A Californian nail initiative is leading the way to make salons healthier, and CND shares nail art full of summery vibes

NEW RECRUIT

Entity distributor The Creative Beauty Group has appointed A new education emissary. Salon owner Rachel Harper partnered with Entity to introduce a training academy to her Manchester salon after working for 10 years as a salon manager and mobile tech before opening Harpur’s Nail Bar and Training Academy

Chomping at the bit

Russian salon Nail Sunny sent the nail industry into overdrive on social media when it shared an image of a set of “teeth” nails. The sculpted acrylic nails were moulded into the shape of molars with more product packed in and the nails shaped using a spherical file to create realistic irregularities in the teeth. The tech who created the set even added black polish to some of the nails to create the appearance of cavities.

nstagram/@nail_sunny

Creative collaboration

Professional nail brand Light Elegance UK has partnered with Swedish nail artist and podcaster Celina Rydèn on two nail art kits.

The Celina Rydèn Signature Series Art Kits contain a 30-day access code which allows techs to access online demo videos of Rydèn using the kits to create a signature design. There are two options: Edgy Burlesque, which contains 19 products including gels, buttercreams and accessories and teaches lace techniques and how to use sheer black; and Smokey Quartz. The latter contains 17 products to create designs and textures inspired by natural materials such as crystal, stone and smoke.

5minutes with

Annabel Ifill, Nail Harmony educator and owner of Pretty Edgy Nails in Sutton.

I realised my passion for everything nails aged 16 when I got mine done at a friend’s family-owned salon. That was it – as soon as I left school I started attending a nail technology course at college.

In 2014, while on maternity leave, I decided I wanted to open my own business. I had reached my potential working in someone else’s salon, with no way of growing unless I became a manager. I passed my educator training with Nail Harmony UK, becoming the educator for South West London. A little over a year later, I took a leap of faith and opened my home-based nail and education studio.

My favourite medium to work with is liquid and powder, but I wouldn’t have said this at the beginning of my career, as I’m sure many techs can relate to. It’s the system that has pushed me to my limit and tested my skills. I truly believe my skill level wouldn’t be what it is today without refining my L&P work.

I come across a lot of students who signed up to courses but didn’t receive the training stated, losing their money. There are also courses that teach systems like liquid and powder over a day, or even online, with no practical time with an educator. I’d like to see this side of the industry better regulated.

@prettyedgynails | @prettyedgy_nails

Creating “healthy salons”

A California nail tech has helped form an organisation that aims to keep salon workers healthy on the job. Lan Anh Truong, who owns Leann’s Nails in Alameda, California, contacted Asian Health Services after realising the products she was using in salon were causing ongoing health problems such as headaches, coughing and eye irritation and, on one occasion, fainting.

The California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative was formed with the goal of reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals in salons after staff at Asian Health Services noticed a pattern in the symptoms of local salon workers.

Salons are being encouraged to take steps to be recognised as “healthy” in the state. These include getting rid of polish removers containing ethyl and butyl acetate, buying ventilation units and keeping external doors open during salon hours. Around 200 salons in the state have been recognised so far, following the implementation of the voluntary programme by California and Bay area counties, for which the state of California released guidelines.

LIGHT AS A FEATHER

STEP 1 Prepare the nail and apply two coats of Vagabond, ensuring each coat is fully dry before you proceed

STEP 2 Using CND Creative Play nail lacquer in Black and Forth, pick up the dream-catcher section of the stamping plate

STEP 3 Keeping the pattern on your stamper, use your dotting tool to fill in the feathers using Creative Play in white shade I Blanked Out

STEP 4 To ensure adhesion of the stamp to the nail as it dries, paint Vinylux Weekly Top Coat over the nail and wait a few seconds for it to go sticky before stamping your design onto the nail. When you take the stamper away you will have a black print with the feathers in white

STEP 5 Clean your dotting tool and pick up a very small amount of Offbeat. Apply a small bead onto the string of the design and repeat this process using both Gypsy and Uninhibited, then apply Weekly Top Coat to finish.

Get clients excited for fun-filled festival weekends with this blissed out design by Sweet Squared digital marketing executive and nail tech Rachel Horrocks.

She used reformulated Vinylux, with a new complex of keratin, jojoba oil and vitamin E, and used shades from the summer Boho Spirit collection; Vagabond, a soft pale yellow, vibrantpink Offbeat and zesty orange Gypsy.