COPIED
6 mins

Love Struck

Capture the hearts of clients with 40 Valentine’s themed nail designs & products to express affection & artistry

Image courtesy of Entity, from the Cutie Couture collection, available via www.beautybossherquarters.co.uk

Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to upsell your services with nail art and gain profit from promoting retail items as gifts. Let nails become a canvas for a variety of designs, depending on your clients’ desires – from metallic hearts to sweetheart French tips, and classic reds and pinks to darker, alternative looks.

Clients don’t have to be loved up to embrace the annual celebration. Love references promote positive feelings and memories, can serve to express passion for a hobby or pet, or be chosen purely because a client likes the look of hearts or roses on nails.

Seek inspiration from a variety of designs – from quick feature nail additions to more complex, hand-painted artistry, to suit the tastes of all clients during the season of romance and love.

1 Light Elegance Glitter Gel in All Eyes On Me £14.95 + VAT www.lightelegance.co.uk Silver meets lavender in this stunning icy glitter that offers opaque coverage.
2 Entity Color Couture Gel-Lacquer in How Adorable Am I? £4.95 + VAT www.beautybossherquarters.co.uk This blush pink crème is ideal for full coverage looks or adding highlights to nail art designs.
3 Shimmering red chrome hearts are scattered across this elegant nail design by @amnailbox, complemented by dainty white dots.
4 The GelBottle Inc Flashing Pigment in Pillarbox £10 + VAT www.thegelbottle.com This loose pigment powder can be encapsulated into enhancements or used to create a standout sugar effect.
5 Salon System Gellux Mini Gel Polish in Black Cherry £7.25 + VAT. Available via wholesalers nationwide.
6 Salon System nail expert, Jaz Moger (@paintbyjaz), chooses Gellux shade, Black Cherry, to dominate this nail design, creating a sultry look with a negative space heart and checkerboard nail. Scan here for a step-by-step
7 Why have diamonds when you can have gems on nails? Florida’s @naibisbeauty combines various artistic styles with crystals to create a striking red look.
8 Halo Create Acrylic Powder in Oslo £3.09 + VAT www.purenails.co.uk Craft stylish, romance-inspired nail styles with this pretty pink acrylic powder shade.
9 Glitterbels Loose Glitter in Together Forever £6 inc VAT www.glitterbels.com This 15g glitter pot features red heart shapes in a variety of sizes to elevate gel and acrylic nail enhancements.
10 Nail artist, @gabriannanails, creates a glowing effect on matte black nail enhancements, adding hearts and cherries in a red hue.
11 Heart Glass Jar £2.49 inc VAT www.therange.co.uk Embrace the theme of love at the nail desk by storing cotton pads or wipes in this kitsch pink jar.
12 CND Shellac™ in Kiss from a Rose £14.95 + VAT www.sweetsquared.com Described as ‘a flirtatiously rosy bubble-gum pink to charm and captivate’, this pretty hue is also available in Vinylux™.
13 This lovely lace design by Derby’s @nailsbyharriet_ exudes romance, and has been created with white art gel. Instagram.com/nailsbyharriet_
14 Alyssa Fronce (@alyssanailtech) adds a fun element to thumbnails with games of hearts and crosses.
15 Hayling Island nail pro, @madolyns, uses The Pro Gel products to hand-paint love letters and roses onto nails.
16 Glitterbels Deluxe Single Nail Desk from £800 inc VAT www.glitterbels.com Treat yourself to a love-ly desk from which to work, featuring deluxe buttoned fabric in soft pink with a choice of gold, silver or rose gold fittings.
17 Award-winning nail artist, Gemma Dawson, creates a Valentine’s-inspired pop art nail design using HD Pro Nails Art Gels in various shades of pink, with white and black detailing.
18 Wolverhampton-based nail pro, Yasmine Hodge of Gels by Yas, shares an anti-Valentine’s Day themed design, featuring dark shades and an ‘I Love Me’ statement.
19 The Manicure Company Gel Polish in Relationship Goals £8.73 inc VAT www.themanicurecompany.com Designed to celebrate femininity and strength, this warm pastel pink with silver shimmer is part of The Manicure Company’s six-piece Power Of Pink collection for spring.
20 Halo VIP, Louisa Clark (@nailsbylouisadominique), funks up a French manicure with Pure Nails products, adding a red smile line and hand-painted lips and hearts.
21 Sheffield’s Hannah Luxton-Cavál features elements of a typical Valentine’s Day on nails: a card, chocolate-covered strawberries and plenty of love.
22 OPI Infinite Shine in Pink In Bio £8.90 + VAT/RRP £16.90 www.opi.com This soft pink crème is ideal for a full coverage look, or as a base for nail art.
23 Nail artist & Glitterbels co-founder, Annabel Maginnis, combines this year’s peachy Pantone Color of the Year with burgundy and pale pink, adding hearts to complement on feature nails.
24 Gabrielle Footstool in Sparkle Powder £299 inc VAT www.sofology.co.uk Spread love in your reception area or add a cute touch to a dry pedi with this pink heart-shaped footstool.
25 Pink Hearts Medium Gift Bag £1.49 inc VAT www.cardfactory.co.uk Place retail items that you sell in the run-up to Valentine’s Day in a heart print bag, to excite clients about gifting their loved ones.
26 :YOURS Lovely Flowers Stamping Plate £7.45 + VAT www.sweetsquared.com Add lace, flowers and symbols of love to nails with ease, courtesy of the double-sided Lovely Flowers Stamping Plate from :YOURS.
27 Lecenté Nail Foil in Bouquet £3.99 + VAT www.lecente.com / www.sweetsquared.com / www.ellisons.co.uk Encapsulate this foil within enhancements or burnish onto nails for striking full coverage or accent looks.
28 Nail artist & content creator, Isobel Grace Wassall, embraces a spring colour palette, adding hearts to the tips of nails in on-trend shades. Instagram.com/nails.by.iz_
29 Studex Sensitive Clear Glitter Heart Earrings £8.75 + VAT www.studexuk.com These gold-plated earrings are a perfect gift for a client to buy for a friend, loved one – or themself. Place near your payment area for a last-minute pick-me-up.
30 Homesense Paper Decorations £4.99 inc VAT www.homesense.com Want to decorate your nail space for Valentine’s Day? Consider these pretty paper decorations.
31 Jodie Keen (@_gelsbyjodie_) offers a subtle nod to the celebration of love, with a gold heart lock and key atop a milky nude nail base.
32 Award-winning nail artist, Danielle Brindley, adds a self-affirmation statement to nails, alongside a leopard print style in shades of pink.
33 Add a soft, subtle heart to nails with Gelish Pure Velvet Magnet Gel Polish in Feel The Allure, available for £16.99 + VAT via www.gelishmorgantaylor.co.uk
34 Florida nail stylist, Vinh Tran, tops off this heartfelt floral and chrome manicure with nail decals from Dippy Cow Nails.
35 Branded Keysie from £2.40 inc VAT/RRP £3.50 each www.keysie.co/shop Encourage clients to show love for their new nails by using a handy Keysie; a tool to open cans, picture frames and more. Brand with your logo so they can spread love for your business, too.
36 Artistic Colour Gloss in Hotzy £13.95 + VAT www.louellabelle.co.uk
37 Louella Belle brand ambassador, Danielle of @blissn__, uses Artistic Colour Gloss in Hotzy to paint red hearts over Artistic Pink Concealer Correction Gel.
38 Northumberland tech, Chloe Millinson, marries on-trend red flames in a heart shape with stylish French tips for a subtle acknowledgement to Valentine’s Day.
39 Zero Gel Polish in Ibiza Nights £11.50 inc VAT www.themanicurecompany.com This punchy pink packs a statement – and will catch the eyes of admirers.
40 Mad Beauty Wild At Heart Lip Gloss £POA/RRP £4.99 www.madbeauty.com Pucker up! Retail this heart-shaped lip gloss clients for soft, moisturised and tinted lips with a glossy finish to complement their new manicure.
This article appears in February 2024

