Posts by Helena Biggs
Restart Grant: Is your business eligible?
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, unveiled £5 billion for new Restart Grants in his 2021 Budget announcement. But what does this mean for eligible businesses in the personal care sector? The one-off cash grant offers up to £6,000 per premises for non-essential retail businesses and up to £18,000 per premises for hospitality, accommodation, leisure,…
Read MoreBUDGET 2021: Restart grants of up to £18,000 offered to personal care businesses
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, delivered his Budget statement at 12.30pm on Wednesday 3 March, unveiling a three-part plan to protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The UK government has borrowed a record £280bn so far to help alleviate the impact of Covid-19 on businesses, however…
Read MoreIntroducing iMix: the hands-free colour mixing tool for gel polish & nail lacquer
Shave off the precious minutes at the start of a nail appointment spent rolling and shaking product bottles with imix, a super handy hands-free mixing device. imix alleviates the stress on the wrists through regular shaking and mixes your gel polish and lacquer formulas for perfect application – so you can enjoy chatting to your…
Read MorePM’s roadmap: Nail & beauty businesses could reopen from 12 April
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has today (22 February) revealed his four-part lockdown exit plan for England, with businesses in the personal care sector expected to reopen from 12 April. In a statement to the House of Commons, prior to his address to the nation at 7pm, he commented that his roadmap ‘will guide us cautiously…
Read MoreCoronavirus: Scotland will return to levels system when lockdown ends
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has today (22 February) revealed that Scotland will return to a geographic levels system when the national lockdown ends. Sturgeon is expected to unveil her roadmap out of lockdown for Scotland tomorrow (23 February). This news will indicate the ‘likely phasing’ of the gradual lifting of current lockdown restrictions and…
Read MoreHair & beauty businesses ‘£41,000 out of pocket’ by end of 2021
Hair and beauty businesses saw up to 57% loss in turnover in 2020, according to a report by the NHBF and independent economic analysts, Pragmatix Advisory. It also predicts that businesses will be out of pocket £41,000 on average because of the pandemic by the end of 2021, with the annual revenue of the largest…
Read MoreOPI & Kerry Washington reunite to honour the brand’s 40th anniversary
Actress and activist, Kerry Washington, has been announced as brand ambassador for OPI’s 40th anniversary year. She served as OPI’s creative ambassador in 2016 and teamed up with OPI co-founder, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, to launch the Washington D.C. nail colour collection. “We are delighted that Kerry is reprising her role as brand ambassador during our anniversary…
Read MoreOlympia Beauty launches 15-week virtual event for beauty pros
Olympia Beauty has launched a free-to-attend virtual event, running over 15 weeks to excite, educate and inspire beauty professionals. Launched on 14 February, Olympia Beauty Spring will run until Monday 31 May and focuses on bringing the trade show experience to the home or workplace of all beauty professionals. The event delivers beauty education and…
Read More5 things I love about being a session nail technician
Scratch chats to session nail technician & Scratch Stars Session Stylist of the Year 20/21 finalist, Lauren Michelle Pires, about her work life & the things she loves most about her role… Based in London, Lauren Michelle Pires works as a freelance editorial manicurist. She studied graphic design and photography at Central Saint Martins, where…
Read MoreOPI marks 40th anniversary with Hollywood nail colour collection
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, nail brand OPI has returned to its birthplace with the Hollywood collection. Available in Nail Lacquer, Infinite Shine and GelColor, the 12 shades celebrate ‘then’ with a nod to vintage Hollywood glamour and ‘now’ with trendsetting hues for spring/summer 2021. “Over the past 40 years, we’ve taken women on…
Read MoreMumbai nail tech scoops 1st place at OMC Online Championships
Nail technician, Pooja Panvanda from Mumbai, India, has scooped first place in New York’s OMC Hair World Championships 2020. She beat 2000 participants from five continents in the Nail Fantasy category with her dazzling and decadent bird design. Here, Scratch finds out more about the talented tech… What attracted you to the nail sector? “Nails…
Read MoreOPI’s Suzi Weiss-Fischmann on nail shades, style & her colourful career…
OPI celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021 – and Scratch commemorated the occasion by inviting the nail brand’s co-founder to guest edit its February edition. Affectionally known as ‘The First Lady of Nails’, Suzi Weiss-Fischmann grew up in Hungary during the communist era. She was 10 years old when her family fled from Hungary to…
Read MoreHalo Gel Polish to release 6 nail shades with a focus on hope in dark times
Pure Nails has added six stunning nail shades to its Halo Gel Polish range for spring-friendly manis and pedis. The hues in the Hope Springs Eternal collection are creamy and diverse; from pastels with a punchy twist to a forest green and go-to grey. Each shade aims to delight and excite, inspired by hope in…
Read MoreCreate fancy floral nail designs with 6 Lecenté foils
Show off oh-so delicate nail styles with six floral nail foils from Lecenté. Ideal for any occasion – from spring to Valentine’s Day to summer holidays, the striking foils each feature a transparent background to be used alone or over a block colour shade, depending on preference. Consider cutting out feature flowers from each of…
Read MoreVodex donates extraction unit to nail tech supporting clients with cancer
Beauty industry extraction specialist, Vodex, donated a SalonAIR unit to Tracey Unwin following a heartwarming email from the tech. Tracey explained that she was starting a new chapter in her life and needed some help. She wanted to offer free pamper sessions to women who were fighting cancer or had recovered from it. As a…
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