad with her military husband, Kayliegh Winspear sought independence in her life. In summer 2019, she began doing nails professionally. “My parents didn’t approve of me doing beauty at college, but it had always been a dream of mine.” “We moved back…
Read More
By Rose Moggridge A licenced cosmetologist since January 2019, Kierra White of Jacksonville, USA, slipped sideways into nail art and grooming after her passion for this beauty genre was ignited. Captivated by the fact that a nail artist can express their own vision of art on a nail, Kierra chose…
Read More
Grace Evans of Nail Huns chats with Scratch about seasonal nail art trends and her goals to grow her salon space… “I decided that I wanted to do nails and nail art after seeing so many funky sets online,” Grace recalls. “I decided to do a gel nail course where…
Read More
Lee-Ann Moss had dreams of opening her own salon, and took the plunge during lockdown. “I opened up my first salon in Rothwell, as there was no property in my home village of Kibworth. During difficult times, I wasn’t sure how my buisness would take off, but we went from…
Read More