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This article appears in...
February 2024
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Editor's Letter
February is traditionally a month focused on love
Nail NATION
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Creativity & The Climatalypse
A powerful environmental message connects a series of striking, nail-focused images, one of which features on this month’s cover. REBECCA HITCHON finds out more about the nail inspo & on-set photo shoot antics
THE SCRATCH scoop
The Scratch team offers an insight into its antics & unveils events & products from the nail & beauty realms
THE HOT List
Scratch scours the industry for the latest nail & beauty products to captivate clients & lend a helping hand to your services
2024 Scratch Stars Awards
Embrace the opportunity to join the elite group of salons & industry professionals that hold a Scratch Star title: a symbol of excellence in the UK&I nail sector
Love Struck
Capture the hearts of clients with 40 Valentine’s themed nail designs & products to express affection & artistry
Luxe LIFE
Elevate your mani/pedi services & indulge clients with TGB Spa; a refillable bodycare system with luxury aesthetic
BEHIND THE GRAM
Get to know social media nail stars as they offer an insight into their lives & share content creation tips
GEL GOALS: Mastered
Delve into the glories of the gel system & explore products to sculpt, perfect, aid artistry & more
Better Together
TAMMY KOSLOWSKI, founder & director of House of NAF!, spills the story of a collaboration that serves to empower young people as they journey into the beauty industry
Community culture
Explore how to use & navigate online nail forums appropriately with advice from their founders & leaders
NOTES FROM Nergish
Reach your goals & ensure success with advice from esteemed beauty business expert, NERGISH WADIA-AUSTIN
Enter the DRAGON
Embrace the Lunar New Year in style by brushing up on your knowledge of Chinese legends & channelling the spirit of the dragon through nail art
HIRING HELP
Are you seeking a new staff member but unsure how to nail the recruitment process? Check out REBECCA HITCHON’S roundup of advice
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The World’s Star Nail Artist 2023 shares tips, techniques & insights into her soaring career
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Scratch explores common causes & salon solutions to nail damage & the importance of having a clear policy in place for repairs
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