Nail bites

nail news

Photography: Charles Everard

Photography: Charles Everard

Pop-up shop

Nail subscription service Mee Box collaborated with fashion chain River Island on a pop-up Beauty Hub nail bar in its flagship store on London’s Oxford Street. Nail techs were on hand every Friday and Saturday throughout May to carry out manicures and create nail art inspired by River Island’s latest collection. Metta Francis of Nails by Metts was at the weekend launch to offer free nail art.

All products used have previously featured in Mee Box, which carries a different theme every month. Pro brands including Cuccio, Leighton Denny and Zoya have been included in the past.

French fancy

LCN’s Natural Nail Boost Gel Keratin scooped the Prix H Pierantoni de l’Innovation Award at the 2017 Paris Cosmetic Fair. The award is voted for by a panel of journalists, therapists and doctors.

Next generation

Australian nail care brand Elliona has launched what it claims to be the world’s first gel-polish remover in gel form. Aimed at both salons and consumers removing their gel colour at home, Gel Off breaks down the product in just 60 seconds, according to the brand. As with traditional soaking, the nail surface should be buffed before application of the gel, which activates on contact.

After one minute, a metal cuticle pusher is used to remove the gel-polish from the nail plate. By eliminating the need to soak the fingers, the brand says Gel Off is a safer removal method because acetone doesn’t touch the skin, so is less likely to be absorbed into the nail and cause dryness, irritation and redness. Gel Off can also be used to remove standard lacquer and glitter.

5 minutes with…

Stephanie Staunton, session tech and founder of Nailing Mental Health, which attempted to break the world record for the number of nails painted in eight hours at an event in April.

Session work is tough! If you don’t have work, you have to create it for yourself. Find a session tech you admire and offer to assist them because you’ll learn so much. Always say yes to a job, then panic afterwards and rearrange whatever it was you were meant to be doing.

Working on The Avengers Age of Ultron movie was the best three months ever, but I love almost every job I’ve ever done. Star Wars: The Last Jedi with the wonderful late Carrie Fisher, and a Johnnie Walker commercial with the dreamy Jude Law are some of other my top jobs.

Nailing Mental Health, the organisation I set up, will hopefully be a registered charity by the end of the year. We’re going to hold three fundraisers per year to raise money to pay for counselling for people struggling with their mental health, and raise awareness of the stigma we face.

I felt honoured and overwhelmed to have so many techs turn out in support for our first event. It’s amazing how many people can relate to mental illness.

There are so many symptoms salon owners can look out for if an employee is struggling with their mental health. They might be withdrawn, late to work, erratic, down or crying. It’s key for business owners to make it clear that they are open and understanding about mental health. It could even save a life.