Salon in the Spotlight: Jo’s Nails, Sutton Bridge
Attending Isle College in 1992 to study hair and beauty, Joanne Smyth had a love for beauty since she was a child, seeing her qualifying as a natural next step. With over 30 years of industry experience, Joanne based her beauty business from a salon where she rented a space…
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Nail Tech Talk: Denise Maples of Onestop Nails
Attending Olympia Beauty with a nail technician friend, Denise Maples became enthralled in the world of nails, making the decision to train and qualify herself. A single parent to three sons, Denise was working as a cleaner during school hours to make ends meet, with one of her jobs based…
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Salon in the Spotlight: BeautyHour by Carlianne, Blaydon
Training in December 2022 with Nicole Dowling of Totally Polished, Carlianne Elliott-Purkins had previously studied beauty therapy at college upon leaving school but initially pursued another career. Deciding to take the leap and retrain, Carlianne notes beauty and nails as her main interests, encouraging her to make the decision. “I’d…
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Nail Tech Talk: Nicola Julian of Oakwood Nails
Overcoming self-doubt to pursue a career in the nail industry, Nicola Julian of Oakwood Nails discovered her love for nail art during the pandemic before completing her training in 2021. Having had an interest in make-up, hair and nails from a young age, Nicola Julian initially pursued a career in…
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Nail Tech Talk: Tammy Fontaine of Nails By Tammy
Without an artistic background, East London-based tech, Tammy Fontaine, shares that when completing her training in 2006, she never believed she’d have the patience for nail art. “Nail art didn’t come naturally to me,” she remembers. “I trained in basic manicures and pedicures at college, gaining my NVW Level 2…
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Salon in the Spotlight: Nailed it by Jo, East Kilbride, Scotland
With a background in finance and a BA Honours in Business Management, Jo Simpson’s passion for nails and nail art remained as a hobby until 2019, when a serious infection led her to re-evaluate. “I had a long recovery and a few stays in hospital, which really made me reflect,”…
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The Great Scratch Shoot Out: Winning advice
2019 winner of The Great Scratch Shoot Out, Nina Lewis, shares her thoughts on the importance of entering competitions and why you should enter this year’s The Great Scratch Shoot Out… What are your thoughts on industry competitions? Why are they so important? I believe you need tenacity when entering…
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Salon in the Spotlight: K.M.Nails & Beauty, Wroughton
Having had dreams of entering the beauty industry for as long as she can remember, Kasey Beasley remembers watching nail art videos on YouTube and having her mum and sisters model for her practice. “I knew I had to do this as a career,” she shares. “When I left school…
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Are your gloves protecting you against nail ingredients?
In a previous blog for Scratch, we explored what gloves are needed for nail technicians and covered thickness and how often these need to be changed. In this blog, we delve deeper into chemical permeability and how to know if your gloves protect you against the chemicals which you use…
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How to successfully edit your nail photos
In a previous blog, I shared 5 top tips on improving your nail photos. In this post, I am going to share more about editing your nail photos. Editing images these days, including nail images is a controversial topic. Your nail images should show the quality and truth of your…
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