LET'S NAIL IT
                           SALON | TRAINING

Family, Friends & The Pricing Mistakes We All Make Let me tell you something I see over and over again. A nail tech starts. She’s excited. She’s practising. She cares. She wants to do well. So she charges £15 for something that takes her 3 hours. She gives her best friend a free set. She squeezes in her cousin at 8pm because “it’s only this once.” She copies the prices of the cheap salon down the road because she’s scared. And then 24 months later she’s exhausted, slightly re

What is the Best Recommended Product? This question never goes away. “What’s the best gel?” “What brand do you recommend?” “Just tell me what to buy.” I get it. You don’t want to waste money. You don’t want drawers full of half-used bottles. You don’t want to struggle with lifting and not know whether it’s you or the product. But here’s the grounded truth. There is no universal “best” product. Yes - I Do Recommend Products Let’s be clear. I do recommend brands. I use

Why You Shouldn’t Practise With Cheap Products and “Save the Good Ones” for Clients I know why you do it. You don’t want to “waste” the expensive gel. You tell yourself you’ll practise with the cheaper one… and use the good stuff once you’re better. Sounds logical. It’s not. Because your hands are learning the behaviour of the cheap product - not the one you’ll actually use on paying clients. And that’s where the struggle begins. You End Up Fighting the Product Cheap gels oft

Lifting Isn’t Random - It’s Feedback If nails are lifting, something is talking to you. Lifting is not “just bad luck.” It’s not always “the client’s fault.” And it’s not always “the product.” Every lift has a pattern. If you learn to read it, you stop guessing. Let’s break down what lifting is really telling you. Lifting Around the Cuticle This is the most common one. And yes - most of the time it’s prep. But let’s go deeper. Cuticle lifting usually happens because: The natu

Choosing the Right Base Coat: Stop Guessing, Start Understanding There are a lot of base coats on the market. Fancy names. Big promises. “Vitamin-infused”, “miracle retention”, “one base for all”. Most of it? Noise. The real problem isn’t the number of options - it’s that nail techs don’t understand what base coats actually do, so they keep switching products instead of reviewing the real cause. Let’s simplify this. What Is a Base Coat Actually For? A base coat is a bonding l

What Nails Not to Practise On When You’re Starting Out There are hands… and then there are hands. Some are a dream to work on. Others will test every bit of your patience and skill. And yes- even experienced nail techs can struggle with certain nail types. When you’re just starting out, practice is everything. But who you practise on matters more than most people realise. The mistake many beginners make At the beginning, money is usually tight. You’re investing in products, t

How to Save Money When Switching Nail Brands

January Reset for Nail Techs - What to Do After the Christmas Rush

2026 Won’t Look Different to 2025 Unless Your Skills Do

Examples of Nails That Screams for an Upskill Part 4

nail transformation

little nail transofrmation

Let’s Talk About Nails That Almost Look Good We’ve all seen sets that look fine at first glance… But when you tilt the hand, look from the side, or take a photo - the flaws jump out. These aren’t dramatic mistakes. These are the tiny details holding techs back from truly professional results. Details that clients can’t name… but they can definitely see . And this is exactly where upskilling changes the game. So let’s look at some real examples - how small corrections in struc

You Are Not Struggling. You Are Undertrained. Hey, I’m Maya - and sit with me for a minute, because we need to have a proper chat. A real one. The kind every baby nail tech wishes someone had with them at the start. You know that feeling when you’re sitting at your desk thinking: “Why is this taking me forever?” “Why does everyone else make it look so easy?” “What exactly am I doing wrong?” And people give you those useless lines like: “Just practice more!” “Trust the process

How to Set Your Prices as a Nail Tech (Without Undervaluing Yourself)

Do Not Rush Into Nail Art When You Are Starting Out !! When you start nails, it’s tempting to jump straight into nail art. That’s the fun part, right? Swirls, glitter, foils, French… it’s what you see on Instagram all the time. But here’s the thing: creating a solid foundation of perfect nails is more important than anything else. Not everyone wants nail art straight away. Most clients actually want long-lasting nails with a clean shape and good structure. If you can give the

Nailympia 2025 - Nail Competition Have you ever thought about competing? You definitely should — it’s so much fun! I know, your first competition can feel stressful and overwhelming. Mine was too. But when you go back the following year, it’s a completely different kind of buzz — and when you finally take a spot on the podium, it’s the best feeling ever. It doesn’t matter what place you get; the satisfaction of standing there and receiving your medal is unreal. Honestly, I be

The Nail Steps You Have to Master as a Nail Tech When you’re doing nails, there’s no room for error. Miss one step, and nails can lift,...

I thought I was figuring it out on my own, but something was missing. My mum booked me a one-to-one training day with her nail tech. At...

The TPO Ban in Nail Products – What Nail Techs Need to Know If you’re a nail tech, you’ve probably seen the word TPO pop up recently